ABSTRACT

As educators learn about new tools to utilise in their classrooms, there can be questions and ambiguity that accompany the new information; yet they are not always given time or support to address their questions. Acknowledging and embracing the uncertainties that teachers inevitably face when learning about new instructional approaches can help push them to explore new possibilities and better support student learning. Taking a qualitative discourse analytic approach, we used a single-group case study design to explore how a group of STEM teachers navigate uncertainty when learning a new instructional approach throughout two collaborative discourse sessions within the context of a professional learning space. Grounding our study in a social constructivist lens, we interpreted and compared the sources of uncertainty that teachers expressed. We then mapped out the flow of the conversations to explore how teachers navigated those sources through the trajectory of their collaborative discourse. Analysis revealed that teachers expressed uncertainties while offering suggestions in the form of pedagogical techniques in response to others’ uncertainties, often leading to shifts, resolutions, and generations of new uncertainty expressions. We suggest that professional learning spaces offer an opportunity for teachers to collaboratively navigate their uncertainties when learning new instructional approaches.

摘要

当教育工作者了解在课堂上使用的新工具时，新信息可能会伴随着疑问和歧义；然而，他们并不总是得到时间或支持来解决他们的问题。承认并接受教师在学习新的教学方法时不可避免地面临的不确定性，有助于推动他们探索新的可能性并更好地支持学生的学习。采用定性话语分析方法，我们使用单组案例研究设计来探索一组 STEM 教师在专业学习空间的背景下通过两个协作话语会话学习新的教学方法时如何应对不确定性。我们的研究立足于社会建构主义的视角，解释并比较了教师表达的不确定性来源。然后，我们绘制了对话流程，以探索教师如何通过协作话语的轨迹来导航这些来源。分析表明，教师在表达不确定性的同时以教学技巧的形式提供建议以回应他人的不确定性，通常会导致转变、解决方案和新的不确定性表达的产生。我们建议，专业学习空间为教师提供了一个机会，让他们在学习新的教学方法时能够协同应对不确定性。分析表明，教师在表达不确定性的同时以教学技巧的形式提供建议以回应他人的不确定性，通常会导致转变、解决方案和新的不确定性表达的产生。我们建议，专业学习空间为教师提供了一个机会，让他们在学习新的教学方法时能够协同应对不确定性。分析表明，教师在表达不确定性的同时以教学技巧的形式提供建议以回应他人的不确定性，通常会导致转变、解决方案和新的不确定性表达的产生。我们建议，专业学习空间为教师提供了一个机会，让他们在学习新的教学方法时能够协同应对不确定性。