UNIT 2:

                                           Doing Worthy Work  


                                                                       Week 6/Journal Entry

    Teacher's perceptions: There can be no one golden answer to the question, “what is good teaching?” because, as our reader and text point out,  for teaching to be effective it must be a conscious and personal act for the teacher. It is their “personal definition of effectiveness” (Mamchur, p. 34) that matters most. So, no wonder so many teachers suffer burnout. It must be exhausting to constantly have to negotiate, explain, and convince others that one’s own values, methods and techniques have merit - and so often have to promote or teach ways they don’t necessarily agree with.  It makes me wonder about (and fear for) the young people in my WebCT group who are so keen, so brimming with love of their new and/or future profession. What will happen to that energy?  What will happen to their perceptions of themselves as teachers as time goes on?

If what teachers “believe is as important as what they know” (Mamchur, p. 35) then what is the evolution of a teacher’s ability to teach, to be authentic, consistent, and to have clear values and beliefs when they are constantly challenged and undermined by the “system”? How long does it take until that teacher forgets or just lets go of their beliefs in order to go to work every day? It is clear that maintaining good teaching over time requires strong, self-possessed teachers who are able to both stand up to the system and stand by it (work within it). I wonder how many prospective teachers, at the beginning of their careers, are prepared for this constant battle?    

I have included both of these journal entries because these thoughts/questions are still on my mind and because they demonstrate that I am engaging with the course material in a personal way.

   
                                                  PROGRESS LOG TASK #2

I have included my answers to one of the 3 questions we answered in our progress log task this week so that I can record if and/or how my thinking has changed at the end of Unit 2. I have also included part of my response to the Teaching from Within article to share how, at this point in the course, I am really relating to the material and getting excited because I can see how the ideas and points relate to me, my family and friends, counselling, and teaching both in the classroom and in a more general sense. These are aspects of teaching and learning that are also important aspects of life and I am inspired and excited about how my thoughts are expanding and my understanding is growing.

                         Questions from Teachers, Children, and Science: Theoretical Perspectives:

8)      Children have a great need to understand their world, to make sense of what is happening around them. They tend to interpret new data in terms of what they already know.

-           I recognise and understand this point because this is the way I learn. In one of my first education courses I learned about scaffolding and I was so chuffed at finally having a concept and a definition for what is an intuitive act for me.  As I get older the ability to connect what I know with new information and my world is the only way I can remember anything. The automatic reference shuffle and picking out of relevant information that I had in my youth is no longer very efficient. I wonder if there are memory programs for seniors that are structured with the same considerations for how people learn. It never hurts to remind ourselves of our processes and perhaps being mindful of this learning process could help with minimizing memory loss.  

From: Teaching From Within:

This article was terrific and got me thinking about how, when we do consider our inner landscape, we tend to consider only on why we act in the world as we do which completely ignores how that behaviour, or approach, shapes the content of our both our lives and others’ – especially if we are in a position of authority. Palmer’s following point particularly struck me:

"The most practical thing we can achieve in any kind of work is insight into what is happening inside us as we do it" ( 1.3, P.3).

This is life – it’s what we mean by LIVING LIFE = being aware of and in the moment of an experience as it is happening. Living life, as opposed to bobbing along the surface, is an intentional act. It’s enjoyably jarring to be lead to the realization that “teaching is the intentional act of creating ...conditions [that can help students learn a great deal] and good teaching requires we understand the inner sources of both the intent and the act” (1.3, p. 4). In other words, good teaching is an intentional act of consciously experiencing life and sharing self. That is amazing and goes a long way towards explaining the sheer energy and the overwhelming attraction of teachers who are fully engaged in teaching and love what they do.