Abstracts - Earli

Dialogical teachers. Narrative and dialogical construction of professional identity of ItalianteachersMaria Beatrice Ligorio, University of Bari, ItalyLuca Tateo, University of Salerno, ItalyGiovanna Ammaturo, Universty of Salerno, ItalyThe present study investigates the narrative and dialogical construction of professional identity ina group of Italian teachers and its relationship with teaching practices and school context.Theoretical framework has been implemented by the fertile intersection of Hermans’ DialogicalSelf theory, Bruner’s narrative approach, and Beijaard teacher professional identity dimensions.Teachers’ professional identity has been analysed through a semi-structured interviewadministered to 27 Italian teachers, teaching at different school levels and different curricula.Interviews were audio-recorded, transcript, and analysed by two researchers independently. Aqualitative analysis was performed looking for themes based on the literature. In particular, wesearched for the narrative reconstruction of everyday events, significant others, turning points, andeducational practices, looking in particular for the overall meaning and the coherent sense teachersattribute to these events. Results show mechanisms of teacher professional identity andrepresentation of teaching formation and development. Such processes are influenced byrelationships with the students, families, school organisational culture, principals and colleagues,as well as technology, personal biography and, ultimately, society.P 401 September 2007 11:00 - 12:20Room: -1.64Paper SessionDevelopmental aspects of instructionChair:Erzsébet Korom, University of Szeged, HungaryEmbroideries, chain stitches and embodied inquiry: Being instructed in handicraftOskar Lindwall, Göteborg University, SwedenAnna Ekstrom, Stockholm Institute of Education, SwedenThe school subject sloyd – which includes textile craft, woodwork and metalwork – is obligatoryin Swedish compulsory school. With a focus on interaction, instruction and "competencies asdemonstrable courses of inquiry with distinctive materials at hand" (Lynch, Livingston &Garfinkel, 1983, p. 207), this study analyses two episodes from teacher education programs thatspecializes in sloyd. While the educational research community has seen an increased interest ininteraction and the practical work of providing and following instructions, especially in domainssuch as science and mathematics, few studies address the interactional work of teaching andlearning handicrafts. Although the school subject sloyd might seem exotic and peripheral, we holdthat the analyses concern a wider audience than those with an explicit interest in handicrafts. Morespecifically, by being exhibits of sloyd education and not, for instance, history or mathematics, thetwo episodes are particularly suited to bring forth certain issues that concern instruction andeducation in general. These issues include: a) the distinction between listening to a lecture andlistening for what one needs in order to continue with an activity; b) if and how an example can be– 828 –