Chapter 8: Cultivating Critical Friendships Through Reflective Practice: A Community of Teachers from Different Educational Institutions
Atsuko Watanabe, Chitose Asaoka and Akiko Fujii
Abstract
This chapter explores the development of critical friendships in an online community of teachers from different educational institutions. Our study, which served as the basis for this chapter, was prompted by issues in professional development of English language teachers in Japan. The first issue is a lack of collegiality among teachers in the same and across different educational institutions for their professional development opportunities. The other is a persistent division between teachers and researchers in professional development research. Researchers, who are teachers and/or educators in many cases, obtain, analyze, and publish the data of practicing teachers, whereas pre-tertiary teachers often remain peripheral to such stages of research despite their provision of data to the researchers.
To respond to these issues, we sought to create a reflective community of teachers from different educational institutions, where all teachers could express and exchange their views with trusted others, that is, an arena for critical friendship. Five pre-tertiary teachers and three university teachers participated in the study as teacher-researchers. All eight teachers were divided into two groups, and each teacher recorded a segment of their lessons, uploaded it on the web, and viewed each other’s teaching before online group discussion. The groups engaged in the above practice three times.
Through theme coding of the narratives of the eight teachers about their participation in the community, the chapter presents an analysis of the development of critical friendships in the community. Key dynamics that shaped our relationships were varied perceptions of distance and hierarchy among the members. Negotiation of positionality and social validation were also observed in the emerging relationships. The chapter concludes by suggesting implications for constructing a reflective community of teachers with diverse backgrounds where critical friendships can be fostered.
Keywords: online community, peer observation, collaborative reflection, lesson study, cross-context professional development
About the Contributors
Atsuko Watanabe, Ph.D, is a Professor in the Faculty of Language and Literature at Bunkyo University. Her research interests include pre-service and in-service teacher development through reflective practice.
Chitose Asaoka, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Dokkyo University, Japan. Her research interests include teacher education and continuous professional teacher development.
Akiko Fujii, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the International Christian University. Her research interests include instructed second language learning and pre-service teacher education.
Citation
Watanabe, A., Asaoka, C., & Fujii, A. (2023). Cultivating critical friendships through reflective practice: A community of teachers from different educational institutions. In A. Verla Uchida & J. Roloff Rothman (Eds.), Cultivating professional development through critical friendship and reflective practice: Cases from Japan (pp. 219-252). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/27/8
This chapter explores the development of critical friendships in an online community of teachers from different educational institutions. Our study, which served as the basis for this chapter, was prompted by issues in professional development of English language teachers in Japan. The first issue is a lack of collegiality among teachers in the same and across different educational institutions for their professional development opportunities. The other is a persistent division between teachers and researchers in professional development research. Researchers, who are teachers and/or educators in many cases, obtain, analyze, and publish the data of practicing teachers, whereas pre-tertiary teachers often remain peripheral to such stages of research despite their provision of data to the researchers.
To respond to these issues, we sought to create a reflective community of teachers from different educational institutions, where all teachers could express and exchange their views with trusted others, that is, an arena for critical friendship. Five pre-tertiary teachers and three university teachers participated in the study as teacher-researchers. All eight teachers were divided into two groups, and each teacher recorded a segment of their lessons, uploaded it on the web, and viewed each other’s teaching before online group discussion. The groups engaged in the above practice three times.
Through theme coding of the narratives of the eight teachers about their participation in the community, the chapter presents an analysis of the development of critical friendships in the community. Key dynamics that shaped our relationships were varied perceptions of distance and hierarchy among the members. Negotiation of positionality and social validation were also observed in the emerging relationships. The chapter concludes by suggesting implications for constructing a reflective community of teachers with diverse backgrounds where critical friendships can be fostered.
Keywords: online community, peer observation, collaborative reflection, lesson study, cross-context professional development
About the Contributors
Atsuko Watanabe, Ph.D, is a Professor in the Faculty of Language and Literature at Bunkyo University. Her research interests include pre-service and in-service teacher development through reflective practice.
Chitose Asaoka, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Dokkyo University, Japan. Her research interests include teacher education and continuous professional teacher development.
Akiko Fujii, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the International Christian University. Her research interests include instructed second language learning and pre-service teacher education.
Citation
Watanabe, A., Asaoka, C., & Fujii, A. (2023). Cultivating critical friendships through reflective practice: A community of teachers from different educational institutions. In A. Verla Uchida & J. Roloff Rothman (Eds.), Cultivating professional development through critical friendship and reflective practice: Cases from Japan (pp. 219-252). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/27/8
Information About the Book
Title: Cultivating Professional Development Through Critical Friendship and Reflective Practice: Cases From Japan.
Editors: Adrianne Verla Uchida and Jennie Roloff Rothman
Publication date: 2023
Read more...
Title: Cultivating Professional Development Through Critical Friendship and Reflective Practice: Cases From Japan.
Editors: Adrianne Verla Uchida and Jennie Roloff Rothman
Publication date: 2023
Read more...