Burrowing into the reciprocal learning collaboration of two instructors in an English-medium university in Turkey

Abstract

This paper explores the authors’ experiences as an early career teacher educator and English-language instructor in an English-medium university in Turkey. The theoretical framework shaping their collaboration draws upon a narrative view of teacher knowledge as an embodiment of teachers’ experiences in schools in close relationship with their identities. Inquiring into moments that disrupted what the authors knew as instructors, they demonstrate how thinking narratively was vital to their professional development and understanding of the complexities shaping the backdrop of their higher educational context. They situate their learning in the field of professional development at the university level and propose that thinking narratively enables instructors across the career phases and disciplines to draw upon their range of experiences in ways that offer potential opportunities for support, reflection and self-growth. This interactive process, the authors suggest, suits the aim of professional teacher development and emphasizes reciprocal learning possibilities for early career and experienced instructors working collaboratively.

Keywords:

• teacher knowledge
• professional development
• reciprocal learning
• higher education
• narrative inquiry

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our thanks to Martie Geertsema and Erhan Kükner for their helpful feedback on our paper.

Notes

1. Other than the authors’, any names mentioned in the paper are pseudonyms.

2. Due to our respective teaching schedules, we met when we could and were in touch through email correspondence.

3. Jennifer worked in this context from September 2009 until June 2011.