Why Am I Teaching This? Investigating the Tension Between Mandated Curriculum and Teacher Autonomy

Costello, David

doi:10.33524/cjar.v13i2.38

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Teachers' professional lives have been chronicled over decades (Blake and Blake, 2012;Buchanan, 2010;Clark, 2016;Costello, 2012;Craig, 2012;Cutuly, 1993;Ewing and Manuel, 2005;Forrest et al, 2010;Freire, 1998;Gallant and Riley, 2014;Goddard et al, 2006;Goodson, 2006;Goodson and Sikes, 2001;Hargreaves, 1994;Harfitt, 2014;Hong, 2012;Lawrence-Lightfoot, 1983;Mackenzie, 2007;Pajak, 2012). These chronicles and examinations highlight contradiction in the public rhetoric of education.…”

Section: Disrupting the Rhetoric Of Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Disrupting the rhetoric of education: separating the spin of teaching and learning from the reality

Pelosi

2023

QRJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThe Instagram site, teacherwhispers, was created as part of a qualitative research project that chronicled the stories and lived experience of preservice and graduate teachers. Since 2020, the purpose of the study was to identify themes connected to the participants' experiences of current trends in education. The intent was to situate the research as a critical interruption into the bigger political discourses surrounding education. The study sought to question why pedagogical practices are increasingly being positioned and located for political and economic reasons and to frame the questions of how we emerge as teachers in specific moments in time.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology employed in the project was ethnographic and narrative-based, representing stories of teachers and teaching. Ethnography as embodiment contributes to an evocative portrayal of the participants' experiences. Teacher stories can be used to progress understandings of schools and schooling and play an important role in reflecting upon and learning from experience.FindingsThe selection of posts from teacherwhispers have brought into sharp focus the broad range of difficulties and rewards that are inherent in teaching. The site has been a microcosm of current issues in education. As a problematic and uncomfortable site of public pedagogy, it has been a site for sharing the realities, specificities and challenges of situatedness. The places where teachers work within their respective communities are highly diverse and can be a source of pressure both professionally and personally. Consequently, in the analysis of teacherwhispers, generalisations have been avoided.Research limitations/implicationsAs a repository of data for research, a public online site has its challenges; research is meant to be generalisable but in teaching each setting is unique and generalisations can be problematic. Sites of public pedagogy for teachers tend to be kaleidoscopic representations: diverse locations, groups, interests and disciplines. They are a stark reminder to be sceptical of accepting the statement, “research tells us” without questioning the positioning and biases that are inherently at play.Practical implicationsPractical elements of the project have included navigating a public online space for the dissemination of data.Social implicationsCreated in the spirit of problematising the methodology of public pedagogy, the online space at the centre of this project eventuated into something of a definition of what can be problematic in defining teachers' spaces of connection. The site was a place where opinions were expressed in confidentiality and that problematised methodology by putting into question what that methodology may be in a public sphere. What came forth as a result of putting methodology at the centre, rather than a definite answer, was unpredictability.Originality/valueThe online space has been an original place to display unanalysed data. The willingness to tell stories through an intermediary was juxtaposed by the public readership's unwillingness to engage with the stories, which would have meant exposing their identity. The online space is one that is increasingly relevant in public sharing and communications relating to communities of practice. This research is a critical interruption to the bigger political discourses in education. It questions why pedagogical practices are increasingly politicised. The project has been significant in mapping the stories of emerging educators at a time of unprecedented pedagogical change.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Disrupting the Rhetoric Of Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disrupting the rhetoric of education: separating the spin of teaching and learning from the reality

Pelosi

2023

QRJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The Struggle for Teacher Professionalism in a Mandated Literacy Curriculum

Costello

2017

mje

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article reports on a study investigating how elementary teachers experienced the literacy initiatives that have been implemented in schools across PEI over the past five years. Such initiatives included the implementation of standardized instructional and assessment materials across the board and the emphasis on consistency of program use, reporting, and evaluation. Data were gathered through an online survey and interviews. Throughout this study, issues of professionalism, emotional impact, and teacher resistance were explored. This article focuses specifically on the issue of teacher professionalism and its relationship with prescribed curriculum. Findings suggest that professionalism is challenged when teachers attempt to adhere to the fidelity of program processes. However, fidelity to the purpose of a program would allow for teacher decision-making and autonomy within the context of any given program or practice.Ce texte présente les résultats d’un projet de recherche explorant la manière dont les enseignants de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard ont vécu la mise en place d’actions en littératie au cours des cinq dernières années. Des données ont été recueillies à l’aide d’un sondage en ligne et d’entrevues. Au cours de l’enquête, des problématiques relatives au professionnalisme, aux impacts émotionnels et à la résistance des enseignants ont été explorées. Cet article s’attarde particulièrement à la question du professionnalisme enseignant dans le cadre d’un programme prescrit. Les résultats indiquent que lorsque les enseignants tentent de se conformer scrupuleusement aux processus du programme, ceux-ci le font au détriment de leur professionnalisme enseignant. Cependant, être fidèles aux objectifs du programme permettrait aux enseignants de préserver leur capacité à prendre des décisions et leur autonomie et ce, au sein de n’importe lequel programme ou milieu de travail

show abstract

Why Am I Teaching This? Investigating the Tension Between Mandated Curriculum and Teacher Autonomy

Cited by 2 publications

References 3 publications

Disrupting the rhetoric of education: separating the spin of teaching and learning from the reality

Disrupting the rhetoric of education: separating the spin of teaching and learning from the reality

The Struggle for Teacher Professionalism in a Mandated Literacy Curriculum

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About