Growing Together Through Mutual Recognition: The Interconnection of Student and Teacher Selfhood in Alternative Education

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Standards, Testing, and Teacher Evaluation: Examining What Counts as Good Teachers and Good Teaching

Abstract

In light of current, high-stakes debates about teacher quality, evaluation, and effectiveness—as well as the increased call for student voice in educational research—this qualitative study explored how 19 students from two public, alternative high school programs described, understood, and experienced good teachers. Findings highlight participants’ ideas about how good teachers supported their learning and positive identity development by (a) recognizing the inherent value and potential in students, and (b) sharing authentic aspects of their own selfhood and experiences. The paper also describes the internal and organizational obstacles participants named as impediments to this kind of identity-affirming teaching, and offers implications for teachers, teacher educators, educational leaders, and policy makers.

Author

• Jessica Blum-DeStefano, Teachers College, Columbia University