Novice Urban Teachers and Practitioner Inquiry: Case Studies of Pedagogical Growth and Reclaiming Teacher Agency

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Action Research and Vocality: The Power of Personal and Social Transformations for Students and Educators

Abstract

The study aims: (a) to clarify notions of praxis and practical wisdom and illustrate their relevance to teacher development; (b) to explore how teachers’ agency, knowledge, and judgment can be reclaimed utilizing notions of praxis and practical wisdom; (c) to conceptually explore and suggest specific points of congruence between action research/practitioner inquiry and cultivation of practical wisdom, and lastly (d) to examine empirically how teacher inquiry can enhance pedagogical growth and cultivate practical wisdom, consequently providing spaces for teachers to understand their agency and importance of their judgments. Case studies of seven novice urban teachers’ practitioner inquiries are analyzed based on the points of congruence between practical wisdom and practitioner inquiry.

Author

• Sara Labib Salloum, Long Island University - Brooklyn