'Making learning valuable' : transforming my practice through a service-learning partnership in central Gippsland

The transformation of teacher educator practice and the implications for practitioner research for a Federation University Gippsland Education (FUGuE) academic are explored in this chapter. It centres on a 'service-learning' partnership that endeavours to reduce inequality by engaging local pre-service teachers and promoting quality education at the primary and tertiary level, which is a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to which I respond. This study explores my transformational journey from being involved in such partnership opportunities. Prompted by the particulars of place-in this case, some community needs in central Gippsland-and a school-based service-learning partnership with a philanthropic organisation, I consider how my pedagogy, practice and opportunities for research have been enriched. Using a self-study methodology, I analyse how the project aligned with the six elements of Fink's Significant Learning Framework to provide a detailed description of the learning, the critical nature of academic reflection and the impact on personal growth in relation to my involvement. In addition, my practice is examined by collecting anecdotal data from Pre-service Teachers (PSTs) indicating how they connected theory with practical application. To gain nuanced insights around the impact on the learning of PSTs and the author, the self-study utilised research methods such as recording conversations, critical reflection and anecdotal observations. This collection of data was analysed for emerging themes structured around the theoretical framework. The chapter shares my insights as indicated by the transformation of practice as a reflective practitioner and researcher. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019. All rights are reserved

Employing Self-Study Research to Confront Childhood Sexual Abuse and Its Consequences for Self, Others, and Communities

This chapter discusses the, as yet largely unrealized, potential of self-study research to demystify the taboo of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), as well as other forms of exploitation and abuse. We share how we each have endeavored to include instruction about CSA in our work with preservice teachers and to study the implications of our instruction for ourselves and students. Our work is situated within the tenets of social justice and advocacy that have long traditions in self-study. Across our careers as teacher educators, we have consciously worked to hold ourselves to ideals of social justice. We see our focus on CSA as an attempt to confront an injustice that has historically been silenced but has devastating consequences for individuals, families, and communities across all socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, races, and cultures. Likewise, we strive to prepare teachers who will advocate for students who have experienced CSA or other trauma. While this chapter focuses primarily on our efforts to teach about and study our practice surrounding CSA, it has the potential to inform teaching and scholarship in teacher education dedicated to many other difficult/taboo topics (i.e., mental health, homelessness, suicide)

New Literacies and Technology: Keeping Current in a Writing Methods Course

Understandings of reading and writing in digital environments have been referred to as new literacies. Digital technologies, as they pertain to writing, do not just support writing, but change what we write, the ways we write, and who we are writing to. These changes, and what they mean for effective P-12 teaching and learning, have important implications for literacy teacher educators and teacher education programs. With these issues in mind, we embarked on a collaborative self-study focused on examining what we were doing about technology in our K-8 writing methods courses. We were curious about how this had changed over the last 9 years. Findings from this inquiry revealed that some changes evolved over time, while others blossomed quickly. Changes clustered around two categories – written products and writing processes--and how these affected our knowledge and teaching practices. Additionally, our vulnerabilities as writing teacher educators in the face of rapidly changing technology came through in this inquiry. Implications for teacher educators are discussed