Dialogue, Inquiry, Changing Roles, and the Dialogical Self

Abstract

This chapter draws upon Dialogical Self theory and Bakhtin’s theory of language to highlight the importance of dialogue, inquiry, and collaboration in teacher education courses. Teacher preparation is considered against the backdrop of contemporary U.S. school reforms, which favor standardized instructional practices and curriculum directives that grind against student-centered philosophies of teaching. Data from a qualitative study of problem-posing seminars in a graduate English Education program are used to illuminate the contributions that Dialogical Self theory can make to the field of teacher education. The study indexes the ways that scaffolded, collaborative dialogue can support teacher candidates’ formation of professional identities by creating conditions for novice teachers to explore the multiple I-positions they occupy as they make the transition from student to teacher. By examining the struggles, negotiations, and exchanges that occur as teacher candidates work to support one another during their student teaching experiences, this chapter discusses how Dialogical Self theory can inform teacher educators and inspire revisions to education methods courses.