Mathematics Teachers Exploring Reasoning and Sense Making Through Action Research
Narrative
inquiry allows the voices of teachers to be heard and develops an understanding
of what the experience is like from
the perspective of the teacher (Connelly & Clandinin,
1990). Narrative inquiry is a “field in
the making” (Chase, 2005, p. 651) that has recently received wider attention in
the field of education. Clandinin and Connelly (2000) describe narrative inquiry as
“a collaboration between researcher and participants, over time, in a place or series
of places, and in social interaction with milieus” (p. 20). Narrative inquiry complements the teachers'
use of action research, because both aim to give voice to teachers and status
to their previously absent practical knowledge (Barone,
2010). Narrative analysis consists of
“emplotment and narrative configuration” (Polkinghorne,
1995), in which the researcher seeks to create a storied account of the
experience. Individual data pieces, or
field texts, were pieced together to develop a plot (Polkinghorne, 1995) and create unified, coherent narratives that
convey meaning to the reader about what the experience is like for each
teacher. This analysis process is one of
“a synthesizing of the data rather than a separation of it into its constituent
parts” (Polkinghorne, 1995, p. 15). Findings reveal that teachers
incorporated these recommendations into their teaching in very individual
ways. Narratives reveal that their
choices are a reflection of those aspects of the recommendations that held
meaning for them within the context of their teaching and their visions for
their practice. While teachers used
common language to describe their goals for reasoning and sense making,
classroom observations revealed distinct ways that the recommendations were put
into practice. A common challenge that
teachers faced was persisting in and refining their actions in the face of
student resistance to changes being made in the classroom culture. The variety of ways that teachers
incorporated the recommendations into their teaching, the challenges and
opportunities they faced, and the ways they interpreted the results of their
actions will be shared. The speaker will
use the 15 minutes presentation time in the following ways: to briefly describe
the study's theoretical perspective, purpose, design and analysis (5 min),
develop the audience's understanding of abbreviated narratives of three of the
teachers that were selected as representative (6 min), and describe
commonalities and differences among participants with respect to the research
questions (4 min). During roundtable
discussion I will engage the audience in responding to the findings and
discussing the implications for future research and practice. This study has educational
importance as it advances our understanding of teacher change in response to
the current reform proposals. Narrative
inquiry offers an alternative perspective as it reveals teachers' experiences
and allows their voices to be heard.
This study informs mathematics teacher educators of the diverse ways
that teachers interpret Reasoning and
Sense Making how it takes shape in their teaching practice. References Stenhouse, L. (1975). An
introduction to curriculum research and development. London: Heinemann.