Narratives of Practice as Provocations: Exploring Knowledge and Actions in ELL (English Language Learner) Teachers’ Impact Stories

• In Event: Roundtable Session 101
  In Roundtable Session: Discoveries From the Classroom: From “I Hate Math” to Stories of English Language Learners

Abstract

Teachers’ stories embody the knowledge they bring to the classroom and the practices that affect student learning. When teachers and teacher educators respond to the narratives, their impact is multiplied. In the current study, ELL teachers who were engaged in action research crafted impact stories that described their inquiry and analysis. Those videotaped stories were viewed and discussed online by teachers in a masters class who articulated the lessons for the storytellers and for the viewers. Participants identified applications and similarities to their own work, used research and theory to support their reflections, and acknowledged the need for community and interaction. We report on the role of inquiry, action, story, and reflection in this professional community.

Authors

• Cathy K. Zeek, Lasell College

• Carole L. Walker, Texas A&M University - Commerce