Problematizing Complexities and Pedagogy in Teacher Education Programs: Enacting Knowledge in a Narrative Inquiry Teacher Education Discourse Community

Abstract

This article describes how a cross-Canada cohort of teacher educators identified the benefits of participating in a narrative inquiry teacher education discourse community. The community enables conscious dialogue regarding the legitimacy of teacher knowledge, identification of personal and professional issues within educational contexts, and connections between local issues and global trends. Three themes are explored: (1) development of a non-hierarchical community, (2) unravelling of complexities in light of external pressures, and (3) personal ethical responses to current challenges. Teacher educator knowledge is deepened by providing a relational venue to attend to educational reform and programmatic complexity by grounding practices in collaborative experience.