Meaning-Mechanics Tensions in Teacher Decisions

Abstract

This research examined the nature of classroom decision making among three elementary teachers (the first in her 8th year, the second in her 3rd year, and the third in her 1st year). We were interested in understanding how teachers experience the complexity of classroom decision making and how they manage the cognitive load while teaching. The cognitive constructs of knowledge integration and automaticity framed our study of the knowledge and information that these teachers consciously used in moments of classroom decision making. The design involved a stimulated recall methodology using classroom video data from each teacher. The data analysis entailed a qualitative/interpretive analysis of the teachers' reflections on their own videotapes. We found that critical decision points for all three teachers involved a tension between preserving the conceptual meanings of the lesson while managing the logistics of the moment. How this tension was perceived and negotiated varied in interesting ways across the three teachers. We show how these differences can be represented through a knowledge integration framework. We discuss potential applications of this framework as an assessment tool in teacher preparation programs and as a metacognitive tool for teacher planning and reflection.