Making Space for the Imagination: Observations for Tutors Engaged in Self-Study
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| Title: | Making Space for the Imagination: Observations for Tutors Engaged in Self-Study |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Burchell, Helen |
| Source: | Studying Teacher Education. May 2008 4(1):77-91. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2008 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Imagination, Teacher Educators, Teacher Role, Educational Philosophy, Research Methodology, Teacher Student Relationship, Experienced Teachers, Graduate Students, Learning Processes, Teaching Methods, Participatory Research, Teacher Education Programs, Foreign Countries, Creative Thinking |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| DOI: | 10.1080/17425960801976370 |
| ISSN: | 1742-5964 |
| Abstract: | This article explores how supervisors of teachers preparing dissertations can create a space for the imagination in the tutorial setting. The imagination is seen as "opening up to possibility," where the student is taking a step into the unknown. The article discusses how the tutor can best support this, taking the theme of "holding the space for the student's learning." I consider how the development of a methodological stance that draws on existential and phenomenological perspectives supports inquiry into this aspect of the tutor role. An example of a tutorial is used to discuss this methodological approach, and to highlight key dimensions of the tutor's imaginative capacity in holding this space. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 22 |
| Entry Date: | 2008 |
| Accession Number: | EJ811868 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwEv0-0FmoL-2Cn8UhcGPe0fAAAA4jCB3wYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHRMIHOAgEAMIHIBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDFpGAwnuDP4_GuICZwIBEICBmjdf49PlQXL09CM-dXrPifYAFn5eH2bhzHc_Tq8AI4GA8rcFxB5SsWQPFUZH82yXhsZXCduskumo9c5kg9AygNkwOG38XCJInCNYIW9VunzD8t1_SBCmd5OWDYZUNCOa735ZIdvxpEixeFWrLcjrkDjRfo93BOjeF8K0lSZWP7TiEFizdc2r75YMvIlk2JiEazzsq4-cL4DEhyA= Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0031373133;v1m01may.08;2019Mar20.13:19;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0031373133-1">Making Space for the Imagination: Observations for tutors engaged in self-study. </title> <p>This article explores how supervisors of teachers preparing dissertations can create a space for the imagination in the tutorial setting. The imagination is seen as "opening up to possibility," where the student is taking a step into the unknown. The article discusses how the tutor can best support this, taking the theme of "holding the space for the student's learning." I consider how the development of a methodological stance that draws on existential and phenomenological perspectives supports inquiry into this aspect of the tutor role. An example of a tutorial is used to discuss this methodological approach, and to highlight key dimensions of the tutor's imaginative capacity in holding this space.</p> <p>Keywords: imagination; phenomenology; existential perspective</p> <p>Seven years ago, when interviewed about my role as a supervisor of teachers preparing dissertations, I stated that I saw myself providing support for someone who is embarking on a largely unknown journey</p> <p>... into something they're [teachers] really motivated to find out about and they'll spend more time reflecting on than ever before. It's an in-depth inquiry that neither I nor they know the outcomes of personally or professionally ... I see myself as holding the space in which someone learns.</p> <p>The phrase "holding the space in which someone learns" is the touchstone for the development of this study. In finding out what I meant by the phrase, I came to understand more clearly the place of the imagination in learning and in teaching. I also came to understand the importance of finding a way to research this aspect of my teaching, to begin to discover a methodology for studying the place of the imagination in my role as a tutor.</p> <p>This article focuses on the nature of my teaching self, one of the levels of self-study identified by Loughran ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref1">16</reflink>]) in his overview of methodology. The importance of this focus has been discussed in various contexts (e.g., Austin &amp; Senese, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref2">1</reflink>]; Loughran, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref3">15</reflink>]); the particular emphasis given here is on imaginative capacity as a dimension of the tutor's self. Within the developing methodology of self-study, this study explores a re-conceptualization of teaching to include this imaginative capacity, in so doing extending the methodological basis for work in this field.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-2">Initial Considerations: Teaching, inquiry and methodology</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0031373133-3">Developing the Key Theme in My Teaching Context</hd> <p>Much of my work is with teachers preparing dissertations on Masters or Doctoral programmes. When I think about the way I work with these teachers, I am particularly interested in one aspect of the student's learning; the question of why they have chosen a given focus for their studies at this point in time. My students are experienced teachers who have a wealth of insights in their fields of practice. These insights form a fertile ground for the development of their dissertation studies and for the identification of issues with which they have a strong personal engagement. I shall refer to such issues as the "core" of their inquiry, which is fuelled by the energy attached to this personal engagement. I am aware that students, when they identify and work with a topic that has great significance for them, will require emotional as well as intellectual engagement. But I believe it requires more than that, it also demands they work with the imagination in a particular way. By working with the imagination students are exploring normative definitions in their areas of inquiry and learning how to step outside the boundaries of traditional research to create alternative perspectives.</p> <p>The imagination is central to learning because it is a place of opening up to possibility. How well do we understand this process as tutors and teacher educators? The main purpose of this study is to explore something of the nature of this "opening up to possibility," in order to develop our understanding of the implications for the tutor role. I suggest that we look carefully at how we interact with students, in ways that take into account the less visible aspects of teaching and learning encounters. The article is concerned with understanding the place of imagination in learning and teaching (Gitlin, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref4">11</reflink>]; Greene, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref5">13</reflink>]) and of the role the "core" of the inquiry plays as a basis from which to develop the imagination (Conle, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref6">5</reflink>]; Garman &amp; Piantanida, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref7">10</reflink>]).</p> <p>Gitlin ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref8">11</reflink>], p. 17) discusses the place of the imagination in the search for a deep politic, referring to a "human potential–to see anew in ways that are not totally saturated with the known ... that links inquiry, imagination and movement toward a deep politic." This is a process in which normative categories are open to redefinition. For the student, how is such a link between imagination and inquiry to be developed and supported? It is interesting to consider what counts as "the known," both in terms of the topic of the inquiry and in terms of how the student envisages the research approach. How one opens up to the possibility of an "unknown" perspective on the world, is a theme within Greene's ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref9">13</reflink>]) exploration of the ways in which the imagination can lead to breakthroughs in our vision of the world, enabling us to see and create the unexpected.</p> <p>In their discussion of inquiries by doctoral students, Conle ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref10">5</reflink>]) and Garman and Piantanida ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref11">10</reflink>]) echo the ideas of Gitlin and Greene concerning the link between the imagination and inquiry. The work of Conle ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref12">5</reflink>]) in exploring the importance of a "tacit telos" in her own doctoral self-study shows the significance of the personally chosen focus for a student's inquiry. From the perspectives of both tutors and doctoral students, Garman, Piantanida and their students explore what it means to develop the "authority to imagine" (Garman &amp; Piantanida, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref13">10</reflink>], p. 10). The nature of the resources needed to develop this authority, and in particular the tutor's role in supporting the student and working with this space for possibility, are important areas for consideration.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-4">The Nature of My Inquiry into Practice</hd> <p>My interest in the key theme of "holding the space in which someone learns," and the development of understanding of the place of the imagination in tutoring, evolved over a number of years. Initially, I focused on supervision of students preparing dissertations using journal accounts of practice. In this first phase, I focused on particular teaching strategies, such as questioning or listening, and monitored how they worked in tutorials. Later, I developed other ways of inquiring into practice. For example, I drew on anecdotes about my experience of supervision, translating these into "little stories." These allowed me to see the value base and my personal engagement with tutoring more clearly than in the journal accounts, a form of professional learning discussed in Burchell and Dyson ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref14">3</reflink>]).</p> <p>There was also a group-based inquiry strand. For a period of a year, I led an action research project involving a group of supervisors inquiring into their practice (see Burchell &amp; Dyson, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref15">4</reflink>]). The framework for this project involved a series of interviews with each supervisor, including myself, accompanied by group meetings over the year. It was in an interview at the beginning of this year that I made the comment about "holding the space in which someone learns." Over time, I found I became interested in aspects of the tutorials other than the tutoring strategies on which I had initially focused. I came to understand the importance of my role in supporting the student engaging with the capacity and willingness to imagine.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-5">The Contribution of an Existential, Phenomenological Perspective in Self-Study</hd> <p>As the inquiry developed, I saw that there were aspects of my tutoring practice I could not describe in familiar ways. To explore these aspects further I needed to acknowledge that my interest was really on my way of <emph>being</emph> with students. I needed to draw upon an existentialist perspective and, in parallel, I came to understand the importance of phenomenology as a way of researching experience.</p> <p>The work of Feldman ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref16">8</reflink>], p. 236) in articulating an existential approach to action research reminds us that "the teacher is more than the rational knower and reasoner in the classroom, and that almost everything that occurs in the teaching situation is affected by the teacher's past and present, presence, moods and gestures, expectations, intentions." This distinction between the "rational knower and reasoner" and the other elements in the teaching situation mirrored the distinction in my inquiry between the early and later phases. In the former, I was interested in the aspects of practice that I could knowingly change and develop, such as specific teaching strategies; in the latter, the less visible aspects of my teaching became important. Feldman ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref17">7</reflink>], p. 757) develops a model of teaching, which draws on teacher knowledge, teacher reasoning and sociocultural perspectives to develop "a conception of teacher expertise that envisions good teaching as wise practice." This conception includes recognition of teaching as a "way of being," including "teacher dispositions, interests, fears and visions" (p.764).</p> <p>I was interested in inquiring into how expectations, intentions, and dispositions are manifested as a "way of being" in the tutoring role. As I developed my exploration of how to make space for the imagination, I saw that I was indeed trying to understand something of my way of being in the tutorial setting<bold>.</bold> Greene's ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref18">13</reflink>], p. 53) account of "presentness" on the part of the teacher reminded me of the importance of the pre-reflective dimension of human experience. The hermeneutic-phenomenological approach to researching lived experience articulated by van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref19">20</reflink>]) provided valuable pointers for the development of a theoretical and methodological framework for the later stage of the inquiry. Using supervision as an example, Ladkin ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref20">14</reflink>]) discusses the way in which action researchers might attend to and create accounts of their experiences from a phenomenological perspective. The work of these writers serves to inform the development of a methodology for inquiring into the place of the imagination in tutoring.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-6">From Tutoring "strategies" to "holding the space"</hd> <p>If teacher educators exclusively focus on teaching strategies, we risk not taking into consideration how we work with the student's developing imagination. We need to draw on our own imaginative capacity by examining how we look for and attend to the possibilities that are immanent in a tutorial. Consider, for example, a supervision tutorial with a teacher preparing a Masters-level dissertation. The teacher brings to the tutorial an early draft of a paper exploring her research design. She raises questions about how to develop her design further; for example, she questions the number of participants to interview and how to handle ethical issues. Perhaps from this brief sketch you can create a picture of the tutorial space; tutor and student questioning, listening, commenting, and reflecting. What can I offer as guidance? Shall I focus on how to conduct the interviews the student plans to carry out? Shall I focus on how to discuss issues of confidentiality or anonymity with those involved? In terms of my tutoring strategies, what can I attend to in this space? Shall I attend to which questions to ask and how to ask them? How tentatively or firmly should I offer suggestions for ways forward for the student?</p> <p>These and other similar questions that may come to mind are the more visible elements of such a tutorial on which to reflect. They focus on tutoring "strategies" that can be envisaged as isolated, although inter-related, actions on the part of the tutor. These actions are available for detailed examination through being named in the ways referred to above. Another way of looking at the tutorial space is to consider that the tutor's role is to attend to the student's use of the imagination by exploring and moving beyond what Gitlin ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref21">11</reflink>]) has termed "normative categories"–be they in the substantive field of study or in the research traditions drawn upon. To do this, it may be necessary to counter any tendency to emphasize procedure-based discussions around how to carry out research within an established tradition. My attention as a tutor may lie as much with things unsaid, as with those questions, comments and texts presented more explicitly by the student.</p> <p>In my own experience as a Ph.D. student, I remember being led to reflect on what counts as research. Coming from a background of qualitative approaches, I found myself encouraged to develop ways of communicating my interest in what and how to research through stories, poems, and amusing dialogues. I had not engaged in this kind of writing before, and I recall questioning whether this really counted as research. It was a revelation that these forms of writing and ways of making meaning had a place. I began to see myself differently as a practitioner-researcher, as I reconsidered normative definitions about what counted as research. If not for this experience, I might well not have taken on board that the core of my own inquiry concerned developing a methodology for researching the place of the imagination in teaching. At the same time, however, I suggest that the role of imagination may not be discussed if the supervisory relationship is not conducive to exploration of these sorts of possibilities.</p> <p>The role of the tutor I am exploring here has to do with the willingness and ability to work with the student to imagine an undefined possibility. What then is the nature of the imagination in this context, and how might the student be called upon to work with it? Warnock ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref22">21</reflink>], pp. 207–208) discusses two ways in which the imagination works:</p> <p>At an everyday level we must use imagination to apply concepts to things. This is the way we render the world familiar, and therefore manageable. At a different level, and sporadically, we may use it to render our experience unfamiliar and mysterious. If, below the level of consciousness, our imagination is at work tidying up the chaos of sense experience, at a different level it may, as it were, untidy it again. It may suggest that there are vast unexplored areas, huge spaces of which we may get only an occasional awe-inspiring glimpse, questions raised by experience about whose answers we can only with hesitation speculate.</p> <p>It is the second of these two ways of working with the imagination that is particularly relevant. I am interested in how I can help create the context in which the student's sense of what is possible is enhanced – not necessarily the "occasional awe-inspiring glimpse," but the ongoing examination of the boundaries of what is deemed possible.</p> <p>Greene ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref23">13</reflink>], p. 51) explores the potential for "transformative pedagogies" and reminds us that such pedagogies "must relate to both existing conditions and to something we are trying to bring into being, something that goes beyond a present situation." The dialectical relation identified here is important. In the tutorial referred to at the beginning of this section, the existing conditions might be seen as the student and tutor prior experience and understanding of research methodologies, and the discourses around them; and of institutional values, expectations and constraints concerning the accepted boundaries of what is deemed possible in this field. Greene sees such existing conditions as "a certain <emph>weight</emph> in the lived situation" and that "we achieve freedom through confrontation with and partial surpassing of such weight or determinacy" (p. 52). This is a task that engages both tutor and student, for which both will need to draw on a range of personal resources.</p> <p>Gitlin ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref24">11</reflink>], p. 16) suggests that "...it is through aesthetics, and imagination in particular, that we are able to see the way everyday images saturate our body, mind and soul at the same time as we can envision alternatives to those images." For the student, working with the imagination does not mean just creating the <emph>idea</emph> of a possible world in terms of, for example, an alternative form of practice in the chosen field. He or she is also working with an emotional connection to this possible world, reflected in the high level of personal engagement with the inquiry, and will consequently need to be prepared to explore how the "body, mind and soul" have become saturated by these everyday images. The importance of this emotional connection is noted by a number of writers discussing the personal dimension of inquiry or research. Conle ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref25">5</reflink>]), for example, writes of the "tacit telos" that draws one to continue to work with a theme within one's research, whose personal significance may only be fully recognized when one looks back at the narratives created at different points. When Conle and two colleagues reflected on their self-study as doctoral students (Conle, Louden, Mildon, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref26">6</reflink>], p. 189) they stated</p> <p>...we each consistently voiced certain wishes or goals that promised an endpoint for our inquiry. They created a certain urgency. We felt that if we just continued our conversations, we would reach an insight that would be a form of resolution to the various issues that concerned us. The resolution was not named at the time. We recognized the nature of our telos only later....</p> <p>It is important to mark both the sense of urgency and the recognition that the doctoral students were unable to name what they are drawn to. Students who are opening up to possibility may be in a similar position. The important question for their supervisors concerns how best to hold the space for the students to find their resolution while continuing to draw their attention to this area of possibility, however undefined it may be. We may view this as students moving from the known to the unknown, in that the resolution will confirm for them what it is that they sought to understand.</p> <p>Garman and Piantanida ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref27">10</reflink>]), together with their doctoral students, portray the ways in which each student develops an approach to research and writing their dissertation that is right for them at that time and place. In her account of the process of imagining an interpretive dissertation, Garman ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref28">9</reflink>], p. 10) describes the link with the imagination:</p> <p> <emph>Authoring</emph> a dissertation means that one takes the responsibility for a conceptual imperative –that is, the responsibility to undertake significant research activities and create an epistemologically rigorous and convincing representation of the results.... In releasing the imagination, however, authors are challenged to find internal as well as external resources to be assured they are "on the right track." In other words, authors must work to claim the authority to imagine.</p> <p>As Garman suggests, for a student to work with the imagination in this way may require significant personal resources. The step from the known to the unknown is not a straightforward one. It requires a new identity or sense of self. In his discussion of an existential perspective on teaching, Feldman ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref29">8</reflink>]) refers to the ways in which we may block ourselves from drawing on the imagination to step into these alternative and new possibilities. To develop a new way of being, a new sense of identity and self as a teacher, a student undertaking some form of research into their own practice will need to do more than engage in an intellectual process of imagining something otherwise.</p> <p>If these "awe-inspiring glimpses" are to have some chance of surfacing, then it is important to develop the capacity to let go of current attachments to the ways things are done, or should be done. Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref30">2</reflink>]) give a useful example when they tell the story of how they had left the classic theoretical text they had been using at an earlier stage in their research out overnight, only to find it was rain-sodden the next morning. This became for them a symbol of letting go of the known to acknowledge their own understanding and interpretation of their data. Stories of students finding their own paths, reacting against or letting go ways of working that others had developed, are illustrated in Garman and Piantanida ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref31">10</reflink>]).</p> <p>If the student is to be supported in developing the imaginative capacity in the way I have discussed, there are important questions for the tutor to consider: How do I attune to what the student might open up to in this space? How can I help the student see and engage with it? Alongside recognition of the importance of the student engaging with the imagination, there is the need to explore how the tutor develops the imaginative capacity needed to hold the space.</p> <p>One of the issues here is the ability to recognize the core of the inquiry as it develops, so that it can become a focus in the tutorial setting. In this respect, I am asking a similar question to the one Wilcox ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref32">22</reflink>]) asks as an educational developer engaged in a self-study; namely, what learning is possible in a given context? In her self-study, Wilcox ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref33">22</reflink>], p. 71) refers to the educational developer as working in "spaces of possibility" where, "There is a tension between the situatedness of teaching problems and the human capacity for transcending boundaries, that is, the ability to step outside frames and re-imagine. This tension creates an opening where development can take place."</p> <p>In describing how she works in this space, Wilcox ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref34">22</reflink>], p. 71) claims that the role of the educational developer is someone who "acts as witness to the need for approaching situations from an educational perspective." By extension, she suggests, "The presence of an educator is important to any learner, because that educator serves as witness to the need for learning" (pp. 74–75). The idea of bearing witness through one's presence resonates strongly with my theme of holding the space. These are aspects of practice that are not easy to monitor in the way one might a particular teaching strategy such as, for example, the way one questions students. The methodological stance for engaging in self-study in this area rests primarily on an existential, phenomenological basis for understanding my experience as a tutor.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-7">Understanding the Tutor's Experience: Developing a methodological stance</hd> <p>In order to develop my understanding of tutoring, I needed a stronger idea of the nature of what I was studying. I recognized this most clearly when, at one point, I attempted to write an account of what happened over the year of the group project, using journal notes and transcripts from my interviews. These notes and transcripts did not record changes in tutoring strategies to any significant degree, yet I sensed that development had taken place. I concluded that the way I had written these notes and accounts had not allowed for me to reveal changes in orientation, attunement, and predisposition.</p> <p>It may be helpful to return at this point to the example of a tutorial described in the previous section. To explore the difference between "tutoring strategy" and "holding the space," I draw on Feldman's discussion of three varieties of wisdom in the practice of teachers: wisdom of practice, deliberative wisdom and wisdom-in-practice. The first is seen as "knowledge in the form of propositional statements that are derived from practice"; the second as "the ability to step out of practice and to reflect on what has occurred to make defensible decisions about what to do"; and the third "comes about through one's own being and others in situations" (Feldman, 1997, p. 769). In the example, if what I chose to do was informed by my previous experience and my understanding derived from that experience (wisdom of practice) my tutoring strategies would be derived from what I thought "worked" in such settings. I might have developed some questions that I typically asked students at this point in their research, or have some specific guidance that I gave regarding how to develop an interviewing strategy. I might also reflect on what was happening and make choices about which question or comment to make based on my reading of the situation (deliberative wisdom). In this mode, I would attend to what seemed most appropriate in the situation, drawing on my experience to help me interpret possible future actions.</p> <p>The variety of wisdom most relevant to the position I am exploring in this article is wisdom-in-practice, in particular Feldman's use of this concept in relation to a "way of being perspective" on teaching. This implies a focus on who I am as a teacher and how I bring my teacher self into play when working with a student. Van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref35">19</reflink>], pp. 45–46) identifies a similar territory with reference to epistemologies of practice, suggesting</p> <p>...they locate practical knowledge not primarily in the intellect or the head but rather in the existential situation in which the person finds himself or herself. In other words, the practical active knowledge that animates teaching is something that belongs phenomenologically more closely to the whole embodied being of the person as well as to the social and physical world in which this person lives.</p> <p>Van Manen goes on to develop the idea of practical knowledge as non-cognitive, non-discursive confidence, which is embodied and moody in nature. Viewing practice in this way emphasizes the tacit dimensions that are not easy for an experienced teacher to articulate. Its embodiedness, and the fact that it can be felt as a quality or mood in the teaching and learning context, draws attention to the teacher's way of being as key in understanding their practice.</p> <p>In his discussion of existential approaches to action research, Feldman ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref36">8</reflink>], p. 237) refers to two ways in which teaching may be seen as an intentional activity. One acknowledges the intentions made manifest in our decisions and choices. The other refers to the range of "intentional states" (Searle, 1984, as cited in Feldman, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref37">8</reflink>], p. 238) as part of what we mean by self, including, for example, "beliefs, desires, hopes, fears." For teaching to be an intentional activity in both these senses, Feldman argues that the teacher "must attend to the situation" (p. 237). Consideration of these ideas provides a basis from which to develop an approach to inquiry that focuses on a way of being. It suggests a need to understand both a tutor's more explicit intentions and those beliefs and desires that provide an orientation within practice. The former will affect choices and decisions; the latter will help clarify what the tutor is likely to attend to in interactions with students.</p> <p>In his discussion of the embodied and moody nature of practical knowledge, van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref38">19</reflink>], p. 47) states</p> <p>...our pedagogical practice expresses itself as an active understanding of how we find ourselves here as teachers with certain intentions, feelings, passions, inclinations, attitudes, and preoccupations. And yet this active understanding is not necessarily reflective or even articulable in a direct conceptual manner.</p> <p>This raises an important issue for the development of a methodology to explore the imaginative capacity in teaching and learning. It leads us to consider forms of inquiry that can bring to the surface this active understanding, making it visible to ourselves in the process. Once visible, an active understanding may be worked with consciously and reflectively and open to critical appraisal.</p> <p>Greene ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref39">13</reflink>], p. 53) makes a similar point when she highlights the importance of understanding a pre-reflective dimension to consciousness:</p> <p>The prereflective ... becomes the launching place of rationality. And, indeed, our presentness to ourselves depends to a large degree upon our capacity to remain in touch with the perceived world in its completeness and openness, to <emph>think</emph> that world while also keeping our consciousness open to the common culture our ideas cannot but express.</p> <p>From this perspective, Greene presents a question and potential challenge to the tutor, concerning how we recognize and work with this pre-reflective dimension. For Greene, as for van Manen, there is recognition of the importance of a phenomenological perspective in inquiry.</p> <p>In setting out the main features of the methodological structure of hermeneutic phenomenological research, van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref40">20</reflink>]) identifies two that have particular relevance in the development of a methodological stance for this inquiry. These are "investigating experience as we live it rather than as we conceptualize it" and "reflecting on the essential themes which characterize the phenomenon" (van Manen, p. 30). The first of these is developed into a discussion of a range of ways in which we may seek to access this lived experience. Those approaches closest to my inquiry include the "lived experience description" and "the experiential anecdote" (van Manen, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref41">20</reflink>], pp. 54–74). The latter relates to the "little stories" that I have discussed elsewhere (Burchell &amp; Dyson, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref42">3</reflink>]), working with ways of surfacing tacit understanding as a basis for reflection (Schön, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref43">17</reflink>]). In this paper, I discuss how I developed a form of non-discursive writing that enabled me to "recollect" something of the quality of my way of being. As with the other ways of accessing lived experience discussed by van Manen, there is no procedure which the researcher is expected to follow. The key is the researcher's ability to develop such a phenomenological description which is as true as possible to the experience.</p> <p>The second methodological feature of the research concerns how we seek to understand the essence of the phenomenon that interests us through phenomenological reflection. In her discussion of the relationship between phenomenology and action research, Ladkin ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref44">14</reflink>], p. 119) provides a particular perspective on the importance of "bracketing" as a reference to "the phenomenological aspiration of 'putting aside' one's preconceptions, expectations, or culturally determined interpretations in order to discover the 'essence' of a phenomenon." The process she refers to has particular relevance for my inquiry, as she illustrates this with reference to a supervisory encounter:</p> <p>They [action researchers] might attend to: how the student reacts bodily during the meeting; the tone of voices used as information is exchanged; hesitancies; or times when excitement is expressed. They might pay particular attention to their own 'in the moment' bodily reactions, or note thoughts they might otherwise judge as superfluous. Most importantly, they pay attention to the noticing itself, attempting to 'catch' how perceptions arise in the immediate experience. (Ladkin, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref45">14</reflink>], p. 120)</p> <p>Paying attention to noticing begs the question of how we record the perceptions we "catch." Here the concept of phenomenological reflection, as developed by van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref46">20</reflink>], p. 10), is helpful: "A person cannot reflect on lived experience when living through the experience.... Thus phenomenological reflection is not <emph>introspective</emph> but <emph>retrospective</emph>. Reflection on lived experience is always recollective; it is reflection on experience that is already passed or lived through."</p> <p>The tutor who seeks to notice in this way will need to engage in retrospective reflection. Through various forms of lived experience description, the work of deepening understanding of the phenomenon can begin. Part of this work involves a hermeneutic reading of such description, rather than what we might more traditionally think of as an analysis.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-8">Understanding "holding the space"</hd> <p>The phrase "holding the space" provided a way of expressing deep-seated values and intentions for my practice. It represented a space in which there was potential for the student to find, confirm, and articulate a way forward in their research that held greatest meaning for them at this point. I draw on the example of one tutorial to show how I developed my understanding of this phenomenon and its relationship to making space for the imagination. Throughout the later stage of the inquiry, I drew on journal records, anecdote-based "little stories," and various forms of non-discursive writing to identify five inter-related key dimensions of the capacity to hold the space. I list these here as a snapshot of the outcome of the inquiry process, in order to provide a guide for the reader in the discussion later in this section.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-9">Dimension 1 (D1): Willingness to pay attention in a particular way</hd> <p>Paying attention to what is happening in terms of the tutor's emotional reactions and bodily awareness is as important as engaging cognitively with the ideas put forward by the tutor and student in the tutorial setting. It is also important to recognize the relationship between attention and intention, in that developing an intention to hold the space requires the tutor to attend to what is happening in each of the other four dimensions.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-10">Dimension 2 (D2): Development of intention</hd> <p>The intention is that of searching for and sustaining emergent possibilities for engaging with the imagination, both on the part of the tutor and student. This intention may be seen to operate at two levels: the more conscious choice-making aspect as well as the orientation arising from one's more deep-seated, personal beliefs and values.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-11">Dimension 3 (D3): Cultivation of a stillness of thought, feeling and action</hd> <p>In order to pay attention and exercise an intention in the ways referred to above, the tutor needs to develop an awareness of the importance of stillness, the ability to recognize one's thoughts, feelings and actions, and to see how they are likely to affect the interaction with the student. This may involve holding back from offering ideas so that the student has the space to develop their own way forward.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-12">Dimension 4 (D4): Recognition of pre-understandings</hd> <p>Pre-understandings influence interpretations of what is going on, and their recognition allows the tutor more choice in how to make these interpretations. Tutors may hold pre-understandings around what a tutorial is (and is not), how students in general are to be viewed, or of how a particular student is to be seen.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-13">Dimension 5 (D5): The ability to let go</hd> <p>If a tutor holds too strong an identification with what should happen in the tutorial, or what would be a desirable outcome from the tutorial, it may be more difficult for the imaginative capacity of both tutor and student to develop. Letting go those aspects of oneself that may enhance this identification can help free up the space: tutor fears, desires, and beliefs may inhibit the loosening of such identifications with how things should be.</p> <p>In exploring how these dimensions may become visible through examining practice, and to show the distinctive contribution of the hermeneutic phenomenological approach discussed above, I recount making the shift from a traditional observation record to a description of lived experience. In so doing, I return to the distinction made earlier between a focus on what is happening in a tutorial and the way of being of the tutor.</p> <p>I studied my role in tutorials in two ways–an observation record and a lived experience description. On one occasion a colleague observed me leading a group tutorial as part of my university's peer-observation arrangements. I took advantage of the fact that my colleague had provided a structured account of the session as a basis for reflecting on practice. The nature of the observer record was not discussed in advance; my colleague chose to take her notes in the form of a description of the session and her comments. The session involved two students' brief presentations about their inquiries into practice, and my aim was to keep the focus of the discussion throughout on what we meant by development of practice, supported by inquiry. In the brief extracts from the record of the session below, the observer's description is accompanied by her comments in brackets; statements are numbered for ease of reference in the discussion that follows.</p> <p> <emph>Extract 1</emph> </p> <p>1. <emph>Helen:</emph> Reminds group of focus: What does change in practice look like? Recalls examples from previous session (including one from a student). Says it could be <emph>doing</emph> something different, or <emph>understanding</emph> something differently.</p> <p>(Observer note: focus question, recall, engaging everyone.)</p> <ulist> <item>2. <emph>Student presents</emph>: Uses notes to talk to group – but mainly to Helen.</item> <item>3. <emph>Helen:</emph> Helen making notes.</item> </ulist> <p>(Observer note: Helen is listening.)</p> <ulist> <item>4. <emph>Helen:</emph> What would you like help on?</item> <item>5. <emph>Another student contributes</emph>.</item> <item>6. <emph>Helen:</emph> Picks up on student's issue with <emph>process</emph> (of inquiry). Draws diagram to explain student's dilemma–way of dealing with messiness. Links to another student's previous experience.</item> </ulist> <p>(Observer note: represent ideas in a different way–drawing.)</p> <p>(Observer note: students not contributing verbally–still learning?)</p> <p> <emph>Extract 2</emph> </p> <ulist> <item>7. <emph>Second student presents inquiry.</emph></item> <item>8. <emph>Helen:</emph> Takes notes. Body language–sits back, then forward to engage.</item> </ulist> <p>(Observer note: listening, modeling (?), good opportunity for students to talk in small groups, interesting to learn about students' practice.)</p> <p>(Observer note: Students have taken control of the session and readily give ideas/feedback/argue/present differences of opinion.)</p> <p>9. <emph>Helen:</emph> Summarizes where we are, draws threads together. Says should look at it in terms of practitioner research.</p> <p>Picks up interesting question: Can we improve only if others want us to?</p> <p>(Observer note: Questions are coming up in my mind. Students are giving ideas.)</p> <p>10. <emph>Helen:</emph> Acknowledges. Summarizes. Then gives way to others–signaling their contributions/opinions are important.</p> <p>Refers to ideas about development of practice. Asks student to give examples. In what ways do you want your practice to develop? How would you get there? Asks for others to pick out ideas for development of practice.</p> <p>I can identify certain features of the interaction that have a bearing on the key dimensions of holding the space. I was primarily paying attention to the theme of practice-based research (D1), responding to student questions concerning how to carry out their small-scale inquiries into practice (comments 1, 9, 10). My intention to search for emergent possibilities (D2) is reflected to some extent in the questions I ask, particularly in the second extract (comments 9, 10). Pre-understandings frame the interpretations within the tutorial (D4) largely in terms of student progress on development of their inquiries (comments 1, 4, 6). My ability to let go (D5) is reflected to some extent in the fact I steer away from giving direct answers to questions raised.</p> <p>I recognized that this kind of analysis would not allow me to reveal the mood of the session. I could identify in the account a series of tutoring strategies, such as questioning, note taking, listening, representing ideas, supporting a student, and encouraging student contributions. Reflecting on any of these was a possibility, but I realized there would be something missing if I sought to reveal the essence of holding the space. I recognized that that I could not understand the session in terms of my way of being through a commentary. A commentary would not reveal the embodied thoughtfulness or mood referred to by van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref47">19</reflink>]), or presentness described by Greene ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref48">13</reflink>]).</p> <p>This realization led me to the second way of studying my role. One way of displaying this way of being is to write in a non-discursive way. Non-discursive writing has the potential to reveal something of the intention and attention referred to by Feldman ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref49">8</reflink>]). If intention is very significant in creating my way of being in a tutorial, how do I bring such intentional energy forth? I suggest it is not possible to capture this in ways we might commonly expect to describe aspects of our teaching. The shifting and ephemeral quality of intention and attention in this context demand a different form of expression. It was the comment of an artist that provided a way forward. Gooding ([<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref50">12</reflink>]) refers to how the artist Gillian Ayres described her work in an exhibition catalogue. The distinctive nature of Ayres' contribution was that she described her way of painting not through the "syntax of discursive utterance" (Gooding, p. 69), but through a non-discursive way:</p> <p>A mark with a brush, on a chosen area of canvas — primed with G.P. undercoat — dry or wet with turps-, with color — point — consistency — size — weight (tone).</p> <p>A shape — a relationship — a body — oddness — shock — mood — cramped — isolated — acid — sweet — encroaching — pivoting — fading — bruised....</p> <p>Recalling this example, I wrote about my lived experience of the group tutorial in the following non-discursive text:</p> <p>A question ... a focus ... for me, for them ... held firmly, loosely ... firm with intent ... loose with opportunity ... calm unknowingness ... knowledge under the surface ... intention with intensity, insistence even ... then letting go ... ideas, questions, comments wash over me – some are more visible ... a searching for the fundamental issue....</p> <p>The following questions are raised from a perspective of phenomenological reflection. How does such writing relate to lived experience? How do I work with such writing to develop meaning in relation to the phenomenon being studied? In particular, how do I bring it into connection with my espoused interest in understanding "holding the space" and the key dimensions of this?</p> <p>I suggest an answer to the first question resides in my attempt to re-live the tutorial by bringing to the surface some of the thoughts that I believed I held at the time. As van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref51">20</reflink>]) says, one cannot return to the experience to write from it directly, for the experience is already past. Instead, as Ladkin ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref52">14</reflink>]) suggests, one can try to notice what is happening by bracketing preconceptions and assumptions about what is taking place. For me, this meant recognizing that these preconceptions and assumptions might focus my attention more on tutoring strategies than on the quality or mood of the space in which the tutorial took place. Such noticing is, of course, not neutral, in the sense that developing an oriented stance towards the phenomenon being researched (van Manen, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref53">20</reflink>], p. 33) requires that researchers be researching something in which they have a strong interest. In my case, the noticing was of what I could recollect of my way of being when holding the space.</p> <p>In response to the question regarding how to work with such writing, van Manen ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref54">20</reflink>]) suggests what is appropriate is a hermeneutic reading; a way of displaying the nature of the phenomenon the writing seeks to represent. Since for me this has been named, although not fully understood, by the use of the phrase "holding the space," I can now work with such a non-discursive text to highlight some of the dimensions of the space by providing such a reading. In so doing, I make a link again with the five dimensions referred to earlier in this section.</p> <p>From the perspectives of attention (D1) and intention (D2), the first two dimensions, I am attending to what the student is saying <emph>and</emph> using a more general hovering attention. I am waiting for something to come up that I can connect to my intention, which is to look for the issue that is of most significance for the student, the core area I describe as "opening up to possibility." Here intention refers to the more conscious choice-making aspect referred to by Feldman ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref55">8</reflink>]), as well as the associated paying attention. There is also, however, an element of revealing beliefs and desires, the intentional states referred to by Feldman, since the non-discursive text can be read as showing what I <emph>wanted</emph> to happen, and how I attended to what might be immanent in the interaction with students. I rely on my understanding of how to balance security and risk (for the student) in satisfactorily completing the dissertation, and hold the assumption that he or she does indeed want to find a core of possibility in the inquiry. I recognize the value of both dimensions of intention. In any tutorial there is much that I could comment on–perhaps in some detail–concerning the nature of the student's inquiry or practice, but what I am interested in is what I am calling the core, the place of engagement with possibility. In terms of the theme of "holding the space," the key issues concern how the qualities of intention and attention, which I have described, contribute to its creation.</p> <p>Paying attention to what is happening in the here and now (D1) implies more than a cognitive understanding; it requires attention to emotion and bodily feeling. It has to do with the idea of presentness (Greene, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref56">13</reflink>]), where the emphasis is on the pre-reflective dimension of experience. From this perspective, I can attend to the interaction in the tutorial through my thoughts about a student and their progress with an inquiry, or about my role as a tutor. My attention is recognized in my bodily state and feelings. I am also seeking a further dimension of attention by intentionally attending to something in a particular way, to the emergent possibilities in the interaction.</p> <p>The "calm unknowingness" and "knowledge under the surface" that I recollect and display in the writing rest on a security of knowing how to draw on my expertise to support students' inquiries. "Knowledge under the surface" implies a reservoir of experience of research methods and of supporting students in preparing dissertations: "calm unknowingness" reflects acceptance of working in the spaces of possibility. These features of my way of being represent moving into the space of stillness of thought, feeling and action within my teaching, reflecting the third dimension (D3) of "holding."</p> <p>There is a parallel here with van Manen's ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref57">18</reflink>], p. 177) development of the concept of pedagogical tact, where he discusses silence as "...not just marked by the absence of speech. Rather, it is the silence of patiently waiting, being there, while sustaining an expectant, open, and trusting atmosphere." It is a way of representing Wilcox's idea of bearing witness to the learning of others (Wilcox, [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref58">22</reflink>]). Hence developing both wisdom of practice and deliberative wisdom (Feldman, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref59">7</reflink>]) have a place in supporting holding the space. Without the experience of using a range of teaching strategies, and reflecting on their value in specific tutoring contexts, such knowledge would not be available to me, and I would probably be much less confident in my interactions with students.</p> <p>In terms of the fourth dimension and the place of pre-understandings in my interaction with students (D4), I am working with the dialectic described by Greene ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref60">13</reflink>], p. 52): "a tension between the reflective and material dimensions of lived situations." The material dimension is represented by the pre-understandings that I bring to the session, around assumptions of how students should develop their inquiries. The reflective dimension is manifest in openness to new perspectives. What matters is that I am able to work with the issues raised by students within the parameters of the known and I am able to explore the potential for stepping outside these boundaries.</p> <p>The balance between "looseness of opportunity" and "firmness of intent" reflects my wish to let go a strong identification with what should happen, as in the fifth dimension (D5), but also to stay with the focus on the core of the inquiry–"a searching for the fundamental issue." It is in this space that I can best support the student in discovering and working with their "tacit telos" (Conle, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref61">5</reflink>]), and moving away from "images that saturate" (Gitlin, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref62">11</reflink>]). Reflecting on these latter two dimensions, I recognize the need to withhold ideas arising from my own agenda, and interests that are not strongly linked to the student's developing understanding.</p> <p>Working with each of these dimensions is a challenge to the tutor. However, the development of a clearer understanding of these dimensions of holding the space, through, for example, a phenomenological reflection on a tutorial as discussed here, also provides a basis for a fuller consideration of practice. The emphasis on exploring a way of being is central to the theme of "making space for the imagination," and such challenges are a vital part of any inquiry in this context.</p> <hd id="AN0031373133-14">A Contribution to the Field of Self-Study</hd> <p>This article explored two inter-related themes of importance in the development of the field of self-study–the significance of making space for the imagination in teaching and learning and the value of an existential, hermeneutic-phenomenological approach to inquiry. In the exploration of the first theme, I have taken the phrase "holding the space for the student's learning" as a starting point for unraveling how an imaginative capacity is important for both student and tutor. The second theme arises from the need to develop a way of understanding this imaginative capacity when it is part of the embodied, practical knowledge of the tutor.</p> <p>The development of a methodological stance for exploration of this imaginative capacity is important because it leads us to examine the distinction between viewing teaching in terms of strategies and in terms of a way of being. It thereby enables us to begin to work more consciously with another layer in our experience. Central to the imaginative capacity is how tutors and students "open up to possibility." Five key dimensions of the tutor's capacity to hold the space have been shown to relate to the tutor's way of being in the tutorial setting. These dimensions highlight the importance of considering how we attend to what is happening, and how we bring forth our intentions for what we would wish to happen. They remind us of the significance of the pre-understandings we bring to any teaching situation, and how these shape our interpretations. They draw attention to the work we have to do as tutors in letting go those thoughts, feelings and actions that may preclude our seeing and working with the space for possibility. By showing how I came to understand these dimensions in my own practice, I have tried to provide insights that will encourage others to consider their practice in a similar light and thereby come to understand how a tutor might create a space for opening up to possibility.</p> <ref id="AN0031373133-15"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref2" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Austin, T. and Senese, J.2004. "Self-study in school teaching: Teachers' perspectives". In International handbook of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices, Edited by: Loughran, J.J., Hamilton, M.L., LaBoskey, V.K. and Russell, T.1231–1258. 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London: Falmer Press.</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Helen Burchell</p> <p>Reported by Author</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref19"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref20"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref22"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref32"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref35"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref43"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref50"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref57"></nolink> |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ811868 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Making Space for the Imagination: Observations for Tutors Engaged in Self-Study – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Burchell%2C+Helen%22">Burchell, Helen</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Studying+Teacher+Education%22"><i>Studying Teacher Education</i></searchLink>. May 2008 4(1):77-91. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 15 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2008 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Imagination%22">Imagination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Educators%22">Teacher Educators</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Role%22">Teacher Role</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Philosophy%22">Educational Philosophy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+Methodology%22">Research Methodology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Student+Relationship%22">Teacher Student Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experienced+Teachers%22">Experienced Teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graduate+Students%22">Graduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+Processes%22">Learning Processes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+Methods%22">Teaching Methods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Participatory+Research%22">Participatory Research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Education+Programs%22">Teacher Education Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Creative+Thinking%22">Creative Thinking</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1080/17425960801976370 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 1742-5964 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This article explores how supervisors of teachers preparing dissertations can create a space for the imagination in the tutorial setting. The imagination is seen as "opening up to possibility," where the student is taking a step into the unknown. The article discusses how the tutor can best support this, taking the theme of "holding the space for the student's learning." I consider how the development of a methodological stance that draws on existential and phenomenological perspectives supports inquiry into this aspect of the tutor role. An example of a tutorial is used to discuss this methodological approach, and to highlight key dimensions of the tutor's imaginative capacity in holding this space. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: Ref Label: Number of References Group: RefInfo Data: 22 – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2008 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ811868 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ811868 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1080/17425960801976370 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 77 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Imagination Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Educators Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Role Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Philosophy Type: general – SubjectFull: Research Methodology Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Student Relationship Type: general – SubjectFull: Experienced Teachers Type: general – SubjectFull: Graduate Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Learning Processes Type: general – SubjectFull: Teaching Methods Type: general – SubjectFull: Participatory Research Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Education Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Creative Thinking Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Making Space for the Imagination: Observations for Tutors Engaged in Self-Study Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Burchell, Helen IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Type: published Y: 2008 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1742-5964 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 4 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Studying Teacher Education Type: main |
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