UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Leo-Nyquist, Kathryn J.
Dept./Program:
College of Education and Social Services
Year:
2009
Degree:
Ed. D.
Abstract:
Policymakers from the federal government level on down are calling for all students to achieve at higher and higher standards. Furthermore, researchers in education have established a growing knowledge base in the cognitive sciences and of learning theories that can potentially support equitable student achievement (McLaughlin and Talbert, 2006). It takes considerable knowledge and experiences to become a teacher and continued professional development to keep up with all of these changes and demands. I contend that teacher development occurs when school leaders help create spaces and opportunities for teachers to critically reflect on their practice with others in a spirit of inquiry. I also assert that creating the conditions for collective reflection and discourse has the potential to support teacher development over the continuum of a teaching career from pre-service to experienced teacher-leader and ultimately to improve learning for all students (Lambert, 2004; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2006).
To conduct this research, I used narrative inquiry methods (Bruner, 1996,2002; Polkinghorne, 1995; Reissman, 1993,2002; Chase, 2002) to the capture stories of participants in four professional development programs that function as "teacher learning communities": Prospect Center's descriptive processes; the National Writing Project, Critical Friends Groups, and the Courage to Teach retreat process. To collect these narratives, I conducted semi-structured, open-ended interviews with practitioners, national and statewide leaders and organizational founders of the four programs. What emerged is that the four programs are all exemplars of an alternative paradigm of professional development that I have referred to as counter-cultural.
At the center of all four programs is a focus on a specific context-be it the learner and his/her work, teacher practices and lives, or narratives that provoke discussion. Professional knowledge, expertise and contexts of the participant are respectfully acknowledged, and group norms and structured conversations guide the day-to-day work and allow all voices to be heard. There is a commitment of participants to meet over time with shared purposes or a vision. This promotes relational trust, which makes possible democratic learning communities where participants assume an inquiry stance as they reflect collaboratively on theory and practice. Skilled facilitation sustains this small-group work and the processes are transparent, which allows for leadership to be shared and capacity to be built among participants. These group processes allow for professional and personal renewal that ultimately leads to change in practice, and the school culture, with the goal of increased equity in student learning.
To conduct this research, I used narrative inquiry methods (Bruner, 1996,2002; Polkinghorne, 1995; Reissman, 1993,2002; Chase, 2002) to the capture stories of participants in four professional development programs that function as "teacher learning communities": Prospect Center's descriptive processes; the National Writing Project, Critical Friends Groups, and the Courage to Teach retreat process. To collect these narratives, I conducted semi-structured, open-ended interviews with practitioners, national and statewide leaders and organizational founders of the four programs. What emerged is that the four programs are all exemplars of an alternative paradigm of professional development that I have referred to as counter-cultural.
At the center of all four programs is a focus on a specific context-be it the learner and his/her work, teacher practices and lives, or narratives that provoke discussion. Professional knowledge, expertise and contexts of the participant are respectfully acknowledged, and group norms and structured conversations guide the day-to-day work and allow all voices to be heard. There is a commitment of participants to meet over time with shared purposes or a vision. This promotes relational trust, which makes possible democratic learning communities where participants assume an inquiry stance as they reflect collaboratively on theory and practice. Skilled facilitation sustains this small-group work and the processes are transparent, which allows for leadership to be shared and capacity to be built among participants. These group processes allow for professional and personal renewal that ultimately leads to change in practice, and the school culture, with the goal of increased equity in student learning.