ABSTRACT

Teachers’ perceptions of their own professional identity affect their efficacy and professional development, as well as their ability and willingness to cope with educational change and implement innovations in their own teaching practice. Despite this, few opportunities are provided that engage teachers in developing an understanding of their professional selves. In this paper, we present two cases of using research-based theatre as a way to understand and develop teachers’ sense of professional identity. A performative inquiry yields insights into the influences on teachers’ professional identities. Engaging in identity work through a teacher’s craft can result in shifts in perspective that positively impact future practice. We conclude that drama teachers ‘practicing what they preach’ by engaging in embodied reflections enhances agency and autonomy. Our findings demonstrate the benefits to all teachers engaging in embodied reflective work to better understand their own professional identities and harness their professional potential.

摘要

教师对自己专业身份的理解会影响他们的效能和专业发展，以及他们应对教育变革和在自己的教学实践中实施创新的能力和意愿。尽管如此，几乎没有机会让教师参与发展对自己专业的理解。在本文中，我们介绍了两个案例，这些案例使用研究型戏剧来理解和发展教师的职业认同感。表演性探究可以洞察对教师专业身份的影响。通过教师的手艺从事身份识别工作可能会导致观念转变，从而对未来的实践产生积极影响。我们得出的结论是，戏剧教师通过参与具体的思考来“实践他们的讲道”可以增强代理和自主权。我们的发现表明，所有从事具体反思工作的教师都将从中受益，以更好地了解自己的专业身份并发挥他们的专业潜力。