“I Practice Teaching”: Transforming Our Professional Identities as Literacy Teachers Through Action Research

Abstract

The authors argue for the importance of practice in the professional lives of literacy teachers. Literacy practices and teaching practices are imbued with intentionality, context (temporal, social, political, and cultural), perspective, and outcomes. The goal of this article is to open a dialogue that could begin to normalize a theory of practice and practitioner research as central to the professional identity of teachers. The authors suggest that this professional identity is not something that can be given to teachers; rather, teachers must claim it through their practice.

Inquiring about Inquiry: A Research Journey

“…Similar to Murphy (2013) and others (Schutz and Hoffman, 2017), we argue that teacher inquiry is most effective when it is framed by a systematic and carefully scaffolded process. The teacher inquiry model used in this study was developed more than two decades ago for teacher education programs in the graduate school of education at our university (See Figure 1).…”

“…Goodnough (2008), for instance, examined a process of Participatory Action Research (PAR) that prepared teachers to examine and critically reflect on their practice. More recently, Schutz and Hoffman (2017) used the term "action research" (p. 10) to describe a systematic and fluid approach to examining one's own practice. There is agreement across these models, however, that teacher inquiry prepares candidates to think, assess, design and implement instruction, reflect, and develop a teacher researcher identity that is critical for ongoing inquiry (Davis, Clayton, Broome, 2017, Schutz & Hoffman, 2017.…”

“…Teacher candidates may also benefit from regular opportunities to closely examine their teaching as they reflect on how their instruction impacts student learning (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009;Truxaw, Casa, & Adelson, 2011). As candidates learn how to collect and use data to plan evidence-based instruction and adjust their teaching in response to students' performance (Athanases, Bennett, & Wahleithner, 2015;Truxaw et al, 2011), they develop the knowledge and skills needed to assess and respond instructionally (Schutz & Hoffman, 2017;Timperley, Wilson, Barrar, & Fung, 2007). Ortlieb and Lu (2011) argue that teacher candidates who develop an inquiry-based stance to learning are positioned to become change agents in their classrooms.…”

Exploring New Ways of Literacy Instruction Through Practitioner Research

“…Practitioner research provides a unique opportunity for teachers to become empowered risk‐takers who are delving into their practice to bring theory to action (Mertler, ). The work of the practitioner researcher effectively contributes to a climate of deprivatized practice, where risk‐taking and collaborative practice are the norm as teachers open their doors to one another and embrace the collective work of challenging long‐held assumptions of practice and its impact on student learning (Cranston, ; Schutz & Hoffman, ). The specific impact of the research practitioner model described by the three researchers highlighted in this column illustrates these ideas.…”

“…Like other quality research, meeting the standards of sound practice is essential (Mertler, ). However, the continuous reflection on what the data are indicating and the action planning that continues after to restart the cyclical process of practitioner research are the very steps that move the research from theory to practice and changes instruction (Cranston, ; Dana, ; Schutz & Hoffman, ). As the practitioner researchers highlighted here have demonstrated, the data gathered did not just sit on a shelf.…”