The Tale of Three Elephants: An Autobiography Through the Lens of an Asian American Educator

• In Event: A Collective of Diverse Narrative Explorations: A Generative Space for Sharing Approaches to Storying, Identity, Equity, and Inquiry

Abstract

This study uses an autobiographical narrative of an Asian American STEM educator as a lens to understand the experiences of the growing populations of both Asian American students and educators. Connelly and Clandinin’s (2000) framework of experience and memory was utilized. The analysis suggests that the educator constantly negotiates between an Americanized identity and a Confucian cultural identity, translating their own experiences to connect and collaborate with students with shared experiences. As a result, this creates an opportunity for those teachers to become cultural mediators between the content and the identity of the student. These findings suggest that these narratives and shared experiences are vital for informing classroom practices among the growing population of Asian American students.

Author

• Nipah Onkananuwonk, Texas A&M University