What Our Stories Teach Us: A Guide to Critical Reflection for College Faculty

Praise for What Our Stories Teach Us "In her new book What Our Stories Teach Us , Linda Shadiow invites college faculty to use their personal and professional stories to reflect more critically and meaningfully on their teaching practice. Guiding her readers with a gentle but sure hand, Shadiow painstakingly shows that by systematically examining our educational and pedagogical biographies from a range of perspectives, we gain deeper insight into the pivotal moments that enliven our teaching and sustain our commitment to ongoing professional growth. I expect to be learning from this humane book for many years to come." — Stephen Preskill , Distinguished Professor of Civic Engagement and Leadership, Wagner College "Essential reading for every educator who strives to be a better teacher. Shadiow's book offers us a fascinating process to mine our personal teaching and learning stories for the valuable lessons they contain." — Jim Sibley , Centre for Instructional Support, University of British Columbia "In this well-conceived and well-written book, Linda Shadiow gently guides faculty along a path toward unearthing the rich stories of their lives that offer deep and enduring insight into their practice." — Dannelle D. Stevens , professor and author, Journal Keeping: How to Use Reflective Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight, and Positive Change

Preface vii Acknowledgments xv About the Author xix 1. Storied Contexts 3 2. Living Stories 25 3. Storied Accounts 45 4. Seeking Patterns 65 5. Exploring Patterns 85 6. Locating Assumptions 103 7. Exploring Paradigmatic Assumptions 125 8. Storied Teaching 149 References 171 Index 179

Linda K. Shadiow is a professor of educational foundations and director of the Faculty Development Program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.