Understanding Experience Through Critical Reflection and Expression
Abstract
Autoethnography represents an opportunity for researchers to locate themselves in the data and interpretation of noteworthy impressions. The specific context that serves as the focus of the autoethnographic study under discussion is multifaceted as it includes my role as a teacher educator and as a researcher. The journal logbooks collected during both an intensive research project with Indigenous teachers and while teaching an undergraduate course to prospective teachers are the data of this systemic analysis of my thoughts as I understand the richness of my experiences in teaching and research. Since autoethnography can also include poetry as a means of self-expression, I share my critical reflection through poetry. The examination of the patterns emerging throughout the reflection logs reveals my intellectual and social engagement in the conversations with Indigenous educators and undergraduate students over the span of an academic semester. I note the exchange of concepts related to teaching, learning, schools, and schooling that on some occasions develop into novel ideas, and at other times become competing representations of learning and research. The patterns in the data underscore the social, cultural, and epistemic complexities of publicly funded classrooms, as they do Indigenous research and ways of knowing. The poetry that represents the discussion of this study points to the critical exploration of my perceptions and beliefs as they exist across varied cultural experiences.
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Authors
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