Abstract
This narrative inquiry study looked into four teachers’ life stories regarding their teaching practice. The study explored teachers’ experiences in pre-while and after stages when being observed by an academic supervisor in a binational but non- profit English center in Bogota, Colombia. By attempting to explore the possible forms of teachers’ knowledge, the study took on narrative inquiry as the research approach to explore how teachers approach and navigate personal and fixed epistemologies regarding teaching. Findings revealed that teachers’ personal epistemologies are shaped by elements like agreement and negotiation of meaning when supervisors assess/evaluate or discuss issues of the teaching practice. Based on the findings, I argue teachers’ personal epistemologies are driven by collaborative situated activities teachers engage in.
Highlights
Professional development is a phenomenon that has a crucial importance for teachers to advance in their career professionally (Yurtseven & Altun, 2017)
By attempting to explore the possible forms of teachers’ knowledge, the study took on narrative inquiry as the research approach to explore how teachers approach and navigate personal and fixed epistemologies regarding teaching
This study will not discuss how teachers’ theories of knowledge and knowing processes impact their interactions with students and their teaching behaviors; instead, it will lay emphasis on teacher’s epistemological beliefs emerging in life stories since knowing about teacher construction of knowledge is relevant for the local ELT community to understand how personal epistemology impact teachers’ own beliefs
Summary
Professional development is a phenomenon that has a crucial importance for teachers to advance in their career professionally (Yurtseven & Altun, 2017). Teaching has become a more personal enterprise where personal theories about the nature of language and language learning have become the source of the way things are done in the classroom, and which provide the ground for teachers to shape and reshape what they do. As for this, supervision has emerged as an instrument to support and guide teachers in their efforts to teaching and improvement. Bearing this in mind, it could be contended that even though “supervision is expected to improve classroom performance and develop staff professionally” This study will not discuss how teachers’ theories of knowledge and knowing processes impact their interactions with students and their teaching behaviors; instead, it will lay emphasis on teacher’s epistemological beliefs emerging in life stories since knowing about teacher construction of knowledge is relevant for the local ELT community to understand how personal epistemology impact teachers’ own beliefs
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