Who am I in my story of teaching?: Confronting puzzle of practice through narrative inquiry

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, - , 31.12.2019

Narina Samah

Abstract

This paper showcases an episode during which I embraced my inquirer self
as an attempt to confront my puzzle of practice that had long became the basis
of my uncertainty towards my own teaching. Chronologically, the paper is of
seven parts. The first part depicts my initial intention of revisiting my
teaching practice as means of unpacking my frames of reference that were the
basis of my puzzle of practice. Part two describes how I employed narrative
inquiry as my main research design, while incorporating the elements of
self-study and autoethnography that served as the powerful mechanism for my
research. Two main field texts were gathered during this particular phase of my
fieldwork: my teaching/research journal and my students’ learning journals that
were analysed and transformed into research texts. The next three parts of this
paper illustrate how I re-story the time when I re-experienced my teaching and
critically re-examined my teaching approach and strategies with the help of my
students’ feedback in seeing my practice through a different lens. These parts
also accentuate the struggle I faced with in my effort to transform my teaching
practice - from a “teacher-focused
strategy” or a “teacher-directed”, into one that promoted
“student-centred” learning approach.
In part six of this paper, I attempt to answer the question of “Who am I in my story of teaching?”
by reflecting on the three main lessons learned throughout my research journey.
Finally, in hindsight, it came to my knowledge that in searching the possible
answer to my puzzle of practice, what I needed most is to continuously make my frames of reference more open, reflective, and emotionally able to
change. 

Keywords

Narrative inquiry, reflexivity, transformative learning, student centred learning, higher education

Supporting Institution

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Thanks

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to publish in this journal.

Who am I in my story of teaching?: Confronting puzzle of practice through narrative inquiry

Abstract

Bu makale,
öğretimime yönelik belirsizliğimin temeli haline gelen uygulamamla yüzleşmek
için  sürdürdüğüm bir iç sorgulamayı ele
almaktadır. Kronolojik olarak, çalışma yedi bölümden oluşmaktadır. İlk bölüm,
öğretme pratiğimi tekrar gözden geçirme niyetimi, uygulama bulmacamın temeli
olan referans çerçevelerimi çözme aracı olarak ele alıyor. İkinci bölüm,
araştırmalarım için güçlü bir mekanizma görevi gören kendi kendine çalışma ve
otoetnografi öğelerini birleştirirken, ana araştırma tasarımım olarak anlatı
araştırmasını nasıl kullandığımı açıklamaktadır. Çalışmanın bu aşamasında iki veri
kaynağı incelendi: öğretim / araştırma günlüğüm ve analiz edilen ve araştırma
metinlerine dönüştürülen öğrencilerimin öğrenme günlükleri. Bu makalenin
sonraki üç bölümü, öğretimimi yeniden deneyimlediğim, öğretim yaklaşımımı ve
stratejilerimi, öğrencilerimin uygulamamı farklı bir mercekten görme
konusundaki geri bildirimleriyle eleştirel olarak yeniden incelediğim zamanı
göstermektedir. Bu bölümler ayrıca öğretmenlik pratiğimi “öğretmen odaklı bir
stratejiden” ya da “öğretmen odaklı” bir yaklaşımdan “öğrenci merkezli” öğrenme
yaklaşımına dönüştürme çabamda karşılaştığım mücadeleyi ifade etmektedir. Bu
makalenin altıncı bölümünde, araştırma yolculuğum boyunca öğrendiğim üç ana
dersi düşünerek “Öğretme hikayemde ben kimim?” sorusunu yanıtlamaya
çalışıyorum. Son olarak, geçmişte, en çok ihtiyaç duyduğum şeyin, referans
çerçevelerimi sürekli açık tutmam gerektiğini, uygulamalarıma yönelik sorgulama
yapmam gerektiğini ve duygusal olarak değişim yapmayı öğrendiğimi ele
almaktayım.

Keywords

anlatı sorgulaması, içsel sorgulama, öğrenci merkezli öğrenme, yükseköğretim

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