Teaching (and Learning) in Community

Chapter five really resonated with some of the issues I've been thinking about and discussing both at work and in one of my other classes. Communal learning groups are a fresh and effective approach to teaching and learning that applies not only to students, but the learning process for teachers as well.

Last week in my "Issues, Trends and Research in Digital Media and Learning" class with Dr. Baab we discussed the professional development of teachers with respect to new technologies and new ways of integrating web 2.0 standards like blogs, wikis and podcasts into curriculum.

The subject matter from that discussion is quite appropriate to Palmers message in Chapter 5. We talked about the traditional ways teachers are given professional development for technology which usually ends up being a "sit and get" session where the all knowing guru stands at the front and delivers the goods to the technophobe "lambs" in the audience. We then discussed some of the newer emerging methods and the most prominent in our discussions was the "Community of Practice" approach where a particular group or network of individuals with a common set of goals, beliefs, experiences, etc. get together to share and develop (technology usage for example) as a community.

My example to the group when we were discussing the topic was departments and levels meeting to use and discuss technology and how to integrate it into their curricula. This would foster better curriculum and help those on the various levels to share technology usage, methods and know-how with each other and bring those who may need some help understanding the new methods up to speed.

All-in-all I enjoyed this chapter and look to propose more "Communities of Practice" (MacDonald, 2008) in future meetings with my department and level. If you would like to read more about the subject here is the citation for the MacDonald article. Just a funny side note, the author's name is actually Ronald MacDonald. lol

MacDonald, R. J. (2008). Professional development for information communication technology integration: identifying and supporting a community of practice through design-based research. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 40(4), 429-445.

A Plethora of Paradox

It took me a while to fully immerse myself in this weeks chapter due to the impending "death by abstraction" (p. 77) Palmer mentioned before grounding us in his discussion of practical application.

How many of us have had a similar conversation with a similar "Gang of Three" (p. 73) as Palmer did in his moment of unadulterated frustration? I was able to imagine not only myself in that situation but also the Palmer from the previous chapter trying to get the kid sitting "horizontal" in the back of his guest lecture to be engaged in his lecture. Is it because we care so much that we feel shunned when students don't want to accept the "gifts" we attempt to share with them in such situations?

How many of us have had the good AND the bad not only in separate sections of the same day, but within the very same class? I know I have and after reading this chapter I will try to embrace the awkward silences and charged situations more often with an open mind.

I thought it was poignant when he mentioned how we often resolve tension prematurely when "we ask and answer our own questions in the silence of the classroom, thus creating more silence" (Palmer, 2007, p. 88). I know I most often assume the student doesn't know the answer and jump in to help when there are probably many situations where they are simply trying to formulate their thoughts. I will make it a point of emphasis to "enjoy the silence" (Depeche Mode, 1990) more often and let the students struggle through the formulation of their responses.

Fear

This weeks reading created a mish-mash of thoughts in my head and there were many topics I noted and wrote some thoughts about. I apologize ahead of time if the following paragraphs aren't well connected to each other but there were many different things I wanted to respond to in Chapter 2.

The first thing I thought about was the undercurrent of fear mentioned by Palmer that creates divisive structures and how distancing ourselves from that fear would revolutionize education (Palmer, 2007, p.36). This immediately made me think of some of my colleagues and discussions I've had with others. While I agree that taking the fear out of the "system" would cause a revolution of sorts, I also wonder what that revolution would entail. Without fear of repercussions, would lazy teachers be driven to "pick up the slack?" Would teachers entrenched in listless top-down pedagogical methodology be inspired to try new things? Sometimes a little fear can help get someone off their keister and help them reach their full potential while a "please buy in" fear-free environment may perpetuate stale teachers doing just enough to get by and in the process deprive the students of their best possible learning experience.

The next topic I "waxed" on was the discussion of teachers blaming their students for their boring classrooms. When Palmer used the doctor analogy and said "the way we diagnose our students' condition will determine the kind of remedy we offer" (p. 42), I thought about all the toxic crap I've heard spewed from teachers mouths in both public and private school faculty lounges and various credential classes about "Students from Hell" and how a particular student "doesn't belong here." It drives me crazy to hear those kind of statements but only now do I realize that my fear of those with "power" in the faculty lounge has contributed to my safety in not speaking. I can assure you my fear is dissipating quickly but there is no easy way to tell someone they carry fear with them due to their inadequacies and that the situation is more about them and their ego than it is about their students.

I was also able to relate to Palmer's discussion of the Student from Hell in the back of that classroom in which he was a guest lecturer. I've had certain students throughout the years that just flat out hated my class. No matter how much I mixed things up or tried to make the class fun and exciting they continued to hate the class and most likely me. I remember trying so many times, often at the expense of the others who were engaged and enjoying the class immensely, to "reach" those students and to gain their acceptance. While I will not abandon that child in the future, I will certainly approach things differently and not internalize things quite as much. Again, the fear is dissipating.

I'm not even going to get into the "Broad Generalizations 101" course reader from the objectivism vs, subjectivism section as Justin covers that quite nicely in his blog post.


Finally, I was touched by the story of the shop teacher. My dad taught shop and industrial arts for decades and now I teach technology. My father has embraced technology and the story reminded me of him a little although he would have been far less resistant to the professional development opportunity.

Throughout the reading I was made far more cognizant of my own fears and look forward to harnessing and channeling them into the life-long process of becoming a better teacher.

The Heart of a Teacher

"Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher." (Palmer, 2007, p. 10)

When I thought about that quote for a while it really helped me remember some of the great teachers I had during my public school days back in Pittsburgh. I was using the wrong criteria when I had my "brain fart" in class and was unable to recall any of my memorable teachers. Mr. Macken, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Schweiger, Mrs. Hardy, Ms. Belton, Mr. Lang, Dr. Bevan, Mrs. Kravitz and especially MR. Kravitz all shared the common thread of the aforementioned quote.

That collective group of teachers had moxie. They had personality. They taught with passion. They had IT. They taught who they were.

I almost feel bad for slighting them. They put so much time into making me the person I am today that I should be sent to teacher "detention" for lack of appreciation. The sense of connectedness my fellow students and I had in each of those classes was obvious and apparent. Those teachers enjoyed being there and we enjoyed bieng in their respective classes.

After reading Chapter 1 I realized that all of them were, in one way or another, mentors to me and my craft. When I think of my love for coaching and extra-curriculars I immediately think about the endless hours Mr. Macken spent coaching and proctoring a plethora of different intramural sports for us. One of my favorite memories from high school was scoring the winning goal in the intramural hockey championship. I carry a little piece of Mr. Macken's charisma with me at each practice I coach during my season.

I could go on and on with similar stories. Ms. Belton reading us "The Hobbit", Mr. Lang always telling us to "choose", Dr. Bevan turning a bunch of tone-deaf jocks into a phenomenal Men's Chorus, Mr. Schweiger being flat-out WACKY and justifying his refusal to wear deodorant because it was OK to smell like a human while wearing crazy ties, and Mr. Kravitz just being so flat out cool we just wanted to be in his class each day are all little pieces of who I am today. When I teach who I am, a large part of me is actually teaching who they were.

I'm grateful to all of them. They shared their courage, their heart and their integrity and I'm better off because of it. Hopefully someday one of my students will come back and tell me they were inspired by something we did together in class. Until then I'll keep teaching who I am and paying the same passion forward that those great teachers paid to me.

With deodorant though...