Complex dilemmas of identity and practice

Abstract

Identity is a complex construct, yet extremely important if we wish to understand the practice of teaching as a profession. In this paper, we examine the ways two middle school teachers talk about their identity and teaching practices and coordinate these self-reports with our own observations of how they implement a new environmental science curriculum. More specifically, we compare the teachers' beliefs about learning, goals for the classroom community and for instruction, and their knowledge of science content, and pedagogy. Furthermore, we discuss teaching dilemmas, which arise for these teachers as their identities and practices intersect and at times conflict. We argue, however, that a focus on practice and outcomes is an important, but limited aspect of what we, as a field, need to consider when attempting to understand the complexities of teaching and learning. Therefore, we continue to expand our understanding of two science classrooms as we examine the teachers' multiple identities in relation to their implementation of a science curriculum. The identity portraits from this study provide a rich and complicated account of the implementation of a science curriculum and illuminate a number of potential obstacles and pitfalls, which may inform the way we as a field reflect on curriculum and professional development.C 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 90: 68 -93, 2006

Religious Beliefs: A Hidden Variable in the Performance of Science Teachers in the Classroom

“…These, in turn, also make teachers behave in a certain manner. Beliefs are often held to be derived from one's personal life history and from cultural socialization (Enyedy et al, 2006). In this respect, the study concurs with Oser & Althof (1993), who conducted an in-depth biographical study on the processes and conditions that result in specific variations of professional morality.…”

The Experiences and Personal Religious Beliefs of Egyptian Science Teachers as a Framework for Understanding the Shaping and Reshaping of their Beliefs and Practices about Science‐Technology‐Society (STS)

“…In this vein, there is a substantial body of literature that highlights the relationship between teachers' beliefs and their thinking. Beliefs are taken to be psychological constructs that portray the organization and content of a teacher's thinking which, in turn, influence a teacher's interpretation of experiences and actions (Kagan, 1992;Nespor, 1987;Pajares, 1992;Enyedy et al, 2006).…”

The development of preservice elementary teachers' curricular role identity for science teaching

“…Identity, particularly role identity, has served as an important construct in research on teachers and teaching (Bullough, Knowles, & Crow, 1992;Enyedy et al, 2006;Mahlios, 2002;. In articulating a perspective on curricular role identity, we first explore theoretical perspectives on identity and role identity and then discuss implications for preservice teachers' identity development.…”

“…Just as participation in inquiry-oriented science can contribute to the development of students' identities (Lemke, 2001;Reveles, Kelly, & Durán, 2007), teachers' identities also exist in and are developed through classroom practice (Enyedy et al, 2006;Lemke, 2000;Sfard & Prusak, 2005). Teaching, the essential activity that defines a teacher, is a complex practice involving many different constituent practices, including the use of curriculum materials.…”

“…Identity exists not only in its representational form but also in the activities in which teachers engage (Enyedy et al, 2006;Lemke, 2000;Sfard & Prusak, 2005). If preservice teachers are to develop a curricular role identity, for example, in which they are able to effectively mobilize and use curricular resources in light of setting-specific curricular objectives and student needs, they need to have opportunities to learn to do so in elementary classrooms.…”