Personal Stories as Course Content: Learning About Self and Practice Through Analyzing Stories as Artifacts

• In Event: The Authority of Introspection in Self-Study

Abstract

This study interrogated my use of personal stories in working with preservice teachers. In this inquiry I position the stories as artifacts and question their origins, their utilization as content, and the consequences of their use for students and me. When situated within other supporting course texts and activities, stories can be beneficial: enhancing student/professor relationships, promoting students’ engagement with course content, serving as models for instruction, linking abstract concepts to concrete images, and influencing students’ commitment to beliefs. The impacts of stories are bound by relational factors in the classroom and by the capacity of students to explore their mindsets. If they are not carefully implemented, stories may inadvertently reinforce mindsets that are counterproductive.

Author

• Valerie A. Allison, Susquehanna University