IATEFL TTEd SIG

Teacher Training and Education SIG

Pre-conference event

7 April 2010, Harrogate

Narrative Inquiry in Teacher Training and Education

Exploring our professional context and making use of stories of experience or narrative inquiry help us make more informed decisions about our practices. Stories enable us to engage with new knowledge, broader perspectives, and expanded possibilities because we encounter them in the familiar territory of human experience (Rossiter 2002). Narrative inquiry in teacher training and education brings myriad benefits to quality education, community building and professional development. The aim of this year’s TTEd SIG PCE is to create a platform for discussing the importance of teachers’, teacher trainers’ and educators’ narratives as

research tools
professional development
methodology.

The event will be organized with the contributions of Briony Beaven, Jill Hadfield and Anne Burns. The delegates will have the chance to take part in group activities and discussions and clarify issues at the end of the day. The TTEd event is planned as a day of professional development and a certificate of attendance will be provided.

Abstracts:

OPENING PLENARY
Briony BEAVEN

‘Do you have that as well?’ Teacher stories and teacher trainer stories: sharing and learning

Firstly, we will establish a framework and rationale for teachers’ and teacher trainers’ stories as a form of professional development for both groups, drawing on research into the role of narrative in various strands of educational thought. We will then ‘have a go’, exploring the potential of this way of understanding experience, and defining our first impressions. Lastly, I will report briefly on three storytelling mini-projects. The report will include feedback from teachers and teacher trainers and will aim to provide participants with insights into the relevance and potential of this mode of experiential learning for varied groups of teachers and teacher trainers.

SECOND PLENARY
Jill HADFIELD

Narrating The Future

Narrative enquiry and autoethnography are traditionally concerned with exploring participants’ past narratives to illuminate experience through the interpretation of personal history. In this practical workshop we will look at ways in which participants can also narrate their future as a means of clarifying aims and directions, providing motivation and mapping a route for teacher development. As Hopkins (1994) has said, "Our narratives are the means through which we imagine ourselves into the persons we become. The transformative dynamic of the self story lies in the profoundly empowering recognition that one is not only the main character but also the author of that story.”

THIRD PLENARY
Anne BURNS

Research as narrative: The potential of action research for telling classroom stories

Teaching is a can-do action oriented activity and most teachers spend time with their colleagues discussing classroom activities and musing over practical issues that arise. In recent times teachers have become increasingly interested in investigating these issues in their classrooms and conducting their own practitioner research.
Action research is a form of research that lends itself well to classroom explorations as it is based on the real-life issues that exist in our own classrooms. Although we might tend to think that we are the only ones facing certain challenges, often these issues are shared by other teachers. When action research is done collaboratively with colleagues it involves teachers in discussing and reflecting on their own “classroom stories”. It involves thinking, narrating and acting on the following kinds of questions:
What puzzles or intrigues me about my classroom?
What “burning questions” do I have about my students’ learning?
Are there certain things I would like to see happening better or differently?
What new activities or teaching strategies would I like to try out?
What classroom situations would I like to understand better?
How can I document and record what is happening in my classroom?

In this session, I will describe the main steps for doing action research and share stories about teachers’ research from different parts of the world. Participants will also have opportunities to discuss their own stories about what issues intrigue them about their own classrooms and consider how they could research them.

We are a large and thriving SIG, generating a lot of interest world-wide. If you are interested in finding out more about the SIG, contact the IATEFL office.