Download - 1874-3346-1-PB
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
1/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Secondary English Teachers Self-Identity and Knowledge: Narrating Teacher Development in a
Multiliteracies Classroom
Laura L. Hegge
OISE/UT
1
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
2/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Abstract
Secondary English Teachers Self-Identity and Knowledge: Narrating Teacher
Development in a Multiliteracies Classroom is a narrative inquiry into the knowledge, identity
and practice of two experienced English teachers. The purpose is to examine how teachers'
identities and knowledge interact to direct their professional learning and classroom practice. By
inquiring into the narratives of the researcher and her co-participant, who both have
multiliteracies approaches, teaching a range of traditional and non-traditional texts from an anti-
racist standpoint, the study analyzes how some teachers are able to develop these approaches to
teaching in a subject field torn between English as literature studies and English as literacy
studies.
2
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
3/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Introduction
Ontario secondary schools are faced today with a range of difficult challenges, one of
which is student literacy. The provinces controversial high-stakes standardized testing of
student literacy in Grade 10 has in recent years drawn much public attention to this age-old
problem in schooling. Greater demand is now being placed upon secondary schools to address
literacy in the high school curriculum, and regardless of ones position on the politics of
standardized testing and measuring literacy levels, it is evident that all students should have
meaningful and effective literacy instruction through all their years of schooling. While there are
initiatives in many schools and school boards to create cross-curricular approaches to literacy at
the secondary level, English teachers often are held most accountable for students success. The
focus by policy makers on literacy in secondary schools reflects a shift in the way in which
English education is conceived at this level within the field of education. Traditionally, the
subject of English was considered to be literary education, providing students with a background
in the Western literary canon and an introduction to the art of western rhetoric (Lee, 2002).
English teachers embraced these literary forms, remaining at the center of instruction and
interpretation (Bean & Moni, 2003, p.639). The subject of secondary English now inhabits
contested epistemological ground; there is a conceptual divide between what was traditionally
conceived as subject knowledge and how current curricula and practices are conceived. Now,
teachers in Ontario are required to teach students literacy skills in reading, writing, oral
communication and media studies (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007a; 2007b). More recent
conceptions and practices of secondary English instruction favour a dialogical approach to
literacy that involves a range of textual and writing experiences and which values student voices
in addition to the voice of the teacher (Agee, 2000; Langer, 2001).
3
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
4/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
This paper is a narrative inquiry, which examines the knowledge and identities of two
experienced secondary English teachers who, over time, have embraced our role as literacy
educators, and who have developed a broad definition for the term, literacy, and how it applies to
our practice. Specifically, this study is an inquiry into the reciprocal influences of knowledge and
identity on the construction of experienced teachers multiliteracies (New London Group, 1995)
approaches to teaching secondary English. A multiliteracies approach addresses both the
multilingual and multicultural diversity in the student body in urban, Canadian schools, and in
addition defines literacy as incorporating a range of text forms beyond traditional notions of
reading and writing. A teacher who has a multiliteracies approach develops critical anti-racist,
inclusive curricula, which teach students skills with print texts, oral texts and visual texts,
including electronic texts. This narrative inquiry into the knowledge, identities and practice of
two experienced English teachers develops current understandings of how teachers learn to
develop a multiliteracies approach to teaching.
The issue at the heart of this study is the nature of teacher development in secondary
English, with an emphasis on links between knowledge and identity construction. How teachers
embrace their role as leaders in literacy and develop a corresponding classroom practice is a key
concern. In Ontario, the shift from English as literature studies to English as literacy studies has
been complicated by the nature of the sudden and sweeping curriculum changes brought about
by the provincial government at the end of the 20th century. Many teachers opposed the
implementation of the standardized literacy test in Ontario, pointing out its many flaws
(Allingham, 2000), and considering it to be damaging to students and the professional judgment
of teachers. Because of the strong associations many teachers in Ontario have with the Ontario
4
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
5/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT) and literacy pedagogy, literacy instruction is
sometimes viewed in a negative light. However, the changing nature of secondary school
student populations, due in part to new minimum educational requirements for many entry-level
jobs, immigration, and new literacy demands in a technologically-driven society (Lee, 2002)
requires a changing approach to English education from literary instruction to literacy instruction
(Cummins, 2006; Lee, 2002). This study examines how a colleague and I have faced and
embraced challenges of teacher learning and identity as we have developed our approaches to
English education over time in a professional environment that has been somewhat resistant to
change. The following narrative inquiry is the result of a co-construction of the multiple
narratives that have intersected and interacted to allow us to develop into the teachers we are
now.
This research project is born out of my ten-year undertaking of becoming an English
teacher. I have shifted through a range of teaching contexts. I have worked in international and
Canadian settings, taught EFL, ESL and first language English courses, and I have worked with
preschool, elementary, secondary and adult learners. The challenges I have faced in learning to
develop a multiliteracies approach over time have led me to this inquiry with the purpose of
understanding what other English teachers with such an approach know, how they gained that
knowledge, and why they sought to develop such a practice.
In this study, it is assumed that a multiliteracies approach to secondary English education
will result in positive outcomes for students (Cummins, 2006; Lee, 2002; New London Group,
1995). This study will examine the problem of how the co-participants have overcome obstacles
to change our practice in such a way that it addresses the evolving needs of students in our
current educational system. Understandings in the field of teacher development of why and how
5
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
6/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
some teachers generally develop positive attitudes and practices are wide-ranging but piecemeal.
There is a large and recent body of research on the positive effects of social supports for teachers
through both formal and informal mentoring and induction programs (Howe, 2006; see also
Chubbuck, Clift, Allard & Quinlan, 2001; Eldar, Nabel, Schechter, Talmor & Mazin, 2003).
Some research cites quality teacher education (Darling-Hammond, 2000; Wilson, Floden &
Ferrini-Mundy, 2002) and the development of pedagogical knowledge as a crucial factor in
positive teacher development, while other studies focus on teachers experiential knowledge
(Gitlin, Peck, Aposhian, Hadley & Porter, 2002; Norman & Feiman-Nemser, 2005), and still
others attribute teacher success to disposition (Johnson & Reiman, 2007). Each of these studies
provides a story of successful teacher development; none, however, adequately considers how
multiple factors contributing to this development interact. Teachers develop continually
throughout their careers (Lynn, 2002). There is evidence that identity, the emotions and
knowledge interact, influencing teacher development and subsequently practice (Lasky, 2005).
Literature about teacher induction exists that shows links between early teacher experiences and
identity construction (Herbert & Worthy, 2001; Hoy & Spero, 2005; Liston, Whitcomb & Borko,
2006), but fewer studies exist that focus on the interactions of teachers self-identities and
knowledge at more advanced stages of their careers.
This study examines what occurs when experienced teachers self-identities interact with
narratives of professional knowledge and learning. Through the research, I develop a
preliminary understanding of the effect interactions between these two narratives of teacher
development have in the practice of secondary English teachers and propose areas for further
research in teacher development and English education.
6
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
7/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Methodology
Theory
In order to understand how some English teachers are able to develop a successful
multiliteracies practice, the study employs a narrative approach. Narrative inquiry and self-study
are blurred genres of research (Denzin & Lincon, 2005) that overlap in the ways in which they
employ participants narratives and are situated with in the first person experience of the
researcher (Hamilton, Smith, Worthington, 2008). While this study employs Laboskys (2004)
five characteristics of self-study, I will argue that the research is soundly rooted in a narrative
methodology. Labosky argues self-studies are self-initiated, improvement-aimed, and
interactive, and that they employ multiple qualitative methods that establish trustworthiness
(2004), and in keeping with these characteristics, I initiated this qualitative, multi-method study
in order to inquire into and improve my teaching practice. What makes this a narrative inquiry
and not a self-study is the concern in the research with story and the interaction of the narratives
of the participants. Narrative inquirers view teacher development as a process of interaction
among the past, present and possible future narratives of teachers personal and professional
lives, resulting in ongoing change (Beattie, 1995; Beattie, Dobson, Thornton & Hegge, 2007;
Beattie & Hegge, 2008; Beattie, Thornton, Dobson & Hegge, 2005; See also: Clandinin &
Connelly, 1996; Conle, 2000, 2001; Connelly, Clandinin & He, 1997; Craig 1995, 2000, 2001,
2004; Elbaz-Luwisch, 2002, 2004; Eng, 2005; Kitchen, 2005; Olson & Craig, 2001, 2005).
Under examination in this study are the complex interactions of elements of teachers knowledge
and teachers self-identities as evidenced in their stories of teaching.
In the context of narrative inquiry, teachers knowledge is considered to be personal and
practical, a particular way of reconstructing the past and the intentions for the future to deal
7
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
8/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
with the exigencies of a present situation, (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988, p. 25). In narrative
inquiry, personal practical knowledge, which is primarily tacit, is held in the participants
narratives and analysis of these narratives sheds insight into the nature of that knowledge.
Knowledge is closely linked in all cases to language (Gadamer, 1970/2006; Wells, 1995) and
narrative constructions (Crites, 1971, 1986); human beings interact with the world through
language and tell stories of experience to communicate. Memory and narrative are interwoven,
and professional knowledge relies on each. Ben-Peretz (1995) discusses the centrality of
memory in professional knowledge. She embraces Cohens synthesis of research about memory
(1989 as cited in Ben-Peretz, 1995), and describes two types of memory: episodic and semantic.
She discusses how episodic memory (autobiographical information about personal experience)
and semantic memory (general knowledge, categories and schema) interact and form an
interdependent relationship. Professional knowledge, held in teachers memories, involves a
complex sorting of personal experience and theoretical knowledge that is the basis of personal
practical knowledge. Recall of memories for application in present tasks and/or future goals
results in knowledge transformation because it is affected and modified by new interactions with
the outside world. This ongoing narrative construction results in the continually developing
personal practical knowledge held by teachers and other professionals.
In addition to understanding the knowledge construction involved in the development of
a multiliteracies approach to secondary English, another aim of this study is to understand the
role that teacher self-identity plays in the formation of such practice. Teacher self-identity is a
conceptualization of a professional self that is constructed and reconstructed through internal and
external influences (Day, Kington, Stobart & Sammons, 2006). Kelchtermans (2005) describes
teacher self-identity as a form of narrative self-understanding. Considered in light of Ben-
8
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
9/43
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
10/43
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
11/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
2. What factors aid in the construction of a teacher identity that commits to the ongoing
development of a multiliteracies approach?
3. What is the impact of the interaction of the narrative of teacher identity and the
narrative of teacher learning on professional knowledge and practice?
Two participants working within a diverse urban public school board were selected from
a list of teachers supplied by a curriculum consultant. This consultant recommended potential
participants who were known to have a multiliteracies approach to teaching secondary English
and who had more than five years of teaching experience. I selected the first two willing
volunteers and am myself co-participant in the study. This paper is an analysis of the first
complete set of data collected from the study of my own practice and from one of the
participants, Anandi Kamala.
Data Collection and Analysis
Data has been collected from interviews, observations, and documents such as
instructional materials, communications and a research journal. Narrative methods have been
used to analyze the data, entailing an ongoing process of uncovering themes, presenting them to
the participant for co-construction of meaning and ensuing refinement of the analysis.
Two scheduled semi-structured interviews of approximately one hour were conducted
with Anandi and transcribed. The purpose of the interviews was to elicit from the participant her
understandings about her knowledge of teaching, her professional learning processes, and her
personal and professional identity. Interviews were designed to draw out stories of Anandis
knowledge and practice, and to encourage her to reflect on how her practice has changed over
time. Classroom observations of Anandis practice took place in one class section of her
childrens literature course over one unit of study. Anandi selected a unit of study that she
11
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
12/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
believed highlights her multiliteracies approaches, which was a unit on fairytales and folktales in
her childrens literature course. I made handwritten notes that included thick descriptions of
activities in the classroom and collected copies of teaching materials handed by Anandi to the
students.
Data on my own practice was gathered in several ways. I answered the interview
questions posed of the participant in my research journal. In addition, I have drawn from my
professional journals and other writings in which I have written stories about my own classroom
practice over the course of the past fours years of graduate study and secondary teaching.
Analysis of data employed the qualitative approach of narrative inquiry in which
narrative is both the data source and the method of analysis (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). All
data has been analyzed for emergent themes, which fall under two general categories: knowledge
and identity. A narrative account has been composed in the form of a letter to the participant,
which outlined themes emerging from the data. The purpose of this account is to invite the
participant to verify emerging themes and to give her opportunity to collaborate and co-construct
the understandings emerging from the study. Participant feedback involves explaining where the
analysis has not represented her understandings, providing clarification of her understandings,
and also providing confirmation if the analysis fits with her understandings. Refinements in the
analysis resulting from feedback from the narrative accounts are incorporated into the narrative
analysis of the data, resulting in this paper.
A Tale of Two Teachers: Stories of Multiliteracies in Secondary English
In this section of the paper, I shift into a narrative mode of analysis, in which the stories
of two teachers, me and my co-participant, Anandi, are both the subject and the vehicle for
analysis. The section is divided into two chapters: My Story andAnandis Story. By
12
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
13/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
juxtaposing the two stories, I intend to show the reader how my co-participant and I know and
experience our teaching practices, and how our identities influence their ongoing construction
and re-construction. Each story, while different in content, follows the same structure. First, I
provide a brief biographical introduction that sets the stage for the discussion of classroom
practice. I then present narratives that capture the essence of each teachers knowledge, in a sub-
section entitled, Creating a Multiliteracies Classroom: What the Teacher Knows. These
narratives are followed by stories about how that knowledge was obtained inMaking
Multiliteracies Connections: How the Teacher Learned. Finally, I examine the motivation
behind each teacher for pursuing her individual course of teacher development, focusing on the
influencing and conditioning effects of self-identity in Reflecting on the Creation: Why the
Teacher Sought out a Multiliteracies Practice. . . I begin with my story.
My Story
I have been teaching for ten years, and in that time I have worked in a range of contexts.
My career began in Japan, during a time when teaching jobs were scarce at home in Ontario. I
arrived in Tokyo in May 1997 and worked as an adult EFL instructor for ten months. Disliking
the corporate culture of the EFL school in which lessons were pre-packaged and it was made
clear we were instructors, not teachers, I quickly moved into a small international high school
located just outside of Tokyo, which boasted an English Ontario curriculum and Canadian
certified teachers and administration. There I taught ESL, English, business English and drama
to small classes of students, the majority of whom were Japanese. Eventually, homesickness
urged me back to Canada, and in January of 2001 I returned to Toronto to pursue a career in the
public school system and a Masters in Education at The Ontario Institute for Studies in
Education at the University of Toronto (hereafter, OISE/UT). I experienced reverse culture
13
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
14/43
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
15/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
April, I tutored and taught elementary language arts and secondary essay writing at a cram
school north of Toronto until returning to the public board in September. I have worked in the
same public school since September 2003 teaching English, while completing my M.Ed. and
beginning my Ph.D. in curriculum studies and teacher development. My professional and
academic focus since that return has been on developing my understanding of and practical
application of multiliteracies in secondary English.
Creating a Multiliteracies Classroom: What I Know.
Its a typical morning. I was up later than my husband would have liked the night before
preparing for todays lessons. My grade 11 students will be faced with a lesson in revising a
narrative essay and my grade 10 students will be writing love letters from Romeo to Rosaline.
Somehow, despite the hours of preparation, I still feel scattered as I look in my planner, locate
todays handouts and run from the office to the photocopier and back to my desk. It is ten
minutes before class as I approach my room, later than I would like, as usual. There are few
students waiting, and as I open the door several follow me in. We greet each other, and as they
sit down to chat I scrawl the agenda for the day on the chalkboard. The room, which I share with
another teacher, has a Norval Morrisseau print, a poster from Picassos blue period and several
motivational posters on the wall, along with samples of student work. Six rows of desks line the
old and somewhat dirty room. It looks to me like a class out of any Hollywood flick about an
urban school, tidy but slightly shabby.
While the school in which I work lacks much in the way of the latest educational tools,
today I have my personal laptop and a video projector in tow. As the lesson begins I pull up my
sample first draft of the narrative essay assignment, entitled Turning Points, which the students
are working on. We read the draft that I have composed and I ask students to help me revise it.
15
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
16/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
We have discussed the nature of revision; students know that at this point in the writing process
we are looking at ideas and content and the logical and aesthetic arrangement of elements of the
story. The students have been discussing how a narrative essay uses literary elements to tell a
story with a point. As they search for the point of my draft, they offer some insightful
suggestions for me to improve my writing. While we work, I show them some of the features of
Microsoft Word that are useful for writers, and many are surprised and amazed by the editing
feature, track changes.
At the end of the period when this group of university track grade 11s file out, my grade
10 students trickle in. These are applied level students, currently bound for college or the
workplace. I have had many conversations with my colleagues about the nature of streaming at
our school. My university track classes are dominated by a critical mass of middle class
students. It is painfully clear to me that students are streamed by social class: this group and
others I have taught in this stream are predominantly working class. Interestingly, when the
grade 10s arrive, I put the computer away and pull out my chalk to write instructions on the
board. We are studyingRomeo and Juliet, which I believe is a questionable choice for this
group of students, selected in a previous year by an unknown teacher in my department.
Thankfully they are for the most part enjoying the story. We do a reading log at the beginning of
each class, in which I pose a topic that requires them to make text to self connections. The next
activity today is to write a love letter in role as Romeo, to his first love, Rosaline. I ask students
to write a note, designed for whatever medium they would use in their daily course of
socializing, such as a text message, Facebook post, or email. I tell them that they are to pretend
that they are a grade 12 boy named Romeo and that they have a crush on a girl in grade 9 named
Rosaline. The note is Romeos attempt to get Rosalines attention. I tell them to write it in a
16
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
17/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
voice that comes naturally to them. One girl begins speaking in her Jamaican dialect. I
announce that yes, that would be great. Please dont pretend to be Shakespeare, I implore
them. They all write their notes, some with great amusement, then we share them. There is a
range of tones, from earnest to risqu, and all students in the class get a good chuckle from the
exercise. Next I give each student a printed list of pick-up lines published in a gentlemans
handbook in the seventeenth century. I tell them to compose another love letter, this time using
phrases closer to the language of Shakespeares time. Students peruse the list, ask questions, and
laugh at some of the more outrageous lines. They begin working and compose drafts of their
letters.
There are many tensions in each teaching day. Here I will reflect on some held in this
day, many of which I still do not know how to resolve. I have taught two sections per year of the
grade 11 course over five years, while this is the first time I am teaching a single section of this
grade 10 course. I have two senior colleagues with whom I can collaborate and discuss the grade
11 course. I work in solitude from a two page document alongside a colleague who is
uninterested in collaboration to prepare the grade 10 course. The difference in my comfort level
and my approach to the curricula is glaring. I notice the different ways in which I characterize
multiliteracies curricula in these two different classes. In the one class, I rely more heavily on
technology, and in the other I rely more on including the authentic voices of the students. I have
noted that the two groups are clearly streamed along socio-economic lines, and I wonder if I am
serving my grade 10 students in the best way. They face greater literacy challenges: many of
them receive support from the special education department, and only one of them can write
comparably to the average student in the grade 11 university track course. I know they need to
work on basic reading and writing skills. I know that earlier attempts I have made to bring them
17
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
18/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
into the computer lab had very mixed results; I spent most of my time trying to focus their
attention away from personal browsing and onto the task at hand. I know Ive been afraid to try
teaching these students with computers again. I know there is assistive technology that would
greatly help these students, but I havent yet had the opportunity to learn how to use it and test it
out myself. While I am satisfied that students in each class are learning, I am not satisfied that I
am doing enough to create an engaging experience for my grade 10 students. It is clear to me
when I compare my practice in each of these courses that it takes time and collaboration to build
a multiliteracies practice in each and every course.
Making Multiliteracies Connections: How I Learned.
I am still learning about teaching with a multiliteracies approach. To me, learning to
teach this way is a necessity required of me in the contexts in which I have taught. Currently, I
work in an urban, public high school and teach a socio-economically and ethnically diverse
group of students. In my experience, their varying backgrounds, interests and aptitudes cannot
be fairly met and challenged by a traditional approach to English education. I have been learning
over the years I have taught at this school to devise lessons and assignments that address a
breadth of literacies in the attempt to motivate and interest students. I am continually involved in
a process of seeking out different instructional strategies and different texts to bring to students.
I constantly find myself in the curriculum cycle of orientation, development, implementation and
evaluation (Miller & Seller, 1990): I evaluate my stance and practice, I devise and present new
strategies and curriculum; I engage in a process of reflection; I revise my strategies and try again.
When I teach, I am constantly asking myself, what is working? Why is this working? Why is
that not? How can I use this technique or that text more effectively next time? Through this
18
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
19/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
cycle I have slowly been gaining an understanding of how to teach multiliteracies in the context
of high school English.
To give the reader an example of this process in action I will tell the story of introducing
book clubs into the grade 11 University English course I teach. After studying with Mary Kooy
and reading her book, Telling Stories in Book Clubs: Women Teachers and Professional
Development(2006), I was challenged by her questions as to why English teachers who enjoy
immense professional learning benefits from being involved in book clubs do not use similar
practices in their English classrooms. While I understood, as she also did, that adult education
and secondary education are very different contexts, I knew that my students could benefit from
the collaborative learning environment required by the book club format. I decided to
experiment.
I began slowly and had all my grade 11 students in the 2007 to 2008 school year read the
same novel, The Kite Runner, (Hosseini, 2003). I instructed them to keep a log of their reading,
responding at least once per chapter. I had two sections of the course, one first thing in the
morning and another in the afternoon, so I had the opportunity to engage in curriculum reflection
and revision that could take place on the same day. When I first checked the students reading
logs, I was surprised and alarmed to discover that many were at a loss as to what they should
write. I had asked them to make connections with their readings and to respond to them and had
given them a handout with a number of prompts with which they could begin writing. We had
discussed the following diagram in class on several occasions, noting how good readers make
multiple connections in various ways with texts, and I had encouraged students to try to make
connections in each area:
19
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
20/43
PersonalExperience
WorldKnowledge
Other Texts
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
I knew that I had modeled the activity of making logs for them, reading aloud and then making
my log on an overhead slide, so it was clear to me that a lack of guidance was not the main
problem.
As I began to inquire further into the students difficulties, two main themes began to
arise in their answers to my questioning: one group of students felt the task simply to be an
onerous imposition that ruined their reading experience. Another group thought the activity
was like kindergarten and I heard from several of them that they had done such logs in grade
four. When I looked at the logs from the second group, I noticed that the majority of
connections they were making were to personal experience. They had misunderstood the
activity, perhaps because of my emphasis on personal connections in the selection I had modeled
for them.
20
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
21/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
In the attempt to address this emerging problem, I discussed the issue during class with
students. I explained that it is natural at the beginning of a text for our reactions and connections
to be mostly personal, but that as we were studying a novel, the goal was to move towards the
other types of connections, text to text and text to world, as we read further. In addition, I
explained that in making their logs they were participating actively in their reading, which is
hard work, but which would lead to the development of academic note-taking skills that would
greatly benefit them in grade 12 and beyond. My afternoon class grudgingly accepted my
explanations, but a vocal group of students in my first period class had in my view written me off
as a teacher who was condescending to them.
I was about to ditch the idea of book clubs altogether, but was encouraged by a fellow
graduate student, who was an English teacher using this method, and Mary Kooy my professor,
to persevere. Before the next novel study unit, I gave each class a book talk on five different and
varied texts that were readily available in the bookroom at my school and then put it to a vote.
The first vote, by secret ballot, was whether or not we should do book clubs. I explained that if
we did, they would keep another reading log, and that they would be required to participate in
groups within their class and in online discussion forums which would include students from the
other class who had read the same novel. The other option was to vote to select a single novel
that we would study as a class in a more traditional way.
To my great surprise, the overwhelming majority of students in each class voted to
continue the experiment. Students chose the book that appealed to them most, and I divided the
classes into book clubs. These clubs met in person three times through the reading process, after
reading the first third, second third, and then after completing the novel. They also participated
in the online discussion forum, and it was here that I felt I could best eavesdrop on their
21
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
22/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
dialogues. I could also in this forum add more meaningfully to their discussion, and my presence
was less that of the teacher looming over a circle of students, but one of a facilitator adding to
and spurring on the conversation.
This example of developing multiliteracies activities in my secondary English practice is
one of many that have followed a similar professional learning curve. I began with the
experience of personally studying in a collaborative learning environment, which in this case was
structured and facilitated by my professor, Mary Kooy. This led to the experiment of
transferring my adult learning experience to the high school learning context. My first attempts
at scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1986) this non-traditional learning environment for students, who
expected me to give them chapter questions and a list of themes and literary elements to explore,
met with a degree of failure, yet, perhaps because of my enthusiasm, most students wanted to
expand the experiment. I then had to learn to direct online learning groups in addition to
classroom discussion groups. I did this with the technical support of my husband, and drew on
my experiences as an online student to facilitate the discussions and direct the online learning. I
learned that the effort was worthwhile, because despite the fact that several students remained
resistant and several others remained disengaged from the learning, I believe from their logs and
online responses that more students participated meaningfully in the reading than in previous
years when we had simply taken up reading questions. I learned to teach this unit that embraced
the theory of multiliteracies through my own experiences, and through collaboration with
supportive colleagues, professors and family members.
Reflecting on the Creation: Why I Sought a Multiliteracies Practice.
The most compelling reason that has driven me to begin developing a multiliteracies
practice is my need for a positive teacher self-identity. When I began teaching in an urban
22
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
23/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Canadian setting, I experienced what Veenman (1984) termed reality shock. I had an
undergraduate degree in drama and English, two years of experience teaching in a Japanese
private school setting, and no experience working with a multicultural Canadian student
population with diverse needs and abilities. The experience of returning to Canada and working
with a group of students who had a range of exceptionalities in the areas of literacy, learning
skills and behaviour was incredibly difficult for me, and I considered leaving teaching altogether.
I saw myself as a failure. I remember one student who I had transferred out of my class into a
behavoural class scheduled at the same time come up to me to say, You got me kicked out of
here because you couldnt handle me. Thats what Mr. ___ (her new teacher) says. I disagreed
with her, telling her that she would be better off in a class where there were fewer distractions.
Privately, I fumed that this teacher would dare say that to her, while simultaneously believing in
my heart that it was true. I didnt know how to handle that student. I was not a good teacher.
I sought help wherever I could find it, primarily in the English office at my school with
my colleagues and in graduate classes at OISE/UT. My colleagues at the school provided me
with substantial emotional support as well as practical tips and lessons for the classroom. The
assistant department head offered to come into my class and test the reading level of several of
my weakest students, and she concluded, as I had, that there were a few of them who could not
even decode words. While she helped me with the assessment, helping me teach them to read
was another matter. A graduate course I was taking with David Booth,Language, Literacy, and
the School Curriculum, helped me to think about teaching literacy at the secondary level, but
since its theoretical nature offered few practical solutions, the course had few immediate effects
on my teaching. What the support of my colleagues and the knowledge I gained in coursework
offered me was a sense that I was a good enough teacher to learn how to be better. Because I
23
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
24/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
had hope that I would eventually learn to be a good English teacher, I persevered, and each year I
have learned more about theory and practice through my studies and my experience. With this
perseverance has come a gradual feeling of self-efficacy. I will now hesitatingly acknowledge
that I am a good English teacher. I recognize my successes and my ongoing and evolving
problems, and since I have a positive outlook on my teaching, I know I will be able to continue
improving my practice. My teacher self-identity has driven my professional learning and has
helped me find the motivation to learn to integrate multiliteracies strategies gradually into my
classroom teaching.
Anandis Story
Anandi is an experienced English teacher who is a curriculum leader in a large, urban,
public secondary school. In the past twenty years, she has spent the majority of her career at this
same school, but she has also ventured into a range of other teaching experiences. After ten
years of teaching English and ESL, Anandi undertook the double challenge of teaching in Korea
at a junior school. She taught grade five for two years in an English school with mixed
English/ESL classrooms. This experience provided Anandi with a rich professional development
opportunity, not only because she had switched teaching panels from secondary to elementary,
but also because she became a student of language, much like her students. After returning to
Canada, Anandi continued to teach in the secondary panel. She has taught ESL, English and
leadership at her school.
Creating a Multiliteracies Classroom: What Anandi Knows.
When I first walk into Anandis classroom, I am amazed by the colorful displays on the
walls. I see posters of films and books, many of them childrens literature, and also incredible
examples of student work. Lined up on a ledge by the side chalkboard are a series of student-
24
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
25/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
authored picture books. I learn that students have taken these books to a nearby elementary
school and read them to students there. Thumbing through several of them before class, I realize
that students have put great care into making them. One student is early for class, and she
excitedly points me toward her book and that of her friend. She proudly explains the concept
behind the book it is designed for children to get involved and draw their own pictures based
on the prompts in the story. I read her friends story, which she tells me is really good, and
notice the sophistication of the narrative, a tale about a mother who repeatedly tells her young
daughter that it is not time for this or that, who finally tells her it is always time for a hug. It is
clear that the level of skill is very different the friends work is much more complex but that
the level of accomplishment of each student is very high.
The class I am observing is a locally developed childrens literature course. It is open to
students in all streams who are in grades 11 or 12. Anandi has described the course as a literacy
course that attracts a range of students, some of whom are struggling with literacy and some of
whom are in the gifted program at the school and highly literate. I immediately recognize that
this is a difficult course to teach, not only because the teacher develops her own curriculum from
scratch, but also because of the widely varying levels of skill and ability amongst the students. I
am intrigued to discover how Anandi manages the curriculum and the students to produce the
results I have witnessed in the students storybook assignment.
As I spend more time in the classroom, I recognize that the accomplishments of all the
students, whether they are academically inclined or not, are impressive. The first day I observe
this afternoon class, I learn that several students spent their lunch hour broadcasting with a local
community radio station. They had rehearsed and told stories in celebration of Black History
Month. Anandi not only had these students performing for younger children at a nearby school,
25
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
26/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
but she had them reading aloud to a primarily adult audience on a public broadcast. I imagined
the amount of confidence it must have required these students, some of whom are at risk, to read
on air, and was amazed that Anandi knew how to build it in them and then supply opportunities
for them to exercise it.
Over the time I spend observing Anandis classroom, the students work on a unit of study
on fairytales and folktales. They study the Cinderella story, its numerous versions in text and
film, and its patterns and implications. Students go on a field trip to see Coraline (Linden,
Mechanic, Sandell, Selick, & Zoumas, 2009) the film of a graphic novel of the same name, and
they compare the genre of horror and fantasy to that of fairy tales. During the same period,
students have finished reading an independent childrens novel of their choosing, and have
worked on and presented projects ranging from a video to a series of paintings, to a board game
to a rap. Students have also read and analyzed folktales and composed their own in a group
based on a photo they selected from a set provided by Anandi.
What interests and amazes me about Anandis childrens literature class is the degree of
student engagement. I watch as she orchestrates classroom and small group discussions that are
incredibly focused. With each task I observe that the majority of the students are on track,
discussing the topic at hand. Groups whose attention drifts are brought back to the task with
Anandis help, as she circulates constantly and evenly through the room. Most students tackle
assignments with enthusiasm, even though many demonstrate signs of being chronically
disengaged with high school, showing up late to class without materials, etc. Anandi tells me
that many of them do not attend other classes, but come regularly to childrens literature, and I
am not surprised, given that the atmosphere is both fun and supportive.
26
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
27/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
When I ask Anandi in interviews how she manages to orchestrate this kind of
engagement she discusses two important things she knows how to do: build classroom
community and differentiate student learning. Anandi works hard at the beginning of a semester
to build a sense of connection and community within each class. She insists on students sitting
in group formation rather than in rows and regularly engages them in co-operative learning
games which force them to work with different people. In this way, she says, she creates a fun
way for students to learn to work with each other.
She also honours students in her classroom by displaying their work in class and for the
school and actively including the samples in her classroom lessons. She explains,
I have a lot of stuff up, but its welcoming. Showing kids work a lot of people think in
high school you dont have to do that but I cant tell you how many people pull their
friends in to see their work. I usually take them and display stuff in the library. So many
kids have come over and read the [student authored] books. Just all that kind of stuff I
think is really important. We think theyre teenagers, but theyre still kids, and they want
to have their work up. We have a website on our school, so we write about the kids who
have gone and done things, so I think is important about a community.
She refers back to the samples hung on the walls, and she believes that these displays give
students a sense of pride in their work, which adds to their feeling of confidence and therefore
belonging in the classroom. When students feel they are being celebrated, they want to come
and participate in class.
Anandi also creates a warm and welcoming environment by caring for students. She
takes an active interest in their activities and provides time in class for students to promote
school wide activities and causes. She encourages them to be comfortable in class by providing
27
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
28/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
water for students and occasionally providing food as a celebration for success. She says,
Sometimes together Ill make a meal and we have it together. I think those kinds of things are
important they feel comfortable enough, but they know theres a line. The classroom becomes
a place where students feel as if they are part of something bigger than a daily lesson, and by
encouraging them to bring their outside lives in, Anandi fosters community, enlarging the reach
of her teaching beyond the walls of her room.
Classroom community is also strengthened by the many excursions the class takes into
the neighbourhood. Students are viewed as experts by teachers and students alike when they
visit a local elementary school, and she reaches out to organize community activities such as the
radio broadcast mentioned earlier and student presentations in a local public library. This
outreach has the effect of bringing students closer together as a classroom community and of
building their confidence in their individual and collective abilities.
In addition to building community in her classroom, Anandi knows how to tailor the
curriculum to suit each students individual needs and abilities. Extensive planning goes into
each lesson as Anandi devises ways in which each students needs can be met and strengths
challenged. She explains how she plans lessons and assignments:
There are a lot of challenges in this course. One student doesnt readSo sometimes
shell come in quietly and Ill read to her on her own. Or thats why I do a lot of reading
in class. There are about three kids that dont read. Yesterday we did a reading and
we did the traditional Grimm fairy tales because they really wanted to read them. They
had packages in their group and they had a choice to either read individually or as a
group. And I know that student [who cant read] in her group has a friend, and the friend
knows, and we have that kind of relationship, and she read all the stories in the group. So
28
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
29/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
theres kind of that that goes on in here. The other issue is that some of them are in here
just trying to get that last one or two credits, and are not really interested. One of boys in
here, hes dealing with a lot of those kinds of issues just trying to get through and get his
credit. So there are certain kids in here that Im trying to engage that arent even engaged
in reading or anything else. So Im trying to think of creative, innovative ways that are
going to engage them. So youve got someone who can write a novel on their own, and
then youve got someone who can only write four or five words. And who cant read.
The assignments thatFor example, if you look around, they did all their presentations
and they all were with a writing piece, but I think when you leave an assignment open
The first assignment gave them nine or ten choices and then they could create their own
choice. I think Im very big on process and skills. And they think theyre getting marks
all the way through. And so we have one or two meetings. They have to do a write up.
They have to do an analysis sheet. And finally when it comes to the real writing, they
actually have something to write about. Its actually quite thoughtful what theyve
written. And then they have an oral presentation. So at least were covering all the areas:
theyve got their oracy, theyve got a media component in there. Theyre really working
on tailoring what theyre doing and then theyve peer evaluated each other during the
presentations. And its really thoughtful, you know, what they did well. Because this was
really their first big presentation, and for three of them, they said, I dont do
presentations. But they actually got up and did it. And one girl brought in her son
because it was really important for her. The whole class becomes elevated because of
just having a different audience here and recognizing how important it is. Like they were
cheering for this girl that went up. I was tearing up at the back, they were so happy that
29
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
30/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
she did it because she doesnt speak. Because of her dyslexia shes dealing with a lot of
issues and she didnt feel comfortable, soJust things like that. It takes a lot to prepare a
lesson for them and really to think it out so these guys are going to need the structure
on the board, those guys dont. Were going to go over story elements, but I also need it
on paper in front of them because thats how those kids learn. And then Im going to do
a chart paper because I know those four work through getting it read to them orally and
talking it out in group work, and then they need a concrete instruction page on their desk.
So even though its on the board the same - You know, all of that? Just leading them into
it. So sometimes it takes a long time to prep the lesson to make sure its successful for all
the kids in the class. And then it just seems so easy but its not (laughs).
Anandi knows how to design lessons and assignments with diverse abilities in mind and
regularly offers a range of options through which students can demonstrate the same skill. An
example of this is the presentation assignment students did on their individual novels. There
were a wide range of options through which students could display their understanding of
characters and themes in their novels. They produced artwork, a film, games, and even a rap
about their novel. These examples demonstrate some of the ways in which Anandi understands
her students and knows how to shape the learning activities to challenge them and
simultaneously meet their needs.
Making Multiliteracies Connections: How Anandi Learned.
Anandi developed her practice through personal and professional experiences which
emphasized learning in community. She stresses the importance of mentors in the development
of her practice, citing in particular the influence of the woman who was her first department
head. She says:
30
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
31/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
What I think is lacking in the system today is they dont have as much mentorship. I had
a phenomenal English head. I came to this school its interesting I came to this
school twenty years ago and I left three times and I always came back here. I still
remember she always said, Teach to your strengths. That was her motto: teach to your
strengths and lead by example. And I always remember that, you know. She was really
inspirational. She wrote books. Im still friends with her I mean, she could be my
mother but shes one of my closest friends, and shes amazing. She loved literature. Im
constantly reading, and she did the same thing. And she inspired kids even to the day
when she retired; kids loved her classes. I mean its like a show, right? You are a
performer. If you make Shakespeare exciting and relate it to them, theyre going to want
to come and show up. So she was a real role model, really helped me understand how to
teach. Because I dont think they do that [at faculties of education]. I mean here you are,
youve been at university for four years. So youve readParadise Lostand done all this
kind of stuff. But how are you going to get kids motivated? How are you going to teach
them how to read and write, especially if theyre having difficulties or issues around that?
That was my big thing.
Anandi explains how her mentor, wouldnt tell you what to do, but she would give you advice
and coach you in a positive way. Clearly, Anandi began teaching in an environment where she
was inspired and supported by a senior teacher who saw that English education was more than
teaching literature it was about engaging students interest in reading and writing. She learned
her big thing about how to engage students through multiliteracies because she had found a
role model who encouraged her inquiry and supported her efforts in the beginning years of her
career.
31
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
32/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Anandi describes how positive her relationship with her former department head was and
is. Another intimate relationship that influenced the way in which she learned to teach was with
her mother, who was a special education teacher in the secondary panel. She describes how her
mothers interest in literacy, and more importantly in people, influenced the development of
these same strengths in her teaching. She says:
I have a mother that was in the system and she was also a literacy teacher. Amazing
teacher - very warm and kind; many people know her. And she was a great example I
think of how to be with people, and how you act in different situations. I mean I have
students that knock on my door and bring my family cookies they know my kids. And
I think its that whole pay it forward thing you do something and then they shift. I do
think that. It sounds touchy feely, but I do think it works I think just growing up, and
seeing her. And she had students would come and shed have parties for students in the
back yard, and all that kind of thing. She was just like - you know you give back. She
just did it, so you just learned Although, I think every kid in the family is like that.
Thats part of it. And I think thats my strength.
Anandi observed her mother in her role as teacher while she grew up, and she learned that
teaching was about building relationships with and among students. This indirect, lifelong
mentorship has shaped a substantial and important part of her teaching self-identity as a person
who creates community and guides students with compassion.
Relationships such as the ones discussed above played an important role in how Anandi
learned to develop her teaching practice. Experience also played an important part in the
development of her craft. She explains that the combined experiences of teaching ESL early in
her career in addition to a trip to Korea to teach in an elementary school really helped her to
32
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
33/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
learn how to simultaneously challenge students with a range of abilities in the English classroom.
She says:
I was hired [in the Greater Toronto Area] as an English and ESL teacher, and I did the
ESL transition classes which were the higher grades that were studying texts, but English
wasnt their first language. And I also taught a bit of English. I did that for about the
first nine years. And what I found there was it really taught me how to promote literacy
and to teach literacy and I think it made me a better English teacher. Then I went into
full-time teaching English. In my eleventh year I went to Korea, and taught in an
International school for two years. I actually taught elementary grade 5. I taught a grade
five homeroom but they were with the ESL students and so it was really promoting
literacy again. And that experience in the elementary sector actually developed me as a
teacher and an English teacher by understanding how we teach students and how we
should promote literacy, and how to make them better readers and effective learners.
And then I came back to Canada and I went back to teaching English as well as
leadership programs within my school which is a school that really needs to promote
literacy in all areas.
The experiences of teaching ESL and teaching elementary students taught Anandi how to break
learning tasks into manageable chunks for students. It also taught her how to cope with students
varying needs, helping her to develop a differentiated approach to instruction, whereby she
develops lessons and learning activities that are geared to students of multiple levels.
While she has learned extensively from mentors and from teaching experiences, Anandi
also places importance on what students have taught her about teaching. Positive experiences
with students have taught her to respect their knowledge about themselves. Through such
33
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
34/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
experiences she has learned to listen to students carefully and to glean from them how they learn
best, incorporating this knowledge into her classroom. She tells the story of a career highlight
where she facilitated a group of students who taught a workshop to teachers on a professional
activity day. She says:
One of the highlights I had here was working with students in my eighth or ninth year,
and working with the equity office, having students trained in developing equity
workshops for teachers and administration. We trained students; we took them away to a
camp. Ive done this many times, but this one was really important because what it did
was they presented to teachers about effective equity practices through literacy in their
classrooms. We talked about media in the classrooms, and they led these workshops. So
it was about media, about the visual perspective of your classroom, all of that. So we
worked on that and they presented it, and teachers actually started changing based on
these student practices. We also trained kids and they did anti-homophobia workshops
and went in with grade nines, and if teachers didnt feel comfortable we went in. There
were a lot of different things. And one of the key focuses was diversity as well. And not
just their backgrounds, but looking at socio-economic paths, that kind of thing. So kids
really understood it and were able to deliver those programmes, and the equity office was
quite impressed. And then we actually wrote it up and we were one of the finalists to go
to California and speak, but of course (laughs) we didnt have the money, so we didnt
go. But I think that was a highlight, not because of me, it had nothing to do with me, but
seeing that how quickly (snaps fingers) and easily (snaps fingers) kids can absorb and
understand this stuff if they are presented with the different tools and different styles of
how to approach things.
34
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
35/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Anandi has learned through the experience of treating students with respect and dignity to let
them speak for themselves. She sees herself, outside and inside the classroom, as a facilitator,
whose job it is to give students the tools they need to reveal their understandings and to learn
together. Through these positive experiences with students in which she listened to their voices,
Anandi has become adept at hearing and reading students in her classroom, which helps her
conduct the complex task of facilitating learning in a multiliteracies environment.
Reflecting on the Creation: Why Anandi Sought a Multiliteracies Practice.
Anandi stresses that one of the driving forces behind her teaching practice is her
commitment to equity, which is an important principle underlying multiliteracies curricula. This
commitment is rooted in her experience and her personal identity. Anandi says,
I came from a mixed background: my fathers Indian, my mothers Welsh. And I grew
up in Etobicoke and the school I went to wasnt diverse at all. I was always not I think
it had a lot to do with it I never felt a part of anything, masking my background, or that
kind of thing. I was born in the 60s, and in the 70s and 80s people werent really
mixed. So I think that awareness, you know thats my first focus is to make kids feel
comfortable, because I know theyll be successful. Because I saw it a lot with students
that were like me that were...Sometimes it was difficult when you were mixed back then
because you didnt feel like you fit in, so you were always trying to think of ways to or to
mask it. Thats stressful and it affects your academics Im sure it affected my
academics. It was interesting, when I moved from elementary school I was a 99 student,
and then when I went to high school my marks dropped. It was more because I was
stressed all the time about all these kinds of issues.
35
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
36/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Anandis self-identity as a mixed race student and person has made her very sensitive to the
diversity of the student body she teaches, and has made her embrace equity and social-justice
issues in her teaching. She knows from her personal experience that identity affects learning and
performance in school, so as a teacher, she has made it part of her teaching identity to teach for
diversity.
Anandis struggles as a child from a mixed race background formed her love of English
and have inspired her teaching. She explains that she became a teacher to pass on her love of
literature, and that the childrens literature course which she now teaches was in part inspired by
memories from childhood. She says,
I had a very strict upbringing and honestly reading was my escape and it saved me. I
didnt have a great relationship with my father. I grew up in a very strict South Asian
household even though I was a mixed child and I was dealing with all those issues. And
back in the 60s and 70s it was very different. Its not like here where there are a lot of
multi-race families and that kind of stuff. So it was really a struggle and a struggle I
think with my parents as a first couple dealing with it. My dad wanted to hold on to his
ideals through his kids. So at home we had a really strict upbringing, and to read for me
was just like this escape you name it I read it from National Geographic to everything
in the house. I was one of those kids. And I would go to other peoples houses as a kid,
Id come over for a play date and Id read their books. My girlfriends would be like,
What are you doing? Its a sleepover and theres me reading a book in the corner. So I
think part of that is because of that whole sense of what you can do through literature and
English. And I think thats why about ten years ago a colleague and I developed this
36
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
37/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
childrens literature course. And that whole memory of what, you know how they enjoy
it. And what they love about it.
Anandis self-identity has imbued a sense of purpose into her teaching. She knows from
personal experience that literature and literacy can open up doors of opportunity and pleasure for
students. She believes the excitement that a child who loves to read experiences is something
many students can relate to and experience in a well designed course. Her childhood identity as
has influenced her teacher identity: she is a teacher who loves literature and who wants to
include as many students as possible in that appreciation. Her identity as a voracious reader
combined with her early identity as someone who struggled to fit in has motivated Anandis
professional development over time. Because she is committed to equity and to sharing the
pleasure and power which she gained from her own early literacy, Anandi has been driven to
continually find and improve teaching methods that engage her multicultural, multilingual
student body throughout her career.
Implications for Teacher Development in Multiliteracies Classrooms
This inquiry into the knowledge and identities of two secondary English teachers who
employ a multiliteracies approach has implications for the field of teacher development, despite
its small scale. The interaction between identity and the development of professional knowledge
is an important consideration that is frequently overlooked, especially in studies of experienced
teachers. The influence of identity on the direction of teacher learning, which was identified
within my narrative and Anandis are indications that more research needs to be conducted in
this area with the purpose of considering the role that teacher identity plays in the development
of multiliteracies teaching practices in secondary English, and how identity might be harnessed
to support professional development in this direction. In her self study of teaching secondary
37
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
38/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
English in an urban context, Skerrett (2008) explores the role her biography and identity played
in the four years she taught at the high school level. She describes the difficulties she faced as a
Caribbean-born immigrant integrating into mainstream American schools and makes
recommendations for change within preservice and inservice professional development
programmes that include addressing sociocultural influences on teaching and learning and in
designing culturally responsive curricula. (153) She suggests that including formalized
curriculum in these areas for teachers would help sensitize them to the often hegemonic views
and practices of white middle-class culture that dominate mainstream education in America.
While exposure to such curricula is likely beneficial in both American and Canadian contexts, it
is unclear whether this will be enough to provide teachers with the knowledge and skill to teach
in more culturally sensitive and engaging ways. As a person who was exposed to case studies
that explored the roles of race and class in my preservice teacher education, I recognize that this
curriculum did little to prepare me for the practicalities of teaching students with diverse needs,
abilities and interests. What motivated me to learn to teach differently than I was taught by my
teachers was my perceived failure at the beginning of my Canandian teaching career. My
recognition that I was inadequately teaching my students in combination with my need to
identify as a good teacher drove me to seek out and develop new strategies over a period of
eight years. This same motivation of identity is what feeds my ongoing professional learning.
Anandis ongoing experiences of success through students successes develops her self-efficacy
and identity as a teacher who actively promotes literacy and social-justice, and which drives her
to continue to refine her instructional methods and teaching materials. The implication for
teacher development is that teachers need to begin considering their teaching identities early in
their careers and to recognize how identity and values affect the direction of professional
38
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
39/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
learning over time. Providing time for experienced English teachers to reflect on how their
personal identities are reflected in their teaching practice at professional development inservice
or through professional learning communities may be an important development that will
promote the further acceptance and integration of mulitliteracies approaches in secondary
English.
39
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
40/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
References
Agee, J. (2000). What is effective literature instruction? A study of experienced high schoolEnglish teachers in differing grade- and ability-level classes. Journal of Literacy
Research (32)3, 303-348.
Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning.
Educational Psychologist, 28(2), 117-148.
Bean, T.W., & Moni, K. (2003). Developing students critical literacy: Exploring identity
construction in young adult fiction. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (46)8, 638-
648.
Beattie, M. (1995). Constructing professional knowledge in teaching: A narrative of change and
development. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Beattie, M. (1997a). Collaboration in the construction of professional knowledge: Findinganswers in your own reality. In H. Christiansen, I. Goulet, C. Krentz & M. Maeers (Eds.),
Recreating relationships: Collaboration and educational reform. Albany: SUNY Press.
Beattie, M. (1997b). Fostering reflective practice in teacher education: Inquiry as a framework
for the construction of a professional knowledge in teaching. Asia-Pacific Journal of
Teacher Education & Development, 25(2).
Beattie, M. (2001). The art of learning to teach: Pre-service teacher narratives. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Beattie, M. (2004). Narratives in the making: Teaching and learning at Corktown Community
High School. University of Toronto Press.
Beattie, M., Dobson, D., Thornton, G., & Hegge, L. (2007). Interacting narratives: Creating and
recreating the self.International Journal of Lifelong Learning, 26(2), 119-141.
Beattie, M., & Hegge, L. (2008, March). Interacting narratives: Transforming personal practical
knowledge through chosen narratives of self-development. Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Beattie, M., Thornton, G., Dobson, D., & Hegge, L. (2005). Intentionally seeking spirit: A work
in progress.Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 2(2), 102-106.
Ben-Peretz, M. (1995). Foreward and Memory of events and the practice of teaching. In
Memory and the teachers account of teaching, (pp. 7-21) New York: SUNY Press.
Chubbuck, S.M., Clift, R.T., Allard, J., & Quinlan, J. (2001). Playing it safe as a novice teacher:
Implications for programs for new teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(5), 365-
376.
40
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
41/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Clandinin, J. & Connelly, M. (1994). Personal experience methods. In N.K Denzin & Y.S.
Lincoln (Eds.),Handbook of qualitative research. (pp. 413-427), Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (1996). Teachers' professional knowledge landscapes:Teacher stories. Stories of teachers. School stories. Stories of schools.Educational
Researcher, 25(3), 24-30.
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000).Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in
qualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Conle, C. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Research tool and medium for professional development.European Journal of Teacher Education 23(1), 49-63.
Conle, C. (2001). The rationality of narrative inquiry in research and professional development.
European Journal of Teacher Education 24(1), 21-33.
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1988). Teachers as curriculum planners: Narratives ofexperience. New York: Teachers' College Press.
Connelly, F.M. & Clandinin, D.J., & He, M.F., (1997). Teachers personal practical knowledgeon the professional knowledge landscape. Teaching and Teacher Education 13(7), 665-
674.
Craig, C. (1995). Safe places in the professional knowledge landscape: Knowledgecommunities. In D.J. Clandinin & F.M. Connelly (Eds.) Teachers professional
knowledge landscapes. (pp. 137-141), New York: Teachers College Press.
Craig, C.J. (2000). Stories of schools/teacher stories: A two-part invention on the walls theme.
Curriculum Inquiry 30(1), 11-41.
Craig, C.J. (2001). The relationship between and among teachers narrative knowledge,
communities of knowing, and school reform: A case of the monkeys paw.
Curriculum Inquiry, 31(3), 304-331.
Craig, C.J. (2004). Shifting boundaries on the professional knowledge landscape: When teacher
communications become less safe. Curriculum Inquiry, 34(4), 395-424.
Crites, S. (1971). The narrative quality of experience. Journal of American Academy of
Religion, 39(3), 291-311.
Crites, S. (1986). Storytime: Recollecting the past and projecting the future. In T.R. Sarbin
(Ed.)Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduction. (pp. 152-173),Westport, CT: Praeger.
41
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
42/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Cummins, J. (2006). Multiliteracies and equity: How do Canadian schools measure up?
Education Canada, 46(2)
Day, C., Kington, A., Stobart, G., & Sammons, P. (2006). The personal and professional selves
of teachers: Stable and unstable identities. British Educational Research Journal, 32(4),
601-616.
Denzin, N., & Lincon, Y. (2005) Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative
research. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincon (Eds.)Handbook of qualitative research( 3rd ed.).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Elbaz-Luwisch, F. (2002). Writing as inquiry: Storying the teaching self in writing workshops.Curriculum Inquiry, 32(4), 403-428.
Elbaz-Luwisch, F. (2004). Immigrant teachers: stories of self and place.International Journal of
Qualitative Studies in Education, 17(3), 387-414.
Eng, B. C. (2005).Exploring teacher knowledge through personal narratives: Experiences of
identity, culture, and sense of belonging. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, University ofToronto, Toronto.
Gadamer, H.G. (2006). Language and understanding. Theory, Culture & Society, 23(1), 1327.(Original work published 1970).
Hamilton, M.L., Smith, L., & Worthington, K., (2008). Fitting the methodology with the
research: An exploration of narrative, self-study and auto-ethnography. StudyingTeacher Education 4(1), 17-28.
Hosseini, K. (2003). The kite runner. Toronto, ON: Doubleday.
Kitchen, J. (2005b). Relational teacher development: A quest for meaning in the garden of
teacher experience, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ontario Institute for Studies inEducation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
Kelchtermans, G. (2005). Teachers emotions in educational reforms: Self-understanding,
vulnerable commitment and micropolitical literacy. Teaching and Teacher Education,21(8), 995-1006.
Kooy, M. (2006). Telling stories in book clubs: Women teachers and professional development.New York: Springer.
LaBoskey, V.K. (2004). The methodology of self-study and its theoretical underpinnings. In J.J.Loughran, M.L. Hamilton, V.K. LaBoskey, & T. Russell (Eds.), International handbook
of self-study of teaching practices (pp.817-869). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer
Academic Publishers.
42
-
7/27/2019 1874-3346-1-PB
43/43
Identity and Knowledge in a Multiliteracies Classroom
Langer, J.A. (2001). Beating the odds: Teaching middle and high school students to read and
write well.American Educational Research Journal (38)4, 837-880.
Lee, Elizabeth A (2002). Adolescent literacy: current status.English Quarterly, 34(3/4), 75-80.
Retrieved November 2, 2008, from CBCA Education database. (Document
ID: 528587441).
Linden, H., Mechanic, B., Sandell, M., Selick, H., & Zoumas, M. (Producers) & Selick, H.
(Director), (2009). Coraline [Motion picture]. U.S.A.: Focus Features.
Miller, J. P., & Seller, W. (1990). Curriculum perspectives and practice. Toronto, ON: Copp
Clark & Pitman.
Olson, M.R., & Craig, C.J. (2001).Opportunities and challenges in the development of teachersknowledge: the development of narrative authority through knowledge communities.
Teaching and Teacher Education 17, 667684.
Olson, M.R., & Craig, C.J. (2005). Uncovering cover stories: Tensions and entailments in the
development of teacher knowledge. Curriculum Inquiry, 35(2), 162-182.
Ontario Ministry of Education (2007a). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10: English.
(Rev. ed.) Queens Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education (2007b). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12: English.
(Rev. ed.) Queens Printer for Ontario.
Skerrett, A. (2008). Biography, identity and inquiry: The making of teacher, teacher educator
and researcher. Studying Teacher Education, 4(2), 143-156.
Varghese, M., Morgan, B., Johnston, B., & Johnson, K.A. (2005). Theorizing language teacher
identity: Three perspectives and beyond. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education,
4(1) 21-44.
Veenman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers.Review of Educational
Research, 54, 143178.
Vygotsky, L. (1986). Thought and language. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Wells, G. (1995). Language and the inquiry-oriented curriculum. Curriculum Inquiry, 25(3),233-269.
43