RETROSPECTIVE DISCOURSE DISCUSSIONS: HOW TEACHER TALK ENABLES ONE NOVICE LITERACY TEACHER TO MAKE SENSE OF COMPLEX TEACHING PROBLEMS

摘要

In this article, the authors describe a retrospective discourse discussions approach that was developed in a graduate literacy education course. This method represents a reconceptualization of supervising and coaching graduate students where meanings are constructed, problems are reframed, and beginning professionals can develop more nuanced understandings of their teaching and learning (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998; Cobb & Bauersfeld, 1995). An extended example of how one graduate student and her professor grapple with instructional practices within the capstone practicum course is explored. It is the authors' assertion that clearly stating and coming to understand one's theories about teaching and learning can help educators converse about, scrutinize, and adapt their teaching in ways that hold powerful benefits for instruction and learning outcomes.