The Teacher's Practical Knowledge: Narrative Inquiry On A Junior Middle School Language Teacher

In the traditional understanding,the people are accustomed to regard the knowledge as objective, one-size-fits-all truth. Consequently, the discourse of the teacher's knowledge is mostly on how to apply effectively the knowledge of academic research, people often neglect the teacher's personal knowledge and experience. The postmodern standpoint of knowledge not only makes us have a deep and better understanding about the nature of knowledge, but also brings the personal experience into line with the category of knowledge. Therefore, the teacher's practical knowledge what has been neglected for so long becomes the focus of the teacher's knowledge.According to related research of the teacher's knowledge, the teacher's practical knowledge is a very unique and complex of knowledge, which drives from personal experience. The teacher obtains it through a variety of practice and experience rather than the formal training ways, and it makes the teacher know what should to do in specific teaching situation. To some extent, in the daily educational life, the teacher isn't like a machine that carries out the task without hesitation, but he(she) is always guided by some internal explained framework that deeply root in the personal experience of the teacher, and in school's experience. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to research the teacher's practical knowledge.The education research needs to face its own practice. Because the teacher's practical knowledge only embodies in the practical scenario, the research can not be divorced from the specific practice situation. According to the"suitability"in research method and target, narrative inquiry is a appropriate way for researching teacher's practical knowledge. Teacher's practical knowledge hidden in the teacher's daily life and teaching practice, we can reveal and comprehend them by the description and explanation of the story.Attempt to understand such problems: what knowledge has the teacher; how does the teacher utilize the knowledge in specific teaching situation; and what is the connection between the knowledge and teaching activities; whether can it affect teacher's education teaching activities and so on. I select a co-operative teacher as a case of my research, which is base on the theoretical research of the teacher's practical knowledge.The thesis consists of four parts.Part I. Preface. This part mainly deals with some topics such as the issue raised by and the current research status, as well as the way of narrative inquiry. Part II. The theoretical research of teacher's practical knowledge. To begin with, part analyzes the postmodern standpoint, explains other relative concepts, and then deduces the connotations and characteristics of teacher's practical knowledge, discusses its significance in the process of growing up.Part III. Carrying on narrative inquiry into teacher's practical knowledge. This part selects a co-operative teacher named Wang yu as a case of my research, which is based on the theoretical research of the teacher's practical knowledge. I narrate Wang yu's education teaching stories by entering the research site using the on-site watching, visting and taking work ways. It includes Wang yu's experience of growth, teaching stories, teacher in charge's work and assessment of students. Finally, I attempt to comprehend Wang yu's practical knowledge from these stories.Part IV. Reflection and discovery of the research. This part mainly reviews and reconsiders the research method and process, analyzes the finding, which demonstrates the method that narrative inquiry research teacher's practical knowledge is feasible and practical.