Teacher Life: A Narrative Inquiry into the Storied Knowledge of Teachers

Abstract

Teacher development has traditionally focused upon the technical side of teaching—lesson planning, educational technology, and classroom management. The true work of teachers, however, is best understood using the conceptual framework of practical reasoning—how teachers decide what actions to take. Aristotle claimed that practical reasoning comes from action, but also guides that action. Shulman called this the “wisdom of the practice,” which is an apt description of teacher knowledge—both teacher knowledge itself as well as the ways in which it is produced. In this narrative inquiry dissertation study, I gathered a group of six teachers in an inquiry group to discuss a common text and to share stories of our teaching practices. Additionally, I conducted a semi-structured interview with each teacher. The narratives that I collected, analyzed, and (re)told give insight into the storied nature of the knowledge of teachers, as well as the ways in which teacher knowledge is developed and can be used in the education of teachers. In this dissertation, I develop a new conception of teacher development, which I call “teacher life.” Teacher life describes the complex and nuanced process of becoming in the lives of teachers. It also speaks to the ways in which our professional and personal lives combine to move us into new places as teachers and as people. By connecting the storied nature of teacher knowledge with the theoretical framework of practical reasoning, I describe teacher life as a concept defined by moments in a teacher’s life and the commitments that they make. I explore the key components of constructing a teacher life, and suggest a pedagogy for teacher development, case-based teaching, that uses the stories that we teachers tell and the knowledge those stories contain. Teacher life, as a concept, offers teacher educators a new way to consider the development of teachers. With the careful and intentional curation of the lived experiences of teachers, communicated through the medium of story, the knowledge that is intrinsic to, as well as a product of, teacher’s practical reasoning could be brought to bear in the development of teachers at all stages of their careers.