“Examining the relationship of professional performance experience and pedagogical knowledge in teaching contemporary technique classes as a creative process”, researched by Sarah Oakley, is a qualitative examination of the practices of six contemporary technique teachers in order to identify the ways in which their educational and professional performance experiences have affected their teaching practices.
Interviews investigating their teaching beliefs allowed the instructors’ practices to be divided into components: pedagogical implementation, content knowledge in practice, the value of formal teacher training, their understandings of their teaching selves (the overlapping of their performance, training, creating, and teaching selves), and teaching as a creative process.
The teachers’ accumulation of knowledge (either through experience or formal learning environments) is examined in relationship to their teaching choices, their own understanding of their choices, and how their methods are holistically supporting their students’ progress.
The importance of instructor self-reflection, self-awareness, and creative flexibility are also discussed. The unique classroom environments of each technique teacher are examined side-by-side, revealing how their performance experiences do or do not add to their perception of their teaching selves and to their overall understanding of teaching as a creative process.