Emerging Latina Voices: Paraprofessionals' Narratives of Legacy and Hope

Emerging Latina Voices 1

Running head: EMERGING LATINA VOICES

Emerging Latina Voices: Paraprofessionals' Narratives of Legacy and Hope

Sallie G. Helms, ABD

Research Assistant

Center for Research in Counselor Education

Beverly J. Irby, Ed.D.

Professor and Chair, Educational Leadership and Counseling

Sam Houston State University

Box 2119

Huntsville, TX 77341-2119

936-294-1134

Fax: 936-294-3868

Rafael Lara-Alecio, Ph.D.

Professor and Director, Bilingual Programs, Department of Educational Psychology

Ana M. Cruz de Quiros, ABD

Research Assistant

Bilingual Programs, Department of Educational Psychology

Texas A & M University

College Station, TX 77843-4225

Emerging Latina Voices: Paraprofessionals’ Narratives of Legacy and Hope

As members of the research team of Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA), a controlled and structured English as a second language longitudinal intervention, we have been privileged over four years to work with Project ELLA’s paraprofessionals in the area of their professional development training. This group of paraprofessionals, young Latinas situated within the entry-level stratum of professional educators, is well-situated at the intersection of RWE’s research focus of sponsoring “research studying issues related to women and girls in education at the intersection of race, class, and gender…” (American Educational Research Association [AERA], n.d.). Our collaborative approach to training and professional development, designed to enhance opportunities for the appreciation of multiple perspectives, emergent professional and personal voices, and growth-fostering communities, was shared with workshop participants during the 2007 RWE Fall Conference.

The objectives of our presentation were twofold: (a) to assess the transformative and growth-fostering potential of postmodern training opportunities, according to the narratives of the paraprofessionals who have been involved in the training and (b) to share the practices we applied toward the creation of collaborative learning spaces and professional development processes.

The overarching theoretical framework of our presentation was that of postmodernism – with its emphasis on the generation of meaning through language and the relational nature of language (Anderson, 1977). Within that framework, three specific theoretical orientations that have informed our work with this group of paraprofessionals: (a) social constructionism – which emphasizes the generative nature of social exchange (Anderson, 2007), along with relational responsibility and the transformative potential for all participants; (b) a narrative approach to training and research – which centers people as experts in their own lives, assumes competencies, and is characterized by a collaborative, respectful, and authentically curious approach to inquiry regarding individuals’ narratives (Morgan, 2000); and (c) Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) – which suggests that “all growth occurs in connection, that all people yearn for connection, and that growth-fostering relationships are created through mutual empathy and mutual empowerment” (Jordan & Hartling, 2002)

Relational-Cultural Theory (Jordan, Kaplan, Miller, Stiver, & Surrey, 1991) has powerfully influenced our vision for the paraprofessionals’ training experiences. RCT departs from traditional psychological theories by focusing on the development of growth fostering relationships, mutual empathy, mutual empowerment, authenticity, and movement toward mutuality in relationships (Jordan & Hartling, 2007). RCT’s definition of power as “the capacity to produce change” can be contrasted with the more traditional Western notion of power, in which differences are stratified along multiple dimensions. According to RCT, relational competencies of empathic attunement, authenticity, and accountability foster resilience and mutual empowerment (Walker, 2002, p. 1) and help transcend the false dichotomies of “power-over” relationships (Surrey, 1987). Related theories regarding women’s ontological development – Gilligan’s (1982/1993) notion of listening into voice – and women’s epistemological development – Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule’s (1986) investigation of women’s ways of knowing – have informed our vision of the professional development opportunities for this group of young women.

We have found that the spirit of “new scholarship on women [in which] the focus is not on searching for objectivity or challenging bias but rather on the individual” (Campbell, 2002,

p. 29), continually challenges us to look beyond more traditional approaches to training and research. As we envisioned our training activities, we sought ways to encourage the articulation of the multiple voices within the group, as well as to honor our commitment to listen these young women into voice. During the early stages of this four-year longitudinal study, issues such as tardiness, cliquishness, and a need for the refinement of professional demeanor challenged our postmodern convictions. Initially, we were tempted to approach such nuts and bolts issues didactically and, if truth be told, perhaps even judgmentally.

As a result of the creative tension between theory and practice, we designed a group activity that we called the Legacy Questions. Our intention was to create a space for reflection, expression, collaboration, and transformation. From her work with collaborative learning communities, Anderson (1999) observed, “When responsibility is shared, the relationship is more mutually rewarding” (p. 69). In developing the Legacy Questions we hoped to resist the lure of familiar power-over didactic instruction, and to maintain our commitment to the spirit of new scholarship on women by creating a training space that would invite movement towards responsibility and mutuality.

We asked the paraprofessionals to break into small groups, reflect upon, write, and discuss with each other the following:

1.  How do I want to be remembered by my students?

2.  How do I want to be remembered by my colleagues?

3.  How do I want to be remembered in the historical data of Project ELLA?

By breaking into small groups, each paraprofessional had the opportunity to voice her thoughts. By asking a representative from each group to summarize the discussion, and by recording the words of the paraprofessionals on giant post-its, we highlighted our commitment to listening into voice as well as our respect for the paraprofessionals, their thoughts, and their words.

At the conclusion of the Legacy Questions exercise a profound sense of beginning changes and mutual respect was palpable in our meeting room. Similarly, Anderson (1999) observed the “multiple effects of the conversational cluster and reflection processes” (p. 68), including reports by participants of feeling safe to share, of developing trust in others’ capacity for self-agency, and of increased awareness of a self-reflective process that continues beyond the training period. We consolidated the groups’ responses and shared the list of responses with the paraprofessionals at our next meeting. [During our presentation, we distributed the consolidated list of paraprofessionals’responses, and invited participants’ comments.] The collective wisdom and insights from this exercise proved to be what Bateson (1971) famously called the difference that makes a difference.

We have found the experience of designing and facilitating postmodern relational training sessions to be transformative for all participants – project coordinators, research team members, and paraprofessionals.

References

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Campbell, P. B. (2002). Research methods and gender equity: A short biased history. In J. Koch & B. Irby (Eds.), Defining and redefining gender equity in education (pp. 29-42). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

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