Laurie Ramirez | Appalachian State University (original) (raw)
Papers by Laurie Ramirez
Springer international handbooks of education, 2019
This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demyst... more This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demystify the taboo of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), as well as other forms of exploitation and abuse. We share how we each have endeavored to include instruction about CSA in our work with preservice teachers and to study the implications of our instruction for ourselves and students. Our work is situated within the tenets of social justice and advocacy that have long traditions in self-study. Across our careers as teacher educators, we have consciously worked to hold ourselves to ideals of social justice. We see our focus on CSA as an attempt to confront an injustice that has historically been silenced but has devastating consequences for individuals, families, and communities across all socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, races, and cultures. Likewise, we strive to prepare teachers who will advocate for students who have experienced CSA or other trauma. While this chapter focuses primarily on our efforts to teach about and study our practice surrounding CSA, it has the potential to inform teaching and scholarship in teacher education dedicated to many other difficult/taboo topics (i.e., mental health, homelessness, suicide)
Frontiers in Education, Feb 1, 2023
This inquiry presents an illustrative case of three teacher educator researchers' collaborative r... more This inquiry presents an illustrative case of three teacher educator researchers' collaborative reflection process using the transcript of a virtual meeting. The researchers are long-term friends and colleagues working in different university contexts in the United States. The case is presented and analyzed to illuminate how the triad facilitates one another's professional development and engages in sustainable collaborative self-study research. Self-study tenets of collaboration, reflection, and critical friendship are delineated and demonstrated through excerpts from the transcript. Conclusions and recommendations are offered for teacher educators who hope to establish and maintain similar partnerships focused on promoting healthy and productive professional/personal relationships while also improving teacher education.
Proceedings of the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting
In this paper I explore how my values based practice has helped me develop my authenticity as a l... more In this paper I explore how my values based practice has helped me develop my authenticity as a leader of a care-givers' centre. I use the American term care-giver as this is based on a presentation I gave at the inaugural conference of the Action Research Network of the Americas in San Francisco 1-2 May 2013. In the UK we are called a carers' centre and our aim is to support unpaid carers who care for a family member or friend who could not manage without their help due to illness or disability. I explore how my story from child in care to chief executive of a carers' centre and carer of my mum has developed my living theory of care-giving.
Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 2021
Studying Teacher Education, 2021
ABSTRACT Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level admin... more ABSTRACT Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level administrators are now in the similar position of having left those roles. Each has a different story to tell and they come from very different institutions, yet find themselves experiencing many of the same issues and frustrations. This collaborative self-study was an intentional study of and reflection on how their administrative roles impacted or changed their perspectives on teacher education in general and how it changed them each personally. The weight of the role had lasting implications for their personal and professional selves. Their reflective journals, weekly online meetings, and responses to each other’s experiences resulted in findings that can inform the work of others in similar positions or circumstances. Those findings, while both similar and distinct, reveal enough commonality that we, as teacher educators often placed in positions of leadership, must consider the implications for our practice, our students, our scholarship community, and our selves.
International Handbook of Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 2020
This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demyst... more This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demystify the taboo of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), as well as other forms of exploitation and abuse. We share how we each have endeavored to include instruction about CSA in our work with preservice teachers and to study
The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has caused much debate across the nation. ... more The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has caused much debate across the nation. The arguments surrounding the standards range from the need for higher consistent standards across states to issues of states rights and developmental appropriateness. The CCSS comprise a portion of the curriculum in over 40 states across the nation, yet how do they align with the research-based characteristics of a good school? This article uses content analysis to analyze the CCSS for grades 6-8 with This We Believe (AMLE, 2010) the landmark position paper of the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE), which describes the essential attributes for the education of young adolescents.
This chapter discusses the role self-study has played in supporting teacher educator administrato... more This chapter discusses the role self-study has played in supporting teacher educator administrators as they navigate roles and responsibilities associated with managing and leading in a variety of capacities (i.e., dean, associate dean, department chair, program director). We operationalize key terms associated with administration and explore the prevalent metaphors used to describe those who lead in organizations, particularly teacher education programs. The use of metaphors in the self-study literature conducted by teacher educator administrators is analyzed focusing on the implications metaphors carry for both leaders and those they lead. In exploring the literature, we identify distinctions in how leaders come to serve, how they go about learning their roles and responsibilities, and how they make sense of their contexts and practices over time. We discuss the work of critical friends in supporting leaders to study and refine their practice. Throughout the chapter, we weave in descriptions of our self-study inquiries as teacher educator administrators, outlining what we have learned and how it might inform the work of others assigned to lead in teacher education. The chapter concludes with a discussion of possible directions for future self-study research concerned with teacher educator administration
As mid-career teacher educators, in many ways, we feel we have hit our stride. We are adept at na... more As mid-career teacher educators, in many ways, we feel we have hit our stride. We are adept at navigating our roles and responsibilities on our respective campuses, and students and colleagues respond to us in ways that suggest we have some wisdom worth sharing. However, sometimes, if we are honest with ourselves, our teaching can feel a little stale. We worry we might be prone to coast a bit, and if we’re not vigilant, we could slip toward seeing ourselves described as “out of touch.”
Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level administrators... more Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level administrators are now in a similar position of having left those roles. Each has a different story to tell and come from very different institutions, yet find themselves experiencing many of the same issues and frustrations. This collaborative self-study was an intentional study of and reflection on how their administrative roles impacted or changed their perspectives on teacher education in general and how it changed them each personally. The weight of the role had lasting implications for their personal and professional selves. Their reflective journals, weekly online meetings, and responses to each other’s experiences resulted in findings that can inform the work of others in similar positions or circumstances. Those findings, while both similar and distinct, reveal enough commonality that we, as teacher educators often placed in positions of leadership, need to consider the implications for our p...
This self-study describes two junior teacher educators’ retrospective analysis of stories they to... more This self-study describes two junior teacher educators’ retrospective analysis of stories they told themselves and others during the first years of their practice. Using the tools of narrative analysis and a Living Theory framework, we engaged in a re-analysis of our reflective journals and our students’ anonymous feedback in order to interrogate our current concepts of self and practice in relationship to those we espoused as we entered the academy. Our re-analysis showed our early perceptions have shifted, informed by our growing understanding of our roles and contexts. Reconsidering early student feedback illuminated consistencies and contradictions between the stories we told ourselves and our students’ perceptions. This study has significance for novice teacher educators and others who find themselves in new academic positions. Reanalysis and reflection of this nature can increase teacher educator efficacy. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of collaboration and ...
In our work as educators, we are troubled by the taboo associated with confronting and frankly di... more In our work as educators, we are troubled by the taboo associated with confronting and frankly discussing the topic of sexual abuse. Within our S-STEP community, we hear our colleagues and we ourselves espouse rhetoric exalting the value of knowing and honoring the life experiences of all learners. This theoretic frame shared by those who identify as social constructivists (i.e., Samaras, 2002), humanists (i.e., Allender & Allender, 2008), and critical theorists (i.e., Schulte, 2009), argues learners should not be taught in a manner requiring them to deny or hide who they are or what they have experienced. However, there seems to be an exception made when it comes to the particularly painful and, culturally defined, shameful experiences of sexual abuse. Arguably, more than any other ’baggage’ learners may carry with them into classrooms, they are expected to pretend they have not been impacted by sexual abuse. While we know consequences of sexual abuse can reach across individuals’ ...
Reflective Practice, 2014
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &
The Teacher Educator, 2009
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
The purpose of this research was to investigate critically reflective thinking (CRT) among prospe... more The purpose of this research was to investigate critically reflective thinking (CRT) among prospective teachers as they analyzed course readings and field- and school-based experiences that focus on the education of diverse students. We hoped to identify and trace the development of critically reflective thinking as it appeared in participants’ reflections on their experiences. The following thematic question guided this research: At the conclusion of a year-long preservice teacher education course designed to foster critically reflective thinking, what kind of thinking is demonstrated in questionnaire results, small-group computer-mediated discussions, action research, and personal teaching texts? Ideally, this work allows us to help our teacher candidates develop pedagogical approaches that respect and validate the learners in their future classrooms. As a longitudinal embedded multiple case study, our data present a rich qualitative view of the participants’ thinking, offering a ...
Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 2022
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or s... more This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings,
Springer international handbooks of education, 2019
This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demyst... more This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demystify the taboo of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), as well as other forms of exploitation and abuse. We share how we each have endeavored to include instruction about CSA in our work with preservice teachers and to study the implications of our instruction for ourselves and students. Our work is situated within the tenets of social justice and advocacy that have long traditions in self-study. Across our careers as teacher educators, we have consciously worked to hold ourselves to ideals of social justice. We see our focus on CSA as an attempt to confront an injustice that has historically been silenced but has devastating consequences for individuals, families, and communities across all socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, races, and cultures. Likewise, we strive to prepare teachers who will advocate for students who have experienced CSA or other trauma. While this chapter focuses primarily on our efforts to teach about and study our practice surrounding CSA, it has the potential to inform teaching and scholarship in teacher education dedicated to many other difficult/taboo topics (i.e., mental health, homelessness, suicide)
Frontiers in Education, Feb 1, 2023
This inquiry presents an illustrative case of three teacher educator researchers' collaborative r... more This inquiry presents an illustrative case of three teacher educator researchers' collaborative reflection process using the transcript of a virtual meeting. The researchers are long-term friends and colleagues working in different university contexts in the United States. The case is presented and analyzed to illuminate how the triad facilitates one another's professional development and engages in sustainable collaborative self-study research. Self-study tenets of collaboration, reflection, and critical friendship are delineated and demonstrated through excerpts from the transcript. Conclusions and recommendations are offered for teacher educators who hope to establish and maintain similar partnerships focused on promoting healthy and productive professional/personal relationships while also improving teacher education.
Proceedings of the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting
In this paper I explore how my values based practice has helped me develop my authenticity as a l... more In this paper I explore how my values based practice has helped me develop my authenticity as a leader of a care-givers' centre. I use the American term care-giver as this is based on a presentation I gave at the inaugural conference of the Action Research Network of the Americas in San Francisco 1-2 May 2013. In the UK we are called a carers' centre and our aim is to support unpaid carers who care for a family member or friend who could not manage without their help due to illness or disability. I explore how my story from child in care to chief executive of a carers' centre and carer of my mum has developed my living theory of care-giving.
Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 2021
Studying Teacher Education, 2021
ABSTRACT Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level admin... more ABSTRACT Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level administrators are now in the similar position of having left those roles. Each has a different story to tell and they come from very different institutions, yet find themselves experiencing many of the same issues and frustrations. This collaborative self-study was an intentional study of and reflection on how their administrative roles impacted or changed their perspectives on teacher education in general and how it changed them each personally. The weight of the role had lasting implications for their personal and professional selves. Their reflective journals, weekly online meetings, and responses to each other’s experiences resulted in findings that can inform the work of others in similar positions or circumstances. Those findings, while both similar and distinct, reveal enough commonality that we, as teacher educators often placed in positions of leadership, must consider the implications for our practice, our students, our scholarship community, and our selves.
International Handbook of Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 2020
This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demyst... more This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demystify the taboo of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), as well as other forms of exploitation and abuse. We share how we each have endeavored to include instruction about CSA in our work with preservice teachers and to study
The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has caused much debate across the nation. ... more The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has caused much debate across the nation. The arguments surrounding the standards range from the need for higher consistent standards across states to issues of states rights and developmental appropriateness. The CCSS comprise a portion of the curriculum in over 40 states across the nation, yet how do they align with the research-based characteristics of a good school? This article uses content analysis to analyze the CCSS for grades 6-8 with This We Believe (AMLE, 2010) the landmark position paper of the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE), which describes the essential attributes for the education of young adolescents.
This chapter discusses the role self-study has played in supporting teacher educator administrato... more This chapter discusses the role self-study has played in supporting teacher educator administrators as they navigate roles and responsibilities associated with managing and leading in a variety of capacities (i.e., dean, associate dean, department chair, program director). We operationalize key terms associated with administration and explore the prevalent metaphors used to describe those who lead in organizations, particularly teacher education programs. The use of metaphors in the self-study literature conducted by teacher educator administrators is analyzed focusing on the implications metaphors carry for both leaders and those they lead. In exploring the literature, we identify distinctions in how leaders come to serve, how they go about learning their roles and responsibilities, and how they make sense of their contexts and practices over time. We discuss the work of critical friends in supporting leaders to study and refine their practice. Throughout the chapter, we weave in descriptions of our self-study inquiries as teacher educator administrators, outlining what we have learned and how it might inform the work of others assigned to lead in teacher education. The chapter concludes with a discussion of possible directions for future self-study research concerned with teacher educator administration
As mid-career teacher educators, in many ways, we feel we have hit our stride. We are adept at na... more As mid-career teacher educators, in many ways, we feel we have hit our stride. We are adept at navigating our roles and responsibilities on our respective campuses, and students and colleagues respond to us in ways that suggest we have some wisdom worth sharing. However, sometimes, if we are honest with ourselves, our teaching can feel a little stale. We worry we might be prone to coast a bit, and if we’re not vigilant, we could slip toward seeing ourselves described as “out of touch.”
Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level administrators... more Three mid-career teacher educators, each of whom involuntarily served as mid-level administrators are now in a similar position of having left those roles. Each has a different story to tell and come from very different institutions, yet find themselves experiencing many of the same issues and frustrations. This collaborative self-study was an intentional study of and reflection on how their administrative roles impacted or changed their perspectives on teacher education in general and how it changed them each personally. The weight of the role had lasting implications for their personal and professional selves. Their reflective journals, weekly online meetings, and responses to each other’s experiences resulted in findings that can inform the work of others in similar positions or circumstances. Those findings, while both similar and distinct, reveal enough commonality that we, as teacher educators often placed in positions of leadership, need to consider the implications for our p...
This self-study describes two junior teacher educators’ retrospective analysis of stories they to... more This self-study describes two junior teacher educators’ retrospective analysis of stories they told themselves and others during the first years of their practice. Using the tools of narrative analysis and a Living Theory framework, we engaged in a re-analysis of our reflective journals and our students’ anonymous feedback in order to interrogate our current concepts of self and practice in relationship to those we espoused as we entered the academy. Our re-analysis showed our early perceptions have shifted, informed by our growing understanding of our roles and contexts. Reconsidering early student feedback illuminated consistencies and contradictions between the stories we told ourselves and our students’ perceptions. This study has significance for novice teacher educators and others who find themselves in new academic positions. Reanalysis and reflection of this nature can increase teacher educator efficacy. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of collaboration and ...
In our work as educators, we are troubled by the taboo associated with confronting and frankly di... more In our work as educators, we are troubled by the taboo associated with confronting and frankly discussing the topic of sexual abuse. Within our S-STEP community, we hear our colleagues and we ourselves espouse rhetoric exalting the value of knowing and honoring the life experiences of all learners. This theoretic frame shared by those who identify as social constructivists (i.e., Samaras, 2002), humanists (i.e., Allender & Allender, 2008), and critical theorists (i.e., Schulte, 2009), argues learners should not be taught in a manner requiring them to deny or hide who they are or what they have experienced. However, there seems to be an exception made when it comes to the particularly painful and, culturally defined, shameful experiences of sexual abuse. Arguably, more than any other ’baggage’ learners may carry with them into classrooms, they are expected to pretend they have not been impacted by sexual abuse. While we know consequences of sexual abuse can reach across individuals’ ...
Reflective Practice, 2014
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &
The Teacher Educator, 2009
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
The purpose of this research was to investigate critically reflective thinking (CRT) among prospe... more The purpose of this research was to investigate critically reflective thinking (CRT) among prospective teachers as they analyzed course readings and field- and school-based experiences that focus on the education of diverse students. We hoped to identify and trace the development of critically reflective thinking as it appeared in participants’ reflections on their experiences. The following thematic question guided this research: At the conclusion of a year-long preservice teacher education course designed to foster critically reflective thinking, what kind of thinking is demonstrated in questionnaire results, small-group computer-mediated discussions, action research, and personal teaching texts? Ideally, this work allows us to help our teacher candidates develop pedagogical approaches that respect and validate the learners in their future classrooms. As a longitudinal embedded multiple case study, our data present a rich qualitative view of the participants’ thinking, offering a ...
Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 2022
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or s... more This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings,