Professional Development and Transformative Learning in Changing Times and Shifting Identities (original) (raw)
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Growing Music Teacher Identity and Agency: Influencers and Inhibitors
2018
The study aims to understand how transformative professional learning might be created for the positive growth of music teacher identity and sense of agency. The thesis first discusses the issues of defining music teachers’ professional identity and the assumptions that underpin current conceptions of music teacher development and learning. It reframes discussion on music teacher growth to examine the links between biography, identity and sense of agency within an overarching ecological framework. The thesis argues for a broadened definition of transformative learning as a theoretical frame for understanding and promoting the growth of music teachers. Using a two-phase, exploratory, mixed methods design, the research integrated both phenomenological and quantitative perspectives. The Phase 1 qualitative study of 12 participants revealed themes that supported transformative learning drawn from what these participants considered to be critical turning points in the development of their professional identities. The Phase 2 questionnaire study (n=168) showed the extent to which different types of music experiences, perceived music abilities and other developmental opportunities are positively or negatively associated with the perceived music teaching abilities and identity of different groups of music teachers (specialists and generalists, primary and secondary, beginning and experienced teachers). The findings suggest that transformative learning experiences were created by interactions between teachers’ personal identity, their activist identity, their music and teaching experiences, the impact of students, their social relationships, and the opportunities and pragmatic tensions afforded by the ecological nature of the social world. This ecological perspective to learning could help shift our focus from ‘What we can do for teachers’ professional development?’ to ‘What conditions could support or prevent positive transformative learning of music teachers?’. This thesis contributes to extending theoretical discussions in music teacher identity and transformative learning.
Exploring the Benefits of Music-Making as Professional Development for Music Teachers
Arts Education Policy Review, 2011
Although much has been written about professional development in general education and music education literature, little has addressed the benefits of music-making as meaningful professional development for music teachers. For music teachers, music-making and meanings of music-making have been connected with teachers' identity, well-being, beliefs, and effectiveness, as well as being a powerful pedagogical tool and a way to develop presence in teaching. Presence in teaching is linked with self-awareness, attentiveness, and pedagogical knowledge. The purpose of this article is to explore the benefits of music-making for music teachers in order to convince policymakers of the value of music-making as a professional development activity for music teachers. This article explores theories from psychology and education that link engagement, well-being, and identity to lay the foundation for a justification of broadening professional development policies. Then, literature is presented that connects teachers' art-making experiences (past and present), identity, teaching, and student learning. The third section draws on my previous work to illustrate the intersections between teachers' music-making and teaching. Then, suggestions for implementing professional development programs with music-making components are made. Although there are many ways music-making could be included as professional development, I offer four suggestions: including music-making in departmental or district-wide meetings, granting professional development credit to music teachers who make music outside of the classroom, setting up in-classroom reflection opportunities/action research based on integrating music-making and music teaching, and initiating a collaborative teacher study group that includes chamber music collaboration.
The roller coaster ride: Our music teacher educator identity development
Research Studies in Music Education, 2018
In transitioning from the K–12 classroom to higher education, teacher educators often experience tensions and challenges, which may be due to a misalignment between their situational and substantial selves. While many researchers have explored identity transitions of teacher educators, more research is needed to understand this experience with music teacher educators. Using self-study, we explored our identities as four music teacher educators, plus one additional participant, in transitioning from being music teachers to early-career music teacher educators. Data included interviews and personal journals, and we developed restoried narratives, non-linear representations, and cartoons during data analysis. These revealed three themes: misalignment, adaptation and acceptance, and roller coaster of growth. Misalignment describes the disconnect we experienced between our substantial and situational selves as a result of three factors: balance, autonomy, and identity. Adaptation and acc...
A Lifelong Perspective for Growing Music Teacher Identity
Research Studies in Music Education, 2020
The article discusses a lifelong perspective for growing music teacher identity, particularly related to the in-service development of music teachers. It presents a theoretical framework which is developed from literature reviews on teacher identity development and construction and from case studies of the transformative learning journeys of serving music teachers in Singapore. Seven themes – personal self, activist identity, music, teaching, students, social relations, and the ecology of the social world – are found to interact and contribute to the transformative learning of music teachers.
Arts Education Policy Review, 2011
The article analyzes professional development in music education considering the ways in which policy change depends on conditions where renewed practice can become self supporting. The authors situate professional development amid the current politico-educational climate while offering an interpretive framework based on key issues and actions identified by other authors in this issue of Arts Education Policy Review. Further, they suggest a pragmatic policy agenda focused on the notion of a strategic architecture for professional development in music education, arguing that it may bring (1) greater confidence in teacher's capacity to adapt, engender concepts, intervene in instructional patterns, and establish positive feedback loops; and (2) improvement in teacher retention and productivity. The article calls for a professional development agenda that sees teachers as capable change agents and that is jointly incentivized by union leaders, government, and institutions of higher learning.
International Journal of Music Education , 2014
During this heuristic phenomenological inquiry, we examined our lived experiences as five women (three doctoral students, two early career faculty) in the process of becoming music teacher educators participating in a year-long, online, group-facilitated professional development community (PDC). Data included recorded meetings via Skype, journal entries via a private Facebook blog, and written introductory and final reflection statements. The three core themes that emerged from the data were as follows: (a) self-doubt and fear of failure as researchers; (b) struggle to establish balance; and (c) the PDC as a safe place. The essence of our lived experience in the group was developing our identities as music teacher educators through interactions in our PDC, which was a safe place for us to discuss our thoughts, concerns, and insecurities. We offer suggestions for PDCs, including future research and participation, as well as international sharing, collaboration, and community.
Identities of music teachers: Implications for teacher education
Teachers' professional identity influences their decisions and behaviour (Beijaard, Verloop, & Vermunt, 2000). Teacher education has the potential to either challenge or maintain preservice teachers' preconceptions of their professional identity, and teacher education should arguably develop in future teachers a professional identity which enables them to be effective throughout their career. This paper reports findings from interviews with 15 early-career music teachers regarding their perceptions of their professional identity. Analysis indicates that early-career music teachers feel a 'passion' for music and teaching music, and view themselves as musicians, music teachers or teachers. This study suggests that discipline specialisation has a unique impact on teachers' identity. Implications for teacher education are discussed.
How do Teachers Define the Notion of Professional Development? The Case of Primary Music Teachers
Professional Development in Education, 2018
While research in teacher professional development (PD) has focused on numerous topics, not much is known about how teachers understand the notion of PD. Studying this topic is important because, for PD to be effective, all parties involved in its design and implementation need to have a common understanding of the scope and purposes of PD. We asked 315 Singapore primary school music teachers to define PD using their own words. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and cross-tabulations were used to analyze the definitions and the extent to which these differed according to certain demographic variables. We found that definitions were not entirely consistent with those proposed in the educational literature, as teachers referred to a narrower scope of ideas regarding the content, facilitation type, format, and outcomes of PD. For example, while the ultimate goal of PD according to scholarly definitions is enhancing student learning, teachers seem to primarily understand PD as a means to improving themselves. No differences were identified when definitions were compared according to variables such as age, teaching experience, designation, and specialization. Based on our findings, we conclude that it is essential to help teacher develop broader understandings of what PD means and entails.