Teacher inquiry and learning stories: a site for pedagogical change

This article draws on the research findings of a case study at Greerton Early Learning Centre in Aotearoa, New Zealand, utilising data from the teachers' research inquiries into their professional practice. Teachers' inquiries included Learning Stories – a research-based sociocultural narrative assessment approach – written for children and families. Teachers, as part of usual practice, to deepen collegial understanding of their local curriculum (the learning and teaching culture), shared Learning Stories. The research findings indicated that the dialogical process involved in sharing Learning Stories strengthened teachers' pedagogical practice. Constructing case study data using teacher inquiries was useful because it allowed for a zooming-in approach to understanding children's learning identities by way of the Learning Story narrative assessments Carr 2001. Assessment in Early Childhood Settings: Learning Stories. Sage that captured learners' lived experiences over time, across cultures, and community spaces. A zooming-out focus then enabled wider comments about the effectiveness of strengthening children's learning identities and stretching teachers' pedagogical practice through analysing Learning Stories that tracked the continuity and progress of both learning and teaching. All participants provided informed consent, including choosing to forgo anonymity.