Entry: Max Van Manen (Pedagogical Sensitivity)

   The first quote from the article that stood out to me was, "A compliment should be meaningful and should not be granted indiscriminately because, if given too  readily and too freely it may lose its significance."  I found this quote raised an interesting question of how to properly raise a child's confidence and fits into what I perceive to be conventional wisdom. In regards to a pedagogical perspective, however, it would be challenging to develop the ability to incorporate this advice. Each student would react differently to compliments, and more importantly, each compliment would bear a varying significance to the student.

   The next quote which caught my attention was, "Teacher educators have generally become quite aware that the tried 'knowledge into practice' model of teacher training in universities falls short of effective professional preparation." As an aspiring teacher, I found it quite interesting how there seems to be a strong opinion that teacher training is inadequate in preparing future teachers. This seems quite contrary to what conventional wisdom would tell us. I am curious to find out how the pedagogical approach with which one takes in the classroom differs from the one taught in university and how it fits into the broader field of education.

   Finally, I was fascinated by the final quote of, "We might even say that the practical knowledge of teaching resides in the things that surround us: the physical dimensions of the classroom that I recognize as my room to which my body is adapted." I feel that it is quite unconventional that teachers could consider themselves simply a part of the classroom, rather than the classroom to be a tool to be used at the teachers' discretion. I feel that this is quite significant and not simply semantics, and would drastically alter the methods that a teacher would find themselves using in class.

   To develop these skills as a teacher, it is necessary to have several requirements: (a) to have experience in the role as educator, (b) to read and discuss with other educators, and (c) to reflect upon one's own teaching in relation to (a) and (b). These practices have a great impact upon students, as they directly affect the methods and tools through which to acquire knowledge and modify their learning environment. By reflecting and adjusting their methods, in conjunction with the shift in students' attitudes and behaviour, the teachers will also have a completely new experience.

Exit: Alfi Kohn and Jo Boaler

   I found Kohn's opinion on positive reinforcement to be incredibly interesting because I am not sure where I stand on this matter. Part of me immediately thinks, "that's common sense, because if we give positive reinforcement for sharing, then the gratification of sharing is replaced by the positive reinforcement from our parents/instructors". But then another part of me has a knee-jerk reaction in opposition which says, "we should give positive reinforcement when children do the correct thing, so that they know that society approves and encourages the behaviour and by extension, we discourage selfishness". I hope that this is a subject that we can discuss in class in more detail.

   In contrast, I was very much in agreement with Boaler's opinion of multi-dimensional teaching. I can understand why some people like the traditional method of teaching the subject and then letting the students listen and practice it, as that is what they are familiar with. However, I think that that method would only work for people who either understand math easily or only know how to learn material in this manner. By incorporating multi-dimensional teaching, you can encourage students of all levels to play with it, share opinions, see more worldly uses of math, and become active learners. This would engage a wider variety of students and seems like a better method all around.

Entry: On Becoming a Reflective Teacher

   The article may be old, but it is hardly telling as the ideas have not changed. As a candidate teacher, it made me consider what I did as an EFL teacher and whether those actions were routine or reflective. Being a new teacher, I obviously had to reflect on what was and wasn't working in my classroom so that I could fit into the school nicely. However, was this reflection under the definition proffered by Grant and Zeichner? I would answer that as a no. Firstly, I don't think that I practiced pure open-mindedness. I was trained by the headmaster of the school and followed their methods, as I had no prior experience. When things did not work, I asked for their advice and followed from that. It is true that I was open to new ideas, but by only pursuing one avenue of new methods, I was not fully open-minded. In a similar way, I was not partaking an attitude of 'responsibility', as I was adhering too closely to my mentor's practices and did not consider the consequences of my methods.

   I feel that this article helped me re-examine what reflection truly is. Prior to reading it, I would have told you that I was reflecting and evaluating myself as a teacher. Now, however, I feel that reflection is a deeper process which involves a more rigorous method of critically analyzing your processes and their effectiveness. I hope to become more critical, re-assessing teaching methods and curriculum in new ways regardless of their popularity or support from other teachers, as this gives a constant avenue for growth and continual learning and improvement.

Exit: Frank McCourt

   I feel that McCourt cherished teacher inquiry, and he shows this by putting so much focus on understanding his students and putting his effort into helping them rather than teaching to them. His experiences with letting angry students vent and agreeing with them, rather than stopping them, was the most enlightening to me. In my own experiences I have found it rather difficult to not take things personally and realize what a boon it would be to harness that trait and use it to help the students' understanding by releasing their frustrations.

   He also demonstrated his views on inquiry by placing an emphasis on educating himself about his students' lifestyle and culture. I think that this is an often overlooked aspect of teaching, which is crucial to create a connection to the students. You don't need to "act like" the students, but it is important that you understand their perspective so that you can tailor your teaching towards them.

   You need to constantly update your methods and keep them in touch with your students. In summation, I would quote the words of McCourt: "If you are teaching and not learning, you are not teaching".