A Collaborative Self-Study of a Physics Teacher’s First Two Years of Teaching

Abstract

When Liam left Queen’s University for his first teaching post at an American school in Latin America, he was filled with a new understanding of what good learning looks like and a wealth of ideas for how to help my students achieve it. Once the school year began, he made discoveries similar to those of many first-year teachers: that teaching is much more complicated and challenging than expected, that the high school environment can seem particularly unfriendly to one’s professional goals, and that the students themselves can present many barriers to good learning. Over the course of 2 years, Liam communicated regularly with Tom, his former education professor, about his challenges, frustrations and successes. This writing became both a detailed record of the beginning of Liam’s teaching career and a compelling example of guided self-study. In this chapter, we analyse the changes in thinking that Liam experienced and the lessons he learned about starting out as a physics teacher. We also discuss the significant potential this type of co-operation has for both beginning teachers and teacher educators.