"It's Always Take, Take, Take": Teacher Collaboration, Gender Politics, and Emotions in School Reform

• In Event: 61.029 - Educators and Emotional Labor: Coping With the Emotions of Teaching

Abstract

While the benefits of reforms centering teacher collaboration are well-documented, less is known about how emotions intersect with teachers’ collective work. However, educational change is an emotional process, as reform efforts often involve shifts in teachers’ daily routines. Drawing on detailed qualitative data, we conducted an in-depth case study of a math teacher team to explore the following questions: How do the micropolitics of power and identity intersect with teacher collaboration and emotion? In what ways do these dynamics shift over time? An analysis of data reveals how emotions both shaped and were shaped by teachers’ collaboration experiences. Power and identity (in this case, gender) impacted collaboration and subsequently opportunities for instructional improvement, revealing important implications for policy and practice.

Authors

• Hayley Ryan Weddle, University of California - San Diego

• Marie Lockton, University of California - San Diego