Self-Study of Resonance in the Parallel Learning Experiences of Two Teaching Careers

This self-study analyzes parallel learning in the careers of a teacher and a teacher educator, from the teacher’s pre-service experiences to the final years of their careers more than 30 years later. Drawing on literature about productive learning in classrooms, the authors served as critical friends to each other in a self-study inspired by many visits to one of their classrooms. Unusual experiences in a pre-service program generated a professional friendship with a significant level of trust that continued throughout their careers. Data are drawn from emails, detailed classroom notes, and four extended discussions over 18 weeks. Discussion of findings focuses on the importance of teacher listening to productive student learning, our detailed review of personal experiences, the importance of trust between teacher and student, changes that occurred during our careers, and the power of learning from experience. Our most significant discovery focused on the high level of resonance between our careers. Analysis of notes and discussions revealed that strategies for listening, both in conversation and in writing, were critical to our teaching successes. Careful listening to each other from the very start of our professional friendship set us on the path to resonance as shared values continued and developed over our careers. Unusual learning experiences before teacher education also contributed to the focus on the importance of listening. Finally, analysis of tensions within the teacher education classroom where we first met inspired our shared interest in learning from experience and the authority that accompanies such learning.