Poster #4 - "My School Influences My Thinking in a Thousand Ways Every Day": How Novice Teachers Visualize Influences on Their Practice

• In Event: 25.087 - MTCC Poster Session Four
  In Poster Session: 25.087-2 - Teachers' Lives and Lived Experiences Poster Session

Abstract

The field of teacher education has studied novice teachers using interviews and observations with less known about using creative methodologies in focus groups. This study presents an arts-based method designed for eighteen novice teachers to visualize the interconnected nature of what influences their practices. Findings reveal that while the teachers did display a range of influences, their artworks were more like visual lists rather than the desired ecological webs. However, their drawings revealed the power of their colleagues in shaping their practices. The novice teachers shifted their language from describing themselves as passive recipients to collaborative partners. This study suggests more research into how creative methodologies can be used to flesh out the ecological nature of teaching is needed.

Author

• Jenny Heather Gawronski, University of Washington - Seattle