Talking About Good Teachers: Interrupting List-Making With Interpretive Inquiry

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 3 Poster Session 2

Abstract

Although it is widely accepted that good teachers matter, there is no universally agreed upon definition of what it means to be a good teacher. For over a century, educational researchers have attempted to describe good teachers within lists of traits, qualities, practices and competencies; such lists tend to both oversimplify and overcomplicate the work that good teachers do. This paper proposes a three-part framework based on principles of interpretive inquiry in order to interrupt the list-making and open the question of what it means to be a good teacher in ways that lead to genuine dialogue, deeper understanding, and meaningful change.

Author

• Kimberley A. Grant, University of Calgary