Week Five: Read and Reflect (2-21-15)

Chapter 5 Reflective Teaching

This chapter examines the different educational and social philosophies that an educator may adopt as they form beliefs about teaching practices. These traditions bring to light the focus of morals and ethics that often emerge from within the classroom. Liston and Zeichner explore four distinct varieties/styles of reflective teaching, but explain that many of the categories they discuss may overlap or intertwine. It should be noted that they insist that teachers understand the validity in all the traditions, so as not to assume that the categories are exclusively used by educators. They go on to add that there is negative and positive criticism attached to all of the groupings that they have investigated:

Progressive-
Pro: prioritizes a student centered approach in teaching that creates meaningful connections based on student interests
Con: may lead to varied teacher expectations or lacking skills that break the continuity of subject oriented curriculum

Conservative-

Pro: content and skill focused curriculum that promotes student understanding
Con: intrigue and vitality may be lacking due to too much “structure”

Social Justice-

Pro: classroom activities focus on democracy and improving the human condition
Con: some find it controversial to explore or teach students about social oppression (for ex. it could have the potential to lead to “reverse racism”)

Spiritual-

Pro: an educational experience that offers students the opportunity to contemplate the meaning behind life, emotions, and the human experience
Con: critics may see it as a gateway in which to illegally teach or promote religious context

Chapter 6 Reflective Teaching

In Chapter six, Liston and Zeichner discuss the ways in which the teaching self, our pupils, and context become relevant in our reflection as educators. The teaching self can be described as actions based on work, professional efforts, or vocational endeavors.  “Work” within the teaching field is simplified as our transferring of intellectual information onto students. However, our work often extends into a form of mediation as we guide students to learn information that has been pulled from our own shared understandings. Professional efforts come as a result of our research based studies of scholarly text and norms set within our subject or field of education. Vocational endeavors involve a much deeper form of teaching as it proceeds our “calling” to compassionately instruct students. The authors elaborate on the ways student outcomes have been focused on in recent years, and ask educators to contemplate the ways that they center in on “students’ academic outcomes, their cognitive processing, and/or their social and emotional learning.” The final section of this text examines the ways cultural diversity, community, and interconnectedness play a huge role in social justice in and outside of the classroom.

Chapter 5 Marzano

In chapter 5, Marzano explains how teachers can gather focused feedback, use video performance as a form of reflection, obtain student achievement data that is explicit to teaching strategies utilized, and manage and track various sources of feedback. One of the major advantages of videotaping a lesson is the ability to watch the recording numerous times to deeply examine practices in full detail. Self-viewing can be vital in seeing how successfully we perform as educators. It also allows us to see how specific students react to our lessons/questioning strategies, and investigate how the classroom is operating as a group. Student sections can further be examined by creating control and experimental groups in order to see what types of teaching strategies may lead to more positive results in achievement. Graphing and journaling becomes beneficial in organizing an assortment of feedback and can help to provide insight that correlates to growth.

Reading Reflection

Chapter 5 Reflective Teaching

CLASSROOM TEACHERS: Before watching any lesson you film, which tradition do you most identify with (Please explain)? Why do you think this is? How does it show up in your teaching?

I felt a connection to each tradition, and could see importance in all the different teaching philosophies. However, I felt myself resonating with the “progressive” style of teaching the most. I identify with this tradition in a significant way because my students are my main focus. I often take a student centered approach while in the classroom. The art lessons that my students are introduced to are developed in order to help them find their own voice and identity. Most of the art making that they create is a product of student self interest (despite the fact that they learn foundations/techniques first).

I deeply care about my students, and make every effort possible to make sure I have a good understanding of them on a personal level.  As an art teacher, I feel I have an ability to speak to my students in a way in which they can relate the subject matter to their own individualized lives. I believe that I positively benefit students by helping them find intrinsic value in education as they understand the purpose behind what I am teaching them.

Chapter 6 Reflective Teaching

CLASSROOM: How would you describe your teaching self? Share a teaching experience which illustrates this.

I always tell new educators that having money in your bank account and having medical benefits may be what attracts you to a stable career in teaching, but it is not what will allow you to continue passionately working within the field of education. It takes much more to be able to take on all of the responsibilities of teaching. Yes, we work and apply our professional norms while on the job, but it doesn’t end there. We are contributing to how students are developing socially and emotionally. There isn’t a question in my mind that I was meant to be at the service of guiding, teaching, and helping the youth of today. However, I don’t think I could just teach anything. I have been “called” to teach art. And…I use this vocational self to help students grow towards building a stronger identity. I assist them as they become more independent thinkers and “doers.”

Students need guidance in how to perceive and utilize essential questions that can be employed in all areas of their life. As a teacher, I help students to develop thoughtful ideas based on inquiry. I encourage them and teach them not to solely depend upon straight and narrow “factual” information. Instead, when they dig for details their analysis of information is often tied to a philosophical examination of truth that is tied to self. By providing my students with opportunities to explore and investigate, I instill within in them a quest for knowledge.

The classroom can and should become a place in which students can begin to examine their own belief systems. However, in opening dialogue with students, we as educators must be open to discussion and even more so…listening. I recently read a quote which struck a chord with me and I’d like to share it with you all:

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

~Stephen Covey
*** (This is something I think everyone can continuously work on…including myself!)

Chapter 5 Marzano:

I have used some of the techniques that Marzano has discussed. Recently I have used video recordings, student surveys, and student achievement charts as part of gathering data related to student growth/learning. Also, I have kept reflection journals in the past to help me better analyze my classroom behavior management and teaching strategies. However, I haven’t recorded my own performance while teaching a lesson in front of a group, and think this will be a change for me and allow me to better observe the interconnectedness (or lack thereof) that presents itself in my classroom. Also, I think it could be interesting to create control groups to analyze student achievement. This is new to me and it sounds interesting.