Abstract

Our teacher inquiry group at a bilingual school focused on picturebooks about the experiences of immigrants and refugees. We spent November and December browsing and sharing picturebooks every two weeks. In January, teachers started using their selected books in classrooms and we met to share students’ responses. Our initial plan was to spend 30 minutes sharing, 30 minutes trying out webbing as a response strategy, and 30 minutes planning with grade-level partners on which books and dialogue strategies to use next. An hour later, teachers were still sharing student work and we quickly revised our plan to briefly share several examples of webbing and then move to partner planning.

For the next meeting, we proposed sharing in small groups to provide time for other engagements. Teachers quickly protested, “We never get a chance to share with each other and we want to hear everyone.” We adjusted our plan for the remaining meetings to spend most of the time on sharing student responses and then briefly introducing a dialogue strategy and ending with partner planning. We initially felt guilty that we were not offering new ideas but recognized that sharing and learning from each other was their priority and so needed to be ours as well.

As the group facilitators, we were intrigued with why the group evolved in such an interesting manner, recognizing that teachers used the inquiry group as a space for connection and innovation in their teaching, despite the many district-imposed mandates. Teachers were required to complete Science of Reading training, spend time on benchmark testing to prepare for the annual state tests and attend regular district in-services on data interpretation. The inquiry group became a space to resist these mandates and focus on what they considered most important–children’s voices.

After closely examining our notes from the inquiry group sessions, we identified key characteristics of the space that was created, viewing that space as a community of practice. In this article, we first introduce the school context and then look closely at the ways the inquiry group created a space for children’s voices and deep exploration of literature. 

How to Cite:

Kleker, D., Zandi, N. & Short, K., (2025) “Creating Spaces for Voice, Choice and Resistance”, WOW Stories 12(1), 37-49. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/wowstories.11193