The role of reflection in developing eupraxis in learning to teach English

Abstract

This case study focuses on one beginning English teacher’s work toward eupraxia, i.e., good practice informed by reflection in a setting in which a degree of free choice is available. The study uses a Vygotskian framework for studying concept development that focuses on the settings of human activity and how ambiguous social concepts are developed through engagement with others. Data include retrospective interviews for the reconstruction of prior educational experiences; and observations and interviews during student teaching and the first year of full-time teaching. Analysis focused on the problems attended to in teaching, the pedagogical tools employed to address those problems, and the attributions made to the source of those tools. Student teaching provided limits in terms of an incongruous curriculum and a laissez-faire mentor teacher. The first year of full-time teaching took place in a school that allowed teacher autonomy within limits, enabling the focal teacher to employ reflective practice to work toward eupraxis.

Keywords:

• concept development
• eupraxis
• teacher knowledge
• Vygotsky
• reflective practice

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the editors and external reviewers of Pedagogies for their guidance in shaping the final version of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Work on this article was supported by a grant to the first author from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement to the Center on English Learning and Achievement (CELA). The Center is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement (Award # R305A60005). However, the views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the department.

Notes on contributors

Peter Smagorinsky

Peter Smagorinsky is a Distinguished Research Professor of English Education in The University of Georgia’ College of Education (USA). He is the faculty advisor to the Journal of Language and Literacy Education, the scholarly journal edited by graduate students in the Department of Language and Literacy Education. He recently won the 2014 Steve Witte Award from the AERA Special Interest Group in Writing and Literacies and 2013 National Council of Teachers of English David H. Russell Research Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English, both for Vygotsky and for literacy research: A methodological framework, published in 2011 by Sense.

Stephanie Anne Shelton

Stephanie Anne Shelton is a Ph.D. candidate in the Language and Literacy Education Department at The University of Georgia. She is a teaching assistant in The Institute for Women’s Studies and serves as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Language and Literacy Education. She received the Carol J. Fisher Award for Excellence in Research and Genelle Morain Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching from her department, and the Graduate Student Diversity Engagement Award from the university. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Literacy Research Association’s Gender and Sexualities Innovative Community Group.

Cynthia Moore

Cynthia Moore teaches in the Department of English at North Oconee High School in Bogart, GA, USA. She earned her Educational Specialist degree at The University of Georgia in English Education, and has been a frequent co-author on articles produced in this line of inquiry.