Summative Learning Report

As I head into my last class for 813, mixed feelings surface. Perhaps today this is my last CIQs and I am left with feelings of personal gratification from simply completing assignments and fulfilling commitments; nonetheless, under conditions that were at times stressful.  I hold conflictual feelings of satisfaction in my contributions as well as having the feeling of doubt in whether I could have accomplished more.  Perhaps notions of metagcognition, reflection in action versus reflection for action, the value of prior knowledge, self directed learning versus teacher directed learning, schema theory, and the general concept of teaching has been qualified but certainly not coherently understood. I recognize that these are loaded terms that will necessitate further understanding and reflection. I am inspired to learn more about all of these concepts and have become that much more aware of their meaning in an active teaching and learning process. I am walking away with many feelings of maturation as a teacher and learner.
I am grateful to you, Tom  for creating a unique weekly experience unlike so many other professional development opportunities I have had in the past.  I have enjoyed not only learning so much from my classmates and colleagues but have gained so many insights of my own biases, preferences and patterns of teaching. I have thoroughly enjoyed the guest speakers you organized, particularly having the opportunity to listen to Barbara Coloroso.  As well, although naturally intimidated with meeting Loughran, what a great chance that was to meet the author of so many of the ideas we have discussed over the last eleven weeks.
I think that the common proverb used in class a while back: "when the student is ready, the teacher appears" seems applicable but wouldn't it be an ambitious undertaking to look at how better to prepare students for the readiness, so that the teacher will appear. Perhaps the facilitation of getting us (teachers) to become better aware or cognizant of what we're doing, would  help us become more attuned with transformative learning and would allow us to make changes to our teaching behavior. 
So many of my teaching practices have been highly influenced by my former learning experiences. This seems like a natural and somewhat productive process.  However, when you can discern how the way you have been taught from the way it needs to be taught, that is an added strategy highly reinforced from this class.
Thank you again for fostering my continual but added interest in sdl and building a little confidence towards my life long learning journey!

Alan Weisman's Lecture: Earth Without People

Earth Without People- A. Weismann

Alan Weisman’s discussion on Earth without people probed some thought but the message could  have been delivered in a more dynamic manner.  Coming from a critical point of view of lecturers, it made me think how often such a powerful message could fail due to its modality. According to Brookfield’s Chapter on lecturing creatively, he suggests that three approaches should be used when lecturing, otherwise interest diminishes and becomes too fractured.

I think Weisman’s message is profound and such speculation is more than pedantic intellectual hyperbole.  In my opinion, such public speaking carries such ethical and moral implications that I was left with the thought of my role on Earth-quite an undertaking for a Tuesday evening. However, like so many of my experiences, reality of distractions sets in and I continue to go about my daily routine.  Infrequently, I encounter a lecture, speech or experience that moves you so much that the changes made thereafter are continuous.  Experiences such as giving birth and creating life; multiple undergraduate lectures that widened my narrow worldview and influenced me to go in the career of teaching with immigrants; influences I have made for some of my students in their experiences in Canada; living in a foreign country where the culture and language is so dramatically different from what you have ever experienced; and then the loss of a loved one that permanently shifts your view of life and how you decide to live it.

I cannot say that Weisman’s lecture necessarily moved me like any of the experiences mentioned, but his concluding remark of exploring prosperity and its relation to growth is a thought that still echoes in my mind.  Is that possible?

Less is more?

Your blog title made me think of the one I've just inserted for this one!  Many teachers eventually seem to realize that there are times when doing less is more helpful than doing more.  It's a reminder that it is very easy to overwork oneself as a teacher, not always going in the best directions.

Schon isn't about what do I do in this very complex teaching situation.  I take him to be about responding to puzzling and surprising moments when we are in such complex situations as a teacher.  They may be rare, but there are moments when we arrive at a different way of thinking about one or more of those complex elements of the situation.  Some of them may suggest a different approach, which needs to be tried to see if it is more productive.  If it isn't, the new way of thinking about the situation wasn't very helpful, but if it is more productive, then it's worth exploring that new view further.

so my advice would be to pay particular attention to moments when the way that one or more students responds surprises you and gets you thinking again...  then you have a shot at moving ahead.

I know it sounds complex, and it is, but it's also very rewarding!
Tom

To know more about less or less about more

I enjoyed the discussion that was generated in class on Tuesday regarding the generalists versus the specialists. An interesting notion when it comes to the practice of teaching.  I think that many fields might find advantages in having a specialist, say a surgeon. However, for the art of teaching, I think that having a multifaceted background might be beneficial since drwaing connections from one discipline to another is education.
There was also some interesting discussion that surfaced in relation to teachers' attitude versus teachers' practice. I have  found that creating the dychotomy of practice and attitude in teachers may hinder the form of teaching. Perhaps having some fuzzy logic might be more conducive.  I suppose the notion of overachievers and underachievers (what precisely these terms mean I don't know) runs on a continuum.

I thought  Teep's activity regarding active listening and its relation to higher order thinking skills  and the maintence of those skills very intresting.  For me, it connected to pursuing skills that are often required for teachers to  achieve goals (tasks)  set out in a curriculum while creating harmony within a group to achieve those goals or tasks. I have always felt the need to balance achieving the tasks at hand while maintaining a sense of harmony among the individuals working towards that task.

This is a challnege for me. I am hoping to synthesise my thoughts but the nature of these blogs create a certain platform for fleeting thoughts. My apologies for not putting together something a little more linear.

Today, a rather disjointed writer!

Schon and your take

Hello Tom,
In reponse to your response to my blog: "Can you recall a puzzling or surprising event recently with the students you are teaching?  Describe it briefly to me and I`ll see if I can use it as a way to clarify what I think Schon is trying to say."
One recurring challenge that I am faced with in my teaching to adult ELLs (English Language Learners) is the continual efforts to draw out the students' previous learning strategies, language formation and cultural expectations. In the process of continuous needs assessments, this allows me to not only understand my students better but I am better able to understand their learning strategies.  In contrast to a class with students from generally the same demographics -Canada-, there may be multiple learning styles that influence learning but the education acquired could be somewhat similar. In a classroom setting where you have multiple cultural backgrounds, it is necessary to understand the cultural influences that could enhance or diminish the learning in class. For example, my current class consists of one Ukrainian male with a possible learning disorder who was a photographer, a refugee from Iraq with an accounting background, an architect from El Salvador, a young woman from Bangladesh with her Master's in Economics, a mother with five from Costa Rica currently pursuing a fast track highschool diploma,  a lovely but intense woman from Egypt with an undergraduate degree in Psycholoy, and finally a new student with outstanding skills in carpentry from Bulgaria. The goal behind this federally funded program is to help integrate into Canadian society while acquiring the English language.   Although the common goal is to help facilitate that transition in Canada and help with the acquisition of English,  the multiple obstacles to get there are paramount.  In essence, the struggle for me is to balance teaching with an apporach that most will accept and respoond to. What might Schon say to this?....
Thanks for your feedback, should you choose to respond.
Carolin

Clarification and application to Schon & Metacognition

My apologies for slow returns on blogs.  I have just returned from a TESLconference in Toronto and now feel overwhelmed with catching up with so many commitments. Although the experience at the conference was very positive, reality has quickly set in for mundane administrative tasks.
With regards to Schon, after reading about facilitating metacognition with our students based on Loughran, it has become apparent that reflective practice is comparable for teachers.  It is my goal to become further aware of my teaching practice based on my teaching experience.

I am instantly convinced of the value behind getting students (children or adults) to think about their thinking. However, although strategies and critically thinking are immensely important, I wonder how testing/evaluating/ and assessing would be affected and would it have an impact.  I imgaine that the schools and their currciculum might look a little different if testing was not such an integral part of our learning. As well, what might our teaching look like if we could spend all of our time teaching and not testing? You have given us that opportunity in this class, to simply teach and the testing rests with us in our reflections. Unless I have misundertsood....