Cultivating an Inquiry Stance in English Education: Rethinking the Student Teaching Seminar

We argue that the student teaching seminar, a co-requisite to student teaching, may best be construed as a introduction to a teacher learning community and to inquiry-oriented professional development. Using a qualitative case study design and discourse analysis, we examine 60 Teaching Inquiries (TIs) occurring in student teaching seminars over a three semester period to better understand (a) the issues English teacher candidates raise in TIs and (b) how the field of English education manifests itself in the inquiry process. Our analysis finds that TIs reflect complex issues resting both in and out of traditional notions of The inquiry process enables seminar participants to develop the field’s knowledge-base and deepen their own pedagogical and ideological commitments. By complicating and situating English education, discussions bring together the world of the classroom and the world of the university, paving the way for mutual learning.