| CODE | EDS3208 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Teachers, Texts and Self Narrative | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Education Studies | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit aims to engage students in critical readings of some important educational issues in a philosophical manner through textual analysis and narrative inquiry. These philosophical practices are aimed to help student teachers question popular and taken for granted views of education and educational practices. Students are to draw on these reflections to inquire into their personal stories as secondary school teachers and secondary school students. The move from the reading of educational texts, documents, teacher biographies and historical narratives to an inquiry into one’s life as a secondary school teacher encourages students to establish their own ways of linking the theoretical with the practical aspects of their experiences in educational institutions. Furthermore narrative inquiry is aimed to help students develop alternative visions of their own selves as teachers highlighting the idea that philosophy of education is not only a theoretical practice for/ by teachers but also a way through which teachers engage in the formation of their own selves. Within this framework, reading and writing texts are considered to be important sources for the self formation of the teacher in encouraging teachers to be reflective practitioners and well as creative ones that are capable of transforming themselves, their ways of being teachers and possibly their engagement within educational contexts The study-unit will deal with the politics of reading and writing texts but it particularly focuses on the actual practices of empowerment of student teachers through their engagement in the critical reading of the various texts including their own narratives of experience. The students’ writings of their philosophy of teaching in the form of diaries or letters reflect their imaginations of their particular ways of living as a teacher. Part 1 The study-unit will start with an analysis of several secondary teachers’ stories, highlighting the educational issues that students find relevant to them and exploring these issues in a critical manner The study-unit will then turn to narrative inquiry and its importance in the development of teachers. Questions such as, what is a narrative? What are grand narratives? What is the relation between grand narratives and what Lyotard describes as petit recits? What are the aims and political functions of narratives?, will be tackled. The uses of the genealogical narrative will also be explored. Throughout the course students should become aware of the ways narratives shape their identities as teachers. Students will then engage in the writing of their own narratives. The reflections on the individual teacher stories, the different understandings of the narrative interviews are aimed to help student teachers construct their own narratives and start develop a personal philosophy of education. Workshops In this part of the course the students will be involved in three workshops. The workshops are aimed to involve students in a critical conversations related to the narratives of teachers they read, their own stories as well as reflective thinking about the issues and principles of teaching that they have identified as important to them. Part 2 This part of the study-unit is aimed to help students develop their meanings of the narratives they have written in the first part of the course. This mainly will be done through an exploring what is meant by an educational issue and subsequently through the students’ own identification of the issues. The issues popularly identified by the students include issues related to relationships between students and teachers, discipline, caring, issues related to social justice in education and the idea of progressive education. After having identified the important educational issues in their narratives, students will be engaged in a deeper analysis of the issues through an analysis of texts related to these issues. Through the actual reading of various philosophical texts such as books, papers and educational documents the students are guided to a broader critical understanding of their experiences and towards their own theoretical conceptions of teaching. Reading List Recommended Texts: - Hart S., Dixon A, Drummond MJ, & McIntyre D. (2004) Learning Without Limits, England, Open University Press. Recommended Readings Part 1 - A reading pack will be provided. The readings of the reading pack will be regularly updated. - Huttunen R., Heikkinen, H.L. & Syrjala L., (2002) Narrative Research Voices of Teachers and Philosophers, Jyvaskula, So Phi. - Tubbs Nigel (2005) “Philosophy of the Teacher” Journal of Philosophy of Education Vol 39 Issue 2 Special Edition. - Stone Lynda (1995) "Narrative in Philosophy of Education" in Kohli W. (ed.) Critical Conversations in Philosophy of Education New York, London. - Galea Simone (2005) “Teachers as Mothers Practices of Subversion’ Journal of Maltese Educational Research Vol.3, No1 - Clandinin J.D & Connelly M. (2000) Narrative Inquiry San Francisco, Jossey Bass. - Connelly M. F & J.D Clandinin (eds) (1999) Shaping a Professional Identity Stories of Educational Practice New York, Teachers’ College Press. - Anderson Linda (2004) Autobiography London, Taylor & Francis Other unpublished narratives of Maltese teachers, stories and written philosophies of student teachers will be referred to. Stories will be taken from - Galley Micheline (1993), Maria Calleya’s Gozo Unesco Publishing, Utah University Press, Logan - Griffiths Morwenna (2003) Action For Social Justice in Education Fairly Different Maidenhead, Open University Press - Hart S., Dixon A, Drummond MJ, & McIntyre D. (2004) Learning Without Limits, England, Open University Press. Texts of various philosophers and philosophers of Education will be referred to during the lectures including Roland Barthes( Image Music Text) and Michel Foucault (What is an Author) , Jean Francois Lyotard (Postmodern Condition), Adriana Cavarero ( Relating Narratives) and other feminist critiques of the Enlightenment. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Simone Galea |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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