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Dissertation
Trusted to teach: an ethnographic account of 'artisanal teachers' in a progressive high school
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
May 2017
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-7505
Abstract
In a progressive learning environment, teachers know each student well and have the professional latitude to design curricula that encourage students to grow as individual learners and as members of a community. In the current educational climate of common curricula, standardized testing, and school ranking, most schools cannot afford to provide teachers that latitude. This ethnographic study draws from literature on progressive pedagogy, comprehensive school reform, and workplace learning to understand how one small, independent, progressive, urban high school is structured to encourage teachers and administrators to collaborate with one another, foster personal relationships with students, and strive for equity in education by cultivating a student body that reflects the diversity of the city in which it is located. To conduct this yearlong study at the Castanea School, I employed ethnography as a methodological framework to explore: 1) how the teachers and administrators understand and practice progressive schooling; 2) how the school's structural supports guide teachers and administrators to enact their progressive pedagogy; and 3) how educators negotiate collaborative partnerships to sustain their commitment to the 10 Common Principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national comprehensive school reform movement that Castanea joined in 1988. The findings of the study uncover the complex nature of collaborative partnerships between teachers and administrators as they design academically rigorous curricula that: 1) align with progressive pedagogy; 2) meet the students' diverse needs; and 3) prepare students to understand and advocate for their own learning needs. These findings highlight that teachers at Castanea feel trusted to teach. Furthermore, they identify as "artisanal teachers," which they define as someone who: 1) has ownership of their teaching, curriculum, thinking; 2) mobilizes progressive pedagogy for authenticity in teaching and learning; 3) meets students' needs; 4) cultivates trust and positive intent; and 5) infuses learning with critical and analytical thinking.
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Details
- Title
- Trusted to teach
- Creators
- Mollie Anne Gambone - DU
- Contributors
- Kristy Kelly (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xi, 210 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 7505; 991014632571004721