Resisting Readin’, Writin’ and ‘Rithmetic: Stories from Inside a Classroom Panopticon
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Date
12-20-2012
Authors
Sales-Driscoll, Heidi
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Abstract
This study is an account of teacher resistance in an intermediate classroom. It is an
examination of the ways in which resistance to dominant school Discourses was possible, and
sometimes not possible.
This study involves four main stories of resistance. The first story in the introduction
shows how and why I became resistant to many of the dominant Discourses controlling my
classroom Panopticon. In the second story, I find space within my classroom to resist the
dominant Discourse of standardized tests, by acting on students’ questions of and disdain for
them, despite feeling the pressure of surveillance. In the third story, I demonstrate how
resistance was possible within the constrictive structures of Teacher Performance Appraisals
(TPAs) and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The final story outlines how I, being in
relations with others, also exercise power, and that others will resist this, namely, my students.
This study ends with reflections on the dynamics of power and resistance, and outlines the
current dominant Discourses I face.
Description
Keywords
teacher resistance , power discourse