A teacher educator's professional learning journey and border pedagogy: a meta-analysis of five research projects

Abstract

Continuing learning is central to the professions of teaching and teacher education. Research that explores the nature of professional learning and the conditions that promote it is limited. In this paper I examine my own involvement and that of other teachers and teacher educators in five practice-based research studies in terms of our professional learning and border pedagogy. I played a key role in each project and offer an 'insider' perspective through ‘autobiographical self-study’. Each project involved crossing a border between professional knowledge contexts and explores the ‘journey’ metaphor of professional learning. The metaphors of passport and visa are used to explore the identities and purposes for the professional learning ‘journey’. Further metaphors for ways of ‘travelling’ are used to interrogate the significance of identity and purpose in professional learning journeys that involve border-crossing. The benefits of border crossing for professional learning are then discussed.