Thinking Poetically With Theory: The Possibilities of Threshold Poems as a Means of Poetic Analysis

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eight
  In Roundtable Session: The Poem as Tool and Home: Poetics, Identity, and Family in Educational Research (Table 13)

Abstract

This session introduces the analytical approach of thinking poetically with theory, and explores the possibilities of creating threshold poems that bring educational theory and praxis into dialogue. Threshold poems combine poetic inquiry and Jackson and Mazzei’s (2012) thinking with theory, and serve as a visual way to show a researcher’s analytical thought processes. The creation of threshold poems emerged from a dissertation that explored the tensions, perspectives and experiences of teachers as they worked to create inclusive mindsets and identities despite working in an ableist educational system. Thinking poetically with theory allows for a conversation to take place across what may otherwise be a huge disconnect between educational theories grounded in social justice and the realities of everyday classroom life.

Author

• Kerry Cormier, Rowan University
  Presenting Author