Faculty of Education - Theses

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Subject: Multicultural education × Subject: Study and teaching ×

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    Orphan in the Pacific : a drama teacher's lived experience
    Wales, Prudence Ellen ( 1999)
    This is a qualitative study of the lived experience of a drama teacher over a six-year period as she journeys from neophyte to experienced teacher. The study examines how an individual experiences the phenomenon of teaching drama and explores how teaching interconnects the private and professional lives of the drama educator. As the teacher-researcher I collected and analysed data from my own practice in order to reflect on my teacher life history. This study aims to establish what it means to be a drama educator and define the 'good' drama teacher. The research was conducted in three education settings. It is presented in the narrative style of the 'hero's journey' outlined by Vogler. The autobiographical narrative constructed from the various participants' voices reveals how the context of the settings in which the events took place impacted upon the teacher's life story. The study illuminates the multiple roles played by the drama teacher in her personal and professional lives. It provides an understanding of the needs of the beginning and experienced drama educator; and the importance of teacher life histories to make sense of the drama teacher's working life.
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    Clash of cultures: mainstream teachers' working knowledge and English as a Second Language (ESL) pedagogy
    Arkoudis, Sophia ( 1995)
    Within the international and Australian ESL field there has been a growing emphasis placed on mainstream teachers catering more effectively for the ESL students in their classes. This thesis is an ethnographic case study of the development of two mainstream teachers' working knowledge in ESL. It explores the strategies and skills that the two mainstream teachers adapt into their teaching after attending a ten week professional development course titled 'ESL in the Mainstream'. This was done through classroom observations, interviews and critiques of the teachers' planning, implementation and reflection of lessons observed. The study revealed that the practice of tapping students' already existing knowledge and language bases is not commonly utilised with students traditionally perceived as deficient. This research further suggests that mainstream teachers of working-class and LOTE background students may view them as lacking the necessary cultural capital, and therefore impose content and behavioural standards with little consideration and respect for student input. ESL teachers responsible for professional development need to understand the encultured pedagogical beliefs of mainstream teachers in order to assist them to reconsider what are complex personal and professional issues in the foundation of their own teaching.