This article reports on an autoethnography in which eight researchers interrogate their experienc... more This article reports on an autoethnography in which eight researchers interrogate their experience in a cohort-based education for sustainability advanced certificate program for evidence of practices that generated hope and agency, and worked against the hopelessness that can come with studying a problem as big and seemingly insurmountable as sustainability. They found that learning about and tackling wicked problems as a community of practice undermined debilitating pessimism and generated productive hope and collective action.
abstract The metaphor of talking 'over the fence' underscores the neutrality of tools. Shovels an... more abstract The metaphor of talking 'over the fence' underscores the neutrality of tools. Shovels and hoes do the job, but the gardener creates the transformation of earth to food. Each garden requires a unique approach. Such are the tools of education for sustainable development (ESD). Prepackaged textbooks and toolkits provide definitions and activities, but sometimes leave educators feeling unsure of the subject. Framed in Lave and Wenger's communities of practice and Vygotsky's socio-cultural theories, this self-study seeks to explain how participation in a community of practice has greater transfor-mational capacity for ESD than pre-formulated, off-the-shelf curriculum and instructional materials. When we collaborated to create generative tools for ESD, we engaged in a process of socially constructing knowledge and becoming members of a community. By engaging others in this process, we cultivated the kind of transformation that had been missing from many of our experiences with other ESD materials and conferences.
In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narrativ... more In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narratives) on their experiences within an ePortfolio community of practice to help them understand the conditions that led to transformations in their teaching. The theoretical framework of situated learning and cognitive mediation was used to explore this process of transformation and explain how participation in a community of practice might lead to such change. We argue that ePortfolio itself is imbued with specific meaning, which provides potential users with opportunities to connect with its pedagogical potential. Enticed by this potential, individuals are drawn into a community of practice and their understanding of the tools and practices associated with that community becomes increasingly more complex as they become more deeply integrated into the community. As participants move from being newcomers to full participants in the community, their understanding of the tool is mediated by their engagement and practice with it. This engagement and practice leads to greater competence and has specific effects on the individuals’ notions of membership and identity within the community of practice. We argue that this framework provides a unique way of understanding how transformation can occur, specifically for faculty and their teaching.
In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narrativ... more In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narratives) on their experiences within an ePortfolio community of practice to help them understand the conditions that led to transformations in their teaching. The theoretical framework of situated learning and cognitive mediation was used to explore this process of transformation and explain how participation in a community of practice might lead to such change. We argue that ePortfolio itself is imbued with specific meaning, which provides potential users with opportunities to connect with its pedagogical potential. Enticed by this potential, individuals are drawn into a community of practice and their understanding of the tools and practices associated with that community becomes increasingly more complex as they become more deeply integrated into the community. As participants move from being newcomers to full participants in the community, their understanding of the tool is mediated by their engagement and practice with it. This engagement and practice leads to greater competence and has specific effects on the individuals' notions of membership and identity within the community of practice. We argue that this framework provides a unique way of understanding how transformation can occur, specifically for faculty and their teaching.
Framed in Michele Foucault's theories of discipline and technologies of the self, this paper expl... more Framed in Michele Foucault's theories of discipline and technologies of the self, this paper explores the possibilities for teaching and researching across disciplinary boundaries within the academy. In Foucault's studies of systems of thought, he conceptualized practices Á like sexuality Á to be instances of what is possible to be, think, and do within a historical moment. In the ethnographic study reported on in this paper, we examined perceptions and practices of discipline-based academics seeking to work across traditional scholarly boundaries as instances of what was possible to be, think, and do in transdisciplinary teaching and research in higher education. Connecting transdisciplinary knowledge production with possibilities for critically engaging with sustainability as a social movement and imperative, we identify questions about and the promise of higher education as a place where this work can be done.
In this paper, two teacher educators work to understand their attempts to transform teacherestude... more In this paper, two teacher educators work to understand their attempts to transform teacherestudent relations by altering traditional grading practices. Using actor-network theory, the authors examine the social effects produced across and throughout a school of education when they changed the meaning and significance of grades. Detailed analysis of retrospective reflections (narratives and dialogue) reveals the deeply ingrained and broadly interconnected role that traditional understandings of grades play in defining and stabilizing identities and responsibilities. The specific outcomes here reveal the authors' complicity in the failure of their own change effort and offer implications for teacher educators attempting change. (S. McClam), [email protected] (B. Sevier). 1 Tel.: þ1 9143 23 5137.
Although we usually think about writing as a mode of "telling" about the social world, writing is... more Although we usually think about writing as a mode of "telling" about the social world, writing is not just a moping-up activity at the end of a research project. Writing is also a way of "knowing"-a method of discovery and analysis. By writing in different ways, we discover new aspects of our topic and our relationship to it. Form and content are inseparable.
This article describes the development of artifact collection and scoring procedures to character... more This article describes the development of artifact collection and scoring procedures to characterize classroom practice in mathematics and science. A data collection tool called the "Scoop Notebook" was used to gather artifacts related to key features of classroom practice, such as teachers' use of instructional materials and strategies, classroom learning activities, and students' work. Pilot studies were conducted in a small number of middle school science and mathematics classrooms to provide initial information about the reliability, validity, and feasibility of artifact collections as measures of classroom practice. The pilot studies yielded positive results, indicating that the Scoop Notebook and associated scoring guide have promise for providing accurate representations of what teachers and students do in classrooms. Due to the EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT, 10(2), 73-104 small sample size, results are most appropriately used formatively, to help improve artifact collection procedures before they are tested on a larger scale.
This article reports on an autoethnography in which eight researchers interrogate their experienc... more This article reports on an autoethnography in which eight researchers interrogate their experience in a cohort-based education for sustainability advanced certificate program for evidence of practices that generated hope and agency, and worked against the hopelessness that can come with studying a problem as big and seemingly insurmountable as sustainability. They found that learning about and tackling wicked problems as a community of practice undermined debilitating pessimism and generated productive hope and collective action.
abstract The metaphor of talking 'over the fence' underscores the neutrality of tools. Shovels an... more abstract The metaphor of talking 'over the fence' underscores the neutrality of tools. Shovels and hoes do the job, but the gardener creates the transformation of earth to food. Each garden requires a unique approach. Such are the tools of education for sustainable development (ESD). Prepackaged textbooks and toolkits provide definitions and activities, but sometimes leave educators feeling unsure of the subject. Framed in Lave and Wenger's communities of practice and Vygotsky's socio-cultural theories, this self-study seeks to explain how participation in a community of practice has greater transfor-mational capacity for ESD than pre-formulated, off-the-shelf curriculum and instructional materials. When we collaborated to create generative tools for ESD, we engaged in a process of socially constructing knowledge and becoming members of a community. By engaging others in this process, we cultivated the kind of transformation that had been missing from many of our experiences with other ESD materials and conferences.
In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narrativ... more In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narratives) on their experiences within an ePortfolio community of practice to help them understand the conditions that led to transformations in their teaching. The theoretical framework of situated learning and cognitive mediation was used to explore this process of transformation and explain how participation in a community of practice might lead to such change. We argue that ePortfolio itself is imbued with specific meaning, which provides potential users with opportunities to connect with its pedagogical potential. Enticed by this potential, individuals are drawn into a community of practice and their understanding of the tools and practices associated with that community becomes increasingly more complex as they become more deeply integrated into the community. As participants move from being newcomers to full participants in the community, their understanding of the tool is mediated by their engagement and practice with it. This engagement and practice leads to greater competence and has specific effects on the individuals’ notions of membership and identity within the community of practice. We argue that this framework provides a unique way of understanding how transformation can occur, specifically for faculty and their teaching.
In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narrativ... more In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narratives) on their experiences within an ePortfolio community of practice to help them understand the conditions that led to transformations in their teaching. The theoretical framework of situated learning and cognitive mediation was used to explore this process of transformation and explain how participation in a community of practice might lead to such change. We argue that ePortfolio itself is imbued with specific meaning, which provides potential users with opportunities to connect with its pedagogical potential. Enticed by this potential, individuals are drawn into a community of practice and their understanding of the tools and practices associated with that community becomes increasingly more complex as they become more deeply integrated into the community. As participants move from being newcomers to full participants in the community, their understanding of the tool is mediated by their engagement and practice with it. This engagement and practice leads to greater competence and has specific effects on the individuals' notions of membership and identity within the community of practice. We argue that this framework provides a unique way of understanding how transformation can occur, specifically for faculty and their teaching.
Framed in Michele Foucault's theories of discipline and technologies of the self, this paper expl... more Framed in Michele Foucault's theories of discipline and technologies of the self, this paper explores the possibilities for teaching and researching across disciplinary boundaries within the academy. In Foucault's studies of systems of thought, he conceptualized practices Á like sexuality Á to be instances of what is possible to be, think, and do within a historical moment. In the ethnographic study reported on in this paper, we examined perceptions and practices of discipline-based academics seeking to work across traditional scholarly boundaries as instances of what was possible to be, think, and do in transdisciplinary teaching and research in higher education. Connecting transdisciplinary knowledge production with possibilities for critically engaging with sustainability as a social movement and imperative, we identify questions about and the promise of higher education as a place where this work can be done.
In this paper, two teacher educators work to understand their attempts to transform teacherestude... more In this paper, two teacher educators work to understand their attempts to transform teacherestudent relations by altering traditional grading practices. Using actor-network theory, the authors examine the social effects produced across and throughout a school of education when they changed the meaning and significance of grades. Detailed analysis of retrospective reflections (narratives and dialogue) reveals the deeply ingrained and broadly interconnected role that traditional understandings of grades play in defining and stabilizing identities and responsibilities. The specific outcomes here reveal the authors' complicity in the failure of their own change effort and offer implications for teacher educators attempting change. (S. McClam), [email protected] (B. Sevier). 1 Tel.: þ1 9143 23 5137.
Although we usually think about writing as a mode of "telling" about the social world, writing is... more Although we usually think about writing as a mode of "telling" about the social world, writing is not just a moping-up activity at the end of a research project. Writing is also a way of "knowing"-a method of discovery and analysis. By writing in different ways, we discover new aspects of our topic and our relationship to it. Form and content are inseparable.
This article describes the development of artifact collection and scoring procedures to character... more This article describes the development of artifact collection and scoring procedures to characterize classroom practice in mathematics and science. A data collection tool called the "Scoop Notebook" was used to gather artifacts related to key features of classroom practice, such as teachers' use of instructional materials and strategies, classroom learning activities, and students' work. Pilot studies were conducted in a small number of middle school science and mathematics classrooms to provide initial information about the reliability, validity, and feasibility of artifact collections as measures of classroom practice. The pilot studies yielded positive results, indicating that the Scoop Notebook and associated scoring guide have promise for providing accurate representations of what teachers and students do in classrooms. Due to the EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT, 10(2), 73-104 small sample size, results are most appropriately used formatively, to help improve artifact collection procedures before they are tested on a larger scale.
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Papers by Sherie McClam
on their experiences within an ePortfolio community of practice to help them understand the
conditions that led to transformations in their teaching. The theoretical framework of situated
learning and cognitive mediation was used to explore this process of transformation and explain how
participation in a community of practice might lead to such change. We argue that ePortfolio itself is
imbued with specific meaning, which provides potential users with opportunities to connect with its
pedagogical potential. Enticed by this potential, individuals are drawn into a community of practice
and their understanding of the tools and practices associated with that community becomes
increasingly more complex as they become more deeply integrated into the community. As
participants move from being newcomers to full participants in the community, their understanding
of the tool is mediated by their engagement and practice with it. This engagement and practice leads
to greater competence and has specific effects on the individuals’ notions of membership and
identity within the community of practice. We argue that this framework provides a unique way of
understanding how transformation can occur, specifically for faculty and their teaching.
on their experiences within an ePortfolio community of practice to help them understand the
conditions that led to transformations in their teaching. The theoretical framework of situated
learning and cognitive mediation was used to explore this process of transformation and explain how
participation in a community of practice might lead to such change. We argue that ePortfolio itself is
imbued with specific meaning, which provides potential users with opportunities to connect with its
pedagogical potential. Enticed by this potential, individuals are drawn into a community of practice
and their understanding of the tools and practices associated with that community becomes
increasingly more complex as they become more deeply integrated into the community. As
participants move from being newcomers to full participants in the community, their understanding
of the tool is mediated by their engagement and practice with it. This engagement and practice leads
to greater competence and has specific effects on the individuals’ notions of membership and
identity within the community of practice. We argue that this framework provides a unique way of
understanding how transformation can occur, specifically for faculty and their teaching.