Break out

Break out
I've been reading something different. It's called 'Teacher identity discourses: negotiating personal and professional spaces.' - that's right, it's got all my favourite concepts all in one title (identity, discourse, space)! Alsup's book looks at the narratives of identity constructed by 6 pre-service teachers in the US. She traces the discourses against which these emerging professional identities are played out, looking at discourses of tension, embodiment, networks (friends and family) and what she calls 'borderland discourses'. Some of her research techniques, such as students assignments involving role-play, visual metaphors and identity discourse mapping are fascinating. Amongst other things she argues that teacher educators should involve trainees in overt exploration of professional identity issues. Not a particularly demanding read, but nonetheless very interesting and carefully grounded in theory and first hand experience.