Probation, Practitioners, and Pedagogy: Lessons Learned from Self-Study

Authors

David Schmid, University of Northern IowaFollow
Matt Townsley, University of Northern IowaFollow

Abstract

The reward systems typically found in colleges and universities often serve as a barrier rather than a catalyst for improving teaching. As such, an increasing number of university faculty members are using their own classrooms as a site of inquiry and reflective practice (e.g. self-study) to concurrently advance their own research and teaching. This paper portrays a yearlong self-study of two former practitioners turned probationary faculty members within a college of education at a comprehensive regional university. Findings include tensions within relationships, the influence of our past positions, the engagement of students, and how scholarship requirements influence our professional lives. Finally, the authors suggest five reasons tenure-track faculty ought to consider participating in a self-study.

Author Biography

David Schmid is currently Assistant Professor and program coordinator of the Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs program at the University of Northern Iowa. He is in his sixth year as a full-time faculty member after 17 years as a student affairs practitioner and 10 years as an adjunct professor. His passion for education, both in and out of the classroom, has guided him to his current practice. Matt Townsley is currently an assistant professor of education leadership at the University of Northern Iowa. His research interests include educational leadership, school improvement, and standards-based grading.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Schmid, David and Townsley, Matt (2021) "Probation, Practitioners, and Pedagogy: Lessons Learned from Self-Study," Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research: Vol. 23: Iss. 2. https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1339