(p.1) If you reflect about your teaching will this necessarily make your teaching better?
I heard something on a radio show that I have been mulling over for about a month now. The interviewee said that it is hard for people to change because we repeat our internal patterns of thought day after day after day. We talk to ourselves in a set pattern and with a certain language and don't consciously acknowledge how this affects our behaviors. So my answer is that reflection will not necessarily make teaching practice better. To implement the change that comes from reflection, teachers would need to practice a complementary set of skills in which they identify and analyze their self-talk, identify the change they want to make, and then daily make a conscious effort to change their patterns of thought and behavior.
(p. 21) Do you agree/disagree with Schefffler's position? If you agree with Scheffler's view of teachers as needing needing to concern themselves with the contexts beyond their classroom, what kinds of challenges face that teacher?
I agree with Scheffler's position that teachers need to be advocates of change and take part in developing the policies that usually happen at higher levels, then filter down. On a practical level: The morale among the staff at my school has gone down of the past year and a half, and the administrators do not know why. At our last faculty meeting, it was stated that "We are in the business of kids, and if you don't like it, come talk to me so we can discuss a better alternative for you." I think everyone at the schools loves their students, but there is so much other bologna that goes with teaching that makes it hard to get out of survival mode. The switch to common core, a new grading system, a new teacher evaluation system, a growing population that tests the limit of the physical school, and a trend in a population that is becoming more transient can all be real downers. Every change that has happened in our school has been outside the teaching staff's control. If teachers had more power over policies that affect their position, they might have more ownership and motivation for their craft. There are professional agencies in our area that try to affect legislative policies, but not many teachers I know are active in them. There is also a VERY strong hierarchy in my district, and punishments dealt for "not respecting the chain of command." Last week I discovered that my district has its own teachers' union and it is swept under the rug. The neighboring district has a teachers' union that is very vocal, and petitions the board and the community for funding for more buildings and resources for students.
I also think teachers to be aware of social contexts in which the
students live, but I am iffy about the extent and directness with which I
feel teachers should advocate for change in the communities and
subcultures of the students. My trepidation about the latter comes from an awareness that American society has a definite class system, and in some instances if the advocacy is done without tact or in an insensitive way, a rift may happen between educator and community because it may be that certain values are being disrespected even though the educator's intentions are good. Advocacy for improved social contexts at large needs to be done in conjunction with the community, and may be best done it the teacher lives in the community.
(p. 21) What obstacles arise when teachers attempt to "determine their own agency through critical and continual evaluation of the purposes, the consequences, and the social context of their calling?"
As I stated above, it can be viewed as a break in hierarchy in the chain of command. We are also in an era of pacing guides, common curriculum, and one size fits all standards assessment. Breaking from the way things are 'supposed' to be done can be viewed in a negative light by colleagues and supervisors. Everyone has a lot on their plate. In some cases, questioning the status quo can be looked down on because it is something else for people to think about or it goes against their patterns of thought. There are also the practical considerations that are obstacles such as lack of time, a need to balance career with family life and leisure time, and the availability of resources.
Whoa Beth, How cool!! We gravitated toward the same questions. You are taking very in tune with your colleagues and how they are feeling. Admittedly, I have a good opinion of the moral at CHS. I think it is a pretty joyful place to be, but I kinda stay pretty close to the studio and don't wander around much. You are so right on in that the teachers really don't have much say in how we are going to do something, or why. And, put on top of that the fact that more and more is being added onto our plates. I have made it a personal goal to do as much "two birds, one stone" with all of these piles of expectations. I think that much of the problems between (sadly) the us and them routine in schools is a lack of sincere communication. We have to be able to understand each other's languages. You are so right about being ostrascised for different thinking. I have been called many a name in the effort to create change, however, I kinda wear those new names like badges on a Girl Scout sash:). It is a fearful thing to create change. But I say, create change like you should grill chicken, low and slow. Good luck out there!! Take care of you! Have a happy heart and week:)
ReplyDelete