Letter writing: An alternative approach in teacher education

Abstract

Instead of telling student teachers who they should be, we asked them: “Who are you?” We used a narrative approach to explore their own perspectives. The students were invited to share their thoughts and experi-ences in letter format. This letter-writing assignment was part of the introduction to intercultural school practices as a reoccurring theme in education theory. We viewed the students’ narratives in light of J. P. Gee’s distinction between discourse with lowercase “d” and Discourse with a capital “D.” The students cited their families as being their most important formative factor, facilitating a safe and active childhood. Emphasis was also placed on where they grew up,with nature a mere “Cherrox2 [all-weather boot] step away”, and where bicycle locks were unnecessary.