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widely used by market researchers and only recently for data collection in educational
research (Anderson, 1990). The focus group format was unstructured, but as its facilitator
I did have some prompts prepared to initiate dialogue, including sharing narratives with
the participants as well as the photographs I’d taken to document their projects. The
proceedings of the focus group session were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed as a
source of data. The intent of the focus group was to create for a limited time, a
community of practice. For the agenda of the focus group meeting, see Appendix E.
Metaphor and image exercise.
Images are one of the ways we make sense of the world (Ryan & Ochsner, 1999).
An image is “an idea, mental representation, or conception that has a visual or physical
flavor, an experiential meaning, a context or history, and a metaphorical, generative
potential” (Weber & Mitchell, 1995, p. 21). A metaphor involves applying a word or
phrase to an object or concept, which it does not literally denote, in order to suggest
comparison to another object or concept (Hill et al., 2005). Metaphors can be used as a
tool for self-reflection. They help teachers to understand their practice when they
examine their own metaphors of teaching and learning (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988).
Metaphors and images can used to capture the essence of teaching in a creative,
expressive manner that challenges early childhood educators to be “imaginative, to think,
to reflect, and to find deeper meanings and understanding” (Hill et al., 2005, p. 31). In
order to encourage openness in the participants to tell their stories, each participant was
asked to illustrate and describe his or her image and metaphor of teaching and learning.
Becoming conscious of images activated by practice can be a catalyst for professional