Sharing—and Actively Listening to—the Stories of Teacher Education

• In Event: Truth, Its Beauty, and Its Justice: Reconceptualizing How Stories Are Told in Educational Evaluation

Abstract

In educational programs, the focus is often on what the “bottom line” may be and what it tells us, such as budget data or standardized test scores. With such a narrow focus, we are missing out on the most insightful stories: those told by teachers themselves across all experience levels in their profession. Preservice teachers give us insight into how recent secondary school experiences translate into higher education and their relevance (as well as the need for updates) to teacher preparation programs. Novice teachers provide perspectives on their readiness for taking the instructional lead, which may vary greatly if they come to the field in non-traditional ways. Experienced teachers, especially those who mentor their newer colleagues as well as their seasoned peers, have epic histories to share about their own journeys in and through education and the many archetypal tests passed, thresholds crossed, and ordeals over which they have prevailed to earn their rewards and pass on their passion for teaching to others. Why, then, are teachers across all stages of teacher education not always asked to share their stories about the contexts and situations with which they are innately familiar?

This presentation will share ways that actively listening to teachers’ stories is a critical aspect of educational evaluation. Examples will be shared from ongoing work with a teacher mentoring program and the diverse range of educators involved, and will be connected to ways in which educational evaluators may consider these truths and the voices of these individuals in their own work.

Authors

• Leigh M. Tolley, Mercy University

• Elizabeth A. Grossie, Elevate K-12