Reflecting on Practice: Backbone Teachers' Personal Practical Knowledge of Their School Reform Experiences

Abstract

Researched and written as a narrative inquiry, this paper examines two backbone teachers' personal practical knowledge and reflective practices in the New Basic Education (NBE) reform in China. Backbone teachers are a distinctive group of teachers in Chinese schools who lead and guide the other teachers. Their role is critical to school change and teacher development just as the backbone is essential to the body's bone structure. Three themes surfaced in this field-based study: 1) backbone teachers' roles in reform efforts, 2) changes in teaching concepts, and 3) teachers' communities of knowing. The scholarly significance of the study is that it presents a different model of school reform, one where the participation of teachers in research roles is essential.