Mary Jane Moran

Conditions and Contexts for Teacher Inquiry: Systematic Approaches to Preservice Teacher Collaborative Experiences

The focus of this article is to describe a social organization of instruction and identify the conditions and contexts of critical classroom inquiry that are essential components of contemporary teacher education programs. Novice teachers must develop both the need to know and dispositions for knowing in order to move away from transmission-oriented teaching and learning toward inquiry-oriented practice. Theoretical arguments for and practical applications of inquiry within teacher education programs are described, including: (a) recursive cycles of inquiry, (b) reflective practice, (c) continuity of experiences within critical friend teaching partnerships, (d) discourse and documentation (making visible childrens and teachers’ thinking), and (e) the role of teacher educators in creating contexts of need for classroom inquiry. These are discussed and applied across four levels of contiguous courses and related practica. Selected examples of the processes and products that exemplify the development of preservice teacher collaborative inquiry within an early childhood, fifth-year teacher education program are included, although applications may be extended to the broader field of teacher education.

Implications for the study and development of inquiry among early childhood preservice teachers: A report from one study

Abstract The purpose of this article is to highlight key findings from a study of 24 early childhood preservice teachers as they moved away from a reliance on traditional interpretations of child‐centered curricula toward one of collaborative inquiry. Participants enrolled in a 15 week undergraduate teaching methods course were assigned to teaching teams to implement collaborative projects with the same group of 3–5‐year‐old children. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative measures to assess conceptual level, changes in reflectivity, and inquiry‐oriented teaching. Results suggest that the emergence of collaborative inquiry among preservice teachers is a dynamic and diverse process not readily assessed by static measures or discreet skills. Collaborative projects did provide a context for creating communities of learners within which time, space and opportunity to practice, reflect and use language and other tools contributed to young teachers’ development of inquiry.

The Potential of Communities of Practice as Contexts for the Development of Agentic Teacher Leaders: A Three-Year Narrative of One Early Childhood Teacher's Journey

In this article, the authors use an explanatory narrative of participation and transformation across two consecutive early childhood communities of practice to chronicle the evolution of a teacher leader, Michelle. This narrative illustrates how the continuity of experience spawned her development from apprentice toward an agentic teacher leader, characterized by an ethical ideal, disposition of lifelong learner, and participation in joint endeavors. Through blog excerpts, interviews, journal reflections, and meeting dialogues, the authors reveal how Michelle constructed and reconstructed her leadership roles through individual and collective inquiry grounded in daily practices. Through this process, Michelle strived to help others reach their truths about teaching and learning while concurrently developing her own. Implications for future research include investigating what conditions influence teachers’ abilities to emerge as leaders who, through navigating diverse collaborative contexts, form new knowledge about themselves in relation to others.

Parents’ and teachers’ reflections on the process of daily transitions in an infant and toddler laboratory school

ABSTRACT This qualitative study considered values, beliefs, perspectives, and meanings of 7 parents and 3 teachers within the context of daily home-to-child care transitions in one infant-toddler center in an early childhood laboratory school. Sociocultural and attachment theories anchored the study and the developmental niche framework informed methodology. The study gave voice to parents of infants and toddlers and teachers involved in transitions rituals, an approach few studies in the U.S. have taken to date. Naturalistic observations, videotaped transitions, and video-stimulated recall interviews (VSRI) were used with participants. Data were analyzed using constant comparative method, creating vignettes, and ensuring trustworthiness through thick descriptions, triangulation of data, and reflective journaling. Findings include: (a) parents and teachers partnered to create and implement individualized strategies to facilitate transitions, (b) parents and teachers had different perspectives and assigned diverse meanings during transitions, and (c) parents and teachers periodically felt uncertain and concerned about transitions. This study contributes new knowledge to the early childhood education field by revealing some ways parents and teachers experience transitions through juxtaposing and weaving together their thoughts and feelings. Implications include use of methodologies that make visible relational and pedagogical aspects of transitions and insights for professional development.

Developing Professional Identities through Participation Within a Hybrid Community of Practice: Illustrating the Front-Line Experiences of Four Pre-K Mentor–Teachers

Early childhood classroom teachers are often left with little support and guidance as they assume responsibilities as mentor–teachers. The purpose of this collective case study was to explore how a hybrid community of practice comprised of four pre-K mentors and a university program coordinator supported the development of new understandings about how to effectively supervise preservice teachers. The evolution of collective and individual knowledge was chronicled through interviews, online discussions, face-to-face exchanges, and classroom observations. Data analyses included iterative cycles of coding, moving from open coding to process and pattern coding. Findings illustrate how mentors’ processes of coming to know were developed within a complex web of relationships from which the dyadic roles and responsibilities as mentors of preservice teachers and teachers of young children were considered and negotiated. Implications include the need for more collaborative professional opportunities for pre-K mentors within school and university settings.