Teacher Talk: (Re)negotiating Resistance, Tension, and Peripheral Participation in Professional Development

• In Event: Enhancing Teachers' Learning Through Discourse and Dialogue

Abstract

Research has shown effective professional development occurs in learning communities where teachers co-construct knowledge with peers about teaching and learning by engaging in meaningful activities. However, very few studies have examined the complex nature of discourse, participation, and learning in professional development contexts. Grounded in the notion of Communities of Practice, this study investigated how middle and high school teachers who participated in a series of professional development activities on implementing Socratic circles (re)constructed identities in discourse. 23 teachers were audio- and video-recorded when they participated in 10 model discussions as part of a semester-long experience. The discourse analysis demonstrates how the participants negotiated resistance, tension, and participation in Socratic circles and offers implications for teacher educators and teachers.

Authors

• Hayriye Kayi Aydar, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

• Christian Zachary Goering, University of Arkansas