Agency in the Era of Standardization: An Elementary ESL Teacher's Self-Perceptions of Teaching

• In Event: Teacher Agency and “Pedagogies of Hope” for Bilingual Learners (in a Brave New World)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose is to examine how a 1st grade ESL teacher, Ms. Lynn, enacts her agency using project based instruction (PBI) to claim her teacher identity, which she dichotomized through a teacher and student centered lens. The current era of accountability values a teacher-centered approach that can be at odds with student-centered teaching; test pressures can raise doubts about student-centered approaches and their effectiveness, especially for economically, culturally and linguistically diverse groups.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
We draw on three bodies of theory: teacher agency (Anderson, 2010; Paris, 1993), pedagogy of hope (Freire, 2011), and identity in discourse (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005; Davies & Harré, 1990; Erickson, 2004). Together, these bodies of theory help us understand how Ms. Lynn understood her professional responsibilities and goals as influenced by her classroom context and implementation of PBI. The main research question is: How does the process of implementing PBI support a 1st grade ESL teacher in shaping her teaching style?

METHODS & DATA SOURCES
The data from this study is part of the larger Agency and Young Children (AYC) project (Adair, 2014) that utilizes a multi-vocal, video-cued ethnographic method (Tobin, Wu, & Davidson, 1989). Through participant-observation (Merriam, 1998), researchers documented approximately 300 hours of classroom interactions over the course of a year. The research team collected field notes, classroom artifacts, photographs, video footage, and interviews with teachers, parents and students, and had ongoing discussions with the teacher during field work.

RESULTS
The data drew from Ms. Lynn’s own self-descriptions and reflections during interviews and after viewing footage, and our observational data collected during fieldwork and filming. We emphasize telling moments that highlight patterns observed during fieldwork, and Ms. Lynn’s own reflections and interpretations of those instances. Salient themes include teacher and student roles in building inclusive communities to foster quality learning experiences in the ESL classroom, and the role of PBI in enhancing student agency for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Ms. Lynn vocalized an appreciation for PBI as important to reaching learning objectives, especially for students acquiring English, even when it deviated from the official curriculum.

SIGNIFICANCE
By watching herself and reflecting, Ms. Lynn gained a new level of confidence that otherwise might not have developed. In viewing the benefits of her student-centered approach, she recognized its value, particularly for her culturally and linguistically diverse students. For teacher preparation programs and professional development, we encourage the use of video to engage pre-service and in-service teachers to reflect on their practices. The use of film can help them reflect on how they think of themselves as teachers and how they enact their agency. When teachers have professional agency to embrace a dynamic teacher identity, without fear of failing to meet a limited measure of achievement, they can extend opportunities for agency to their students and create spaces of pedagogical hope in an era of standardization.

Authors

• Kiyomi Sanchez-Suzuki Colegrove, Texas State University

• Christian Ellen Zuniga, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley