Educational Reflections

  In 2004, I began teaching. I was handed a textbook and told I was ready to teach. I taught as I was taught. I asked students to reflect how my class influenced them or not. One of students said “you talk too much” and others agreed. I learned that simply lecturing was not conducive for my primarily Chicano students. Students seemed disinterested and lacked agency when selecting topics saying, “I’m bored.” Slowly I learned what learning outcomes were and to vary my instructional strategies. I’ve learned to seek my students’ feedback and reflect on my practices.

  I interviewed five faculty as a focus group on their understanding and use of culturally responsive teaching. It was inspiring to hear why they teach at a Hispanic Serving Institution. One Chicano faculty who grew up in the neighborhood said, “It’s about empowering our community” and another said “I see students that are like me.” When I asked for examples of practice, one participant said, “I try to affirm students as much as I can in letting them know they’re important” and another said, “I want them to feel like they belong in this classroom and can do the work.” I am inspired to perform narrative inquiry as it reveals teachers experiences that few other methods can uncover.

  Who are teachers? Who determines what can be taught? Why do we allow Western thought to answer these questions? Must students be the intended audience of instruction? What should be conveyed to student? And who determines what should be shared with students? Can ordinary people disseminate knowledge and philosophy? Can the person sharing personal knowledge and wisdom teach? Can their words decolonize our thought and practice? Rather than propagating dominant structures, deconstruct them Can they draw attention to the horrors caused by colonialism? Rather than preparing future subjects to participate in dominant systems We observe dominant structures that have generated extreme wealth for some At the expense of poverty for the many We are programmed through schools to be good workers to serve the system Can representatives of the Global South create epistemological skepticism? Emancipation will not happen overnight but through generations Can they...

  What is the purpose of my educational research? To produce better outcomes for students Why would I select qualitative research? Rather than employing quantitative research I want to empower the voices of participants through their words I don’t want to distance myself from research participants I don’t want to forget the social interactions with participants I will understand those standards of research but not permit imposition What can we agree on as scholars so I can learn from my peers and faculty? What is our account of practice so we can generate new ways of knowing? What philosophical and theoretical traditions support communities of practice? How can I strengthen my case for readers believing my research inquiry? Research question designs can be infinitely exhausting to ponder How will I respectfully access research settings and research participants? How will I select participants to collect data? There is no authoritative account of standa...