Shaping My Professional Identity Through Narrative Inquiry: Being a Guide on the Side Is Not Enough

Abstract

In this narrative inquiry, I narrate and compose meaning of an experience as an English teacher who designed a course that integrated premises of gamification and digital gaming to foster students’ engagement and central participation. I begin by explaining the context in which the research took place and presenting the reasons for my proposal. Subsequently, I go over the task proposed, where students answered a questionnaire on the traits they would like to keep or change in me as their English teacher, given the chance. Their answers based the writing of a poem, which showed the need for me to step off the spotlight. The following experience narrated was having my students gamify their final oral test while I tried to be the guide on the side. I learned their central participation led to engagement and a positive attitude towards the learning process. I also understood that my urge to be a guide on the side and not a sage on stage was not enough. What really awoke me to continuously review my professional identity was having lived the experience together with them.