What Our Stories Teach Us

Praise for What Our Stories Teach Us

“In her new book What Our Stories Teach Us, Linda Shadiow invites college faculty to use their personal and professional stories to reflect more critically and meaningfully on their teaching practice. Guiding her readers with a gentle but sure hand, Shadiow painstakingly shows that by systematically examining our educational and pedagogical biographies from a range of perspectives, we gain deeper insight into the pivotal moments that enliven our teaching and sustain our commitment to ongoing professional growth. I expect to be learning from this humane book for many years to come.”
—STEPHEN PRESKILL, Distinguished Professor of Civic Engagement and Leadership, Wagner College

“Essential reading for every educator who strives to be a better teacher. Shadiow’s book offers us a fascinating process to mine our personal teaching and learning stories for the valuable lessons they contain.”
—JIM SIBLEY, Centre for Instructional Support, University of British Columbia

“In this well-conceived and well-written book, Linda Shadiow gently guides faculty along a path toward unearthing the rich stories of their lives that offer deep and enduring insight into their practice.”
—DANNELLE D. STEVENS, professor and author, Journal Keeping: How to Use Reflective Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight, and Positive Change

Preface vii

Acknowledgments xv

About the Author xix

1. Storied Contexts 3

2. Living Stories 25

3. Storied Accounts 45

4. Seeking Patterns 65

5. Exploring Patterns 85

6. Locating Assumptions 103

7. Exploring Paradigmatic Assumptions 125

8. Storied Teaching 149

References 171

Index 179

LINDA K. SHADIOW is a professor of educational foundations and director of the Faculty Development Program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

What Our Stories Teach Us

FACULTY PURSUING A DEEPER understanding of their teaching have long used critical reflection as a means to do so, but it is not always clear how to convert general insights into specific practices and teaching techniques that will ultimately improve student learning.

What Our Stories Teach Us enables faculty to deeply and systematically examine their teaching experiences, stories, and choices to gain real insight into what these experiences can teach them. In the book, Linda Shadiow invites faculty to engage in a three-stage process. First, she encourages faculty to recall stories from their own educational biographies. Next, Shadiow demonstrates how to view these stories as critical incidents instead of mere reminiscences. Finally, she introduces an approach faculty can use to analyze and then interpret these stories for the benefit of renewal and professional growth in teaching.

It is not likely that faculty have looked at a collection of their experiences to see where details offer dissonance or resonance, nor that they have considered linking threads in a repertoire of stories to understand how they have developed as college teachers. By doing so, faculty can see how personal touchstones suggest ways to proceed in their teaching practices. Moving beyond telling stories to gaining an understanding of those stories can be even more satisfying and ultimately have more impact in classrooms, especially when confidence in teaching may wax and wane over many years of service.

What Our Stories Teach Us seeks to build on the heart of curiosity, wonder, and commitment that faculty bring to their profession.

Praise for What Our Stories Teach Us

“In her new book What Our Stories Teach Us, Linda Shadiow invites college faculty to use their personal and professional stories to reflect more critically and meaningfully on their teaching practice. Guiding her readers with a gentle but sure hand, Shadiow painstakingly shows that by systematically examining our educational and pedagogical biographies from a range of perspectives, we gain deeper insight into the pivotal moments that enliven our teaching and sustain our commitment to ongoing professional growth. I expect to be learning from this humane book for many years to come.”
—STEPHEN PRESKILL, Distinguished Professor of Civic Engagement and Leadership, Wagner College

“Essential reading for every educator who strives to be a better teacher. Shadiow’s book offers us a fascinating process to mine our personal teaching and learning stories for the valuable lessons they contain.”
—JIM SIBLEY, Centre for Instructional Support, University of British Columbia

“In this well-conceived and well-written book, Linda Shadiow gently guides faculty along a path toward unearthing the rich stories of their lives that offer deep and enduring insight into their practice.”
—DANNELLE D. STEVENS, professor and author, Journal Keeping: How to Use Reflective Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight, and Positive Change