Category Archives: 2 Prof. Knowledge & Understanding

I don’t know, let me find out.

5 Replies

An enquiring practitioner is ultimately an individual who seeks to gain more relevant knowledge. They further research aspects of interest or need and are then able to relay these to others. This allows the investigative work to become more than reflection, while also consolidating information that has been learned. For us on our journey to becoming teachers, it is of benefit to fully immerse ourselves in this ethos, as it is hoped that practitioner enquiry will become a day-to-day occurrence in Scottish schools.

As a student teacher the concept of being an enquiring practitioner seems to fit nicely with the theories and inputs we have heard so far and indeed what we do as university students- learn. If we expect and encourage student autonomy we have to also be ever improving as teachers. Learning and sharing of information should be on going. As students we use the eportfolios to highlight and hopefully discuss areas of research and interest. It is reassuring for me, as a student teacher that as a qualified teacher there are guidelines in place to justify and encourage ongoing knowledge. We are in a modern society and teachers can come under scrutiny; we are not the once entirely trusted “do as the teacher says,” profession. To have documented and shared research to back up our teaching and methods, will help us fair against any doubts or insecurities parents or colleagues may have. That is of double benefit as through practitioner enquiry we adopt a more critical eye and will therefore be in the position to improve our own practice. An enquiring practitioner can foresee possible routes of research and further study; for pupils and teachers alike. Another benefit is the impact our research can have on the curriculum, to make change we must be the change. It is through collaborative and engaged research that those suggestions lead to action. Being an enquiring practitioner will open the door and be a direct link to the passion we have for our chosen line of work. As a student teacher our grasp on being an enquiring practitioner can benefit us on placements; being able to engage in the wider school community and contribute to any meetings, parents evenings, in-service days, workshops etc. No teacher should rest on the laurels of past techniques, without knowing that is the best current method.

So lets look critically at the concept of the enquiring practitioner. To me, a student teacher, there was that level of assumption that this idea of on-going learning and evaluative investigative research was a given. So giving it a name and a section of GTCS was a bit of an eye opener. For me this highlighted that not all teachers engaged in on-going research or peer interaction and valuable development. Another disadvantage or critique would be the self-serving role of individual research. The want to highlight new ideas and thinking without a critical and professional approach; not engaging deeply enough with these. As a student teacher we will also have to question and practice becoming an enquiring practitioner on placement. This means we will have to take into consideration that what works for one school may not work for another. Don’t blindly adopt techniques without doing further situational research. Indeed it may be hard to focus on research coming to a productive end. Pulling in research when necessary and not allowing tangents, unrelated to teaching, to occur. Also, thinking from a student teacher, perspective; imagine going through hours of engaging research to then be told by peers or higher governing bodies that the work is of no significant value or to go back to the drawing board. It is throughout our student lives that we will gain the expertise to cope with this constructive criticisms and keep the drive.

I’ve found as a student teacher that most lectures are new and exciting, but what can’t be covered in the hour long lecture is up to us to research. To practice becoming an enquiring practitioner I have to take the initiative and engage in conflicting ideas/methods/theories as well as my peer group. By doing I can become.

…if we are to achieve the aspiration of teachers being leaders of educational improvement, they need to develop expertise in using research, inquiry and reflection as part of their daily skill set.’ (Donaldson, 2011:4)

You can learn from me

Leave a reply

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the mental condition resulting in a lack of correct social behaviours and interactions. Currently identified through parental interviews and observational studies, it effects an increasing number of today’s children and can be identified from as young as 2. Although signs can be seen from as early as 1, they are too ambiguous and traits too common at that early stage.

When autism was first identified by Leo Kanner in 1943 he suggested it was a result of cold parenting. Later in 1967 Bettelheim considered autism as an emotional disturbance resulting from early lack of attachment. It is currently known that autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurobiological condition. Many argue that it errs on the side of genius, dependent on what part of the spectrum the child is on. Indeed extensive research carried out by Carper and Courchesne have shown consistently that the size of an ASD child’s brain is larger than average, namely 5-10% bigger in volume from 18 months. Backing the idea that people who have ASD are unable to do necessary pruning to synapses and carry information and knowledge that people without ASD would have “cut back”.  There are current studies that are trying to link genes – to areas of the brain – to patterns of behaviour. Tracking the neural pathways when people are given facial expressions to recognise, then seeing the neural activation this causes, can help understand a person’s ASD. When specific patterns are observed within generational studies they can be linked to the genetic alleles (psychological and physical traits of a gene) thus binding behaviour to genetics. I found the study fascinating.

Autism-Brain-Pictures-1

But how does ASD impact upon the learning environment? Autism is a condition that can ostracise and compartmentalise a child and their family. However, this is happening less and less through early identification of needs and the implementation of working solutions to aid these children to lead happy and accepted lives. Social skills and interaction are somewhat challenging for children with ASD. Having worked closely with children who have ASD I know all too well how personal it can all feel. What have I done wrong? Why can’t I engage with this child? But the truth is the connection takes time and effort, delving into their complex world’s one step at a time. Continuous routine and the use of PECS (picture exchange communication system) were tools used to assist the individuals who were immersed in mainstream education settings.  As a teacher it must be a challenge in itself to get that framework in place quickly, while involving and informing the class as a whole. There’s nothing worse than it being a “oh that’s for Billy, don’t touch” within a class, children are tactile and inquisitive, I believe involving and informing them can only be a beneficial thing. Children are very different to adults, the unknown doesn’t evoke fear within the majority, they just want to know why? Inform them so it’s not just a condition or a picture they can’t touch; it becomes a tool for a peer and in doing so it becomes personal.

Many techniques used to help a child with ASD are also good for the classroom as a collective; creating quiet spaces, giving children time to process information, setting clear classroom rules, buddy systems for the playground and teaching social skills. It must then be of benefit to have these systems in place from the offset. Unlike behaviour issues, ASD should be seen for what it is, an entirely different way of thinking and at times, a way that is insightful. So the more exposure and information we have on the condition as students the more able we will be to meet the needs of an ever growing demographic of the classroom.

“normal”

Leave a reply

Children come to teachers, on average, at 5 years old. This is just after a big growth spurt, just as they have learnt the right word for that odd looking fruit in tesco, just as they have established that first ‘best friend forever’, just as they can kick that football as far as the park gate. The trepidation they must feel walking into the classroom full of somewhat unfamiliar faces, a crisp white shirt on and some itchy trousers. Then the added assumption that these 5 year old’s are walking into that classroom with what is deemed a “normal” family and a secure attachment .

Now imagine you’re that 5 year old, who for no fault of your own, have had a far from “normal” childhood. Walking into yet another unfamiliar space, another adult they have to listen to and another environment where they lack control. Many theorists believe healthy, predominantly maternal, attachments create a balanced adult: Bowlby, Ainsworth and Harlow. But what happens to those children who have lacked this prior to primary school? Do they become insecure, vulnerable children who we can’t help?

The psychoanalyst Francoise Dolto went through a difficult childhood herself and created a theory based on a lack of adult understanding and sought to help children release and discover their individual inclinations. She believed the adult should be a role model and example opposed to imparting methods. This approach resonated with me, children today will experience and be savvy to much more than even my generation would have known. Dolto believed the educator’s role was to teach children how to lead themselves. Amazingly a nursery was opened in Paris in the late 20th century that was based on Dolto’s theories. The Maison Verte was a nursery setting for the child and their parent, to help create a stepping stone into the education system and reduce separation anxiety. These settings are still around today. Indeed it is a setting I would love to experience myself. I believe it is best to facilitate a child’s own interests, engage in their positive aspirations alongside them.

There are other psychologists who advocate multiple attachments. Bruno Bettelheim helped give insight into childcare systems, he studied children living communally in what was called a kibbutz in Israel. The children all lived away from the family home in special houses. This may have developed less one to one attachments but they thrived socially and built meaningful friendships. Contrary to his presumption that the children would become mediocre adults they, on the whole, thrived and became successful individuals. So peer relationships can help form meaningful attachments.

If a child’s attachment isn’t insecure but is enough to cause occasional ambivalent behaviours what challenges do educators face? There is little chance that in the 35 hours teachers have a child each week they can reverse or overshadow the home environment. It is therefore crucial school can be a place of trust and understanding, where a child can be a child. Encouraging play in the classroom as much as possible, engaging with the outdoors and allowing education to occur as naturally as possible. Indeed psychologist Michael Rutter, who refuted Bowlbys claim of a single secure attachment to the mother, voiced that family discord was the source of antisocial behaviours, not maternal deprivation. I have to side in favour of Rutter, a child may have always lacked a steady, loving mother. In no means does that label the child as unloved and lacking attachment.

Virginia Satir also highlighted the importance of the family unit on attachments. Her study delved into the role a person plays and adapts at times within the family and the seed this plants for adulthood. She voiced the importance of positive emotional connections in order to stay true to ones authentic self. This, to me, shows the compensatory role some children adopt when they feel unsure of an attachment. They want to feel included, loved and their needs attended to. So if a mother lacks the drive to provide all of these the wider family can. Families come in all shapes and sizes, even foster families. I have been witness to the wonder of a good foster setting, the turn around in that child within a short space of time was so encouraging.

Being exposed to attachment theory and all it’s complexities it’s hard not to notice obvious lack of meaningful attachments. When we hear the horror stories from Romanian orphanages or see grave images of children systematically left to fend for themselves on the streets of other countries we are shocked and appalled. This stark need for care and love may not be as apparent in a small council school in Dundee but it may still be there. 1 in 5 Scottish children are living in poverty, in Dundee that becomes 1 in 4 and in the worst affected areas within Dundee that becomes 1 in 3. Half of these children are from “working families”, the effect this can have on family dynamics and the level of stress and anxiety within the home is cause for concern. Away from the home the teacher can adopt the Social Learning Theory advocated by theorists like Bandura, where positive interaction can lead to healthy attachments.

It is hard to disconnect our own experiences and childhoods from those children we come into contact with. Expecting their lives to mirror our own, in some strangely ingrained manner. Not all children will have a mother at home. Not all children will have a sole attachment. That doesn’t discredit the attachments they do have and the ones they deem beneficial and important.

 

Me, Me, Me

1 Reply

Completing a questionnaire about learning styles seems borderline irrelevant when we are geared towards creating holistic individuals, however, I was keen to find out what type of learner they thought I was. I have been reading more and more about how learning styles are detrimental. One of the reasons being, you are catering to a child’s strength not improving upon a weakness. I can see how this can be a hindrance but I found it beneficial to highlight what areas I need to work on.

There are many learning style theorists; Gunn and Gunn, VAK learning styles, Gregorc’s mind styles and Kolb. The questionnaire I took was the Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire, influenced by Kolb’s experiential learning styles. The questionnaire has 4 basic experiential learning style outcomes; Activist, Reflector, Theorist and Pragmatist. Out of 80 questions I related to 34 and these are my results

Activist = 14              Reflector = 4           Theorist = 8               Pragmatist = 8

These show that I have, according to Honey and Mumford an Activist learning style. I am in short, a do-er. My criticism’s towards this sort of questionnaire were that I found the questions very non specific and they were hard to give a definite answer to. There was only one question I answered with a whole hearted YES and that was “I prefer to respond to events on a spontaneous, flexible basis rather than plan things out in advance.” Now I know very well that I cannot and do not approach my university work like this… I’d say I utilise aspects of the 4 and want everything as perfect as I can make it.  If I had answered these questions in my youth or prior to having my daughter I know my answers would be very different.  So it is correct in the sense that we all have different ways we think, regarding our overall learning style, but it is not definitive of who I am or the only way I learn. If I reflect, so far, on my time at University I know I have come into contact with at least 4 different teaching styles/methods/approaches. If I didn’t have the skills to decipher those “styles” with my learning style I would be in a pickle.

Children should be seen as individuals and exposure to varying approaches and involvement within their community will hopefully shape them to be all types of learners. They will develop, change and expand their learning the more “styles” they use in their enquiries and as they grow. If a child is solely taught in one teaching style you are not creating the opportunity for praxis and collaboration of ideas. It is imparting on the children a sense of how to do things in the wider world. Take an onus for their holistic learning, not “training” them to seek out chances to use a specific style.

This appears to be a bash at learning styles, maybe my inner Activist took hold. Joking aside, compartmentalising a child is a restriction. That restriction may also apply to the teacher if learning styles are focussed on too heavily. Understanding of learning styles should be used as a primitive base for teachers to comprehend the vast responsibility that is: teaching. We are aiming for inspirational stimulation in the classroom and I believe that concentrated focus and labelling of learning styles detracts from this.

 

 

A Messy Divorce

2 Replies

The GTCS code regarding social media and its use is clear in conveying the importance of conscientious contribution to the world of Social Media. For all the perks of the profession and the reward, it is also in the GTCS’ best interests that the teachers of Scotland conduct themselves in a manner that instils trust within the pupils, parents and society.

In my opinion I feel teachers would be perceived as out of touch and reluctant to be forward thinkers themselves if they didn’t embrace Social Media in some-way or another. Social Media should be seen as an extension of the classroom and if the teacher is willing to marry their private life to that professional space, they are doing so against guidance. Social Media as an entity is judgemental and self-involved. Understanding the intense pressure there is to be involved in Social Media is the first step. It is everywhere! Instead of adopting a “retreat!” attitude, as teachers, we should be innovating ways to make it benefit the pupils. If you want your private life to stay as such, insure you have the correct settings. I know myself that I have a private Facebook and Instagram account, however my Pintrest is public. I find Pintrest a positive space, devoid of too many trolls or negative comments and enjoy searching recipes, fashion design and rainy day projects. Social Media has the power to portray the teacher as holistic, human, relatable and approachable. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram cannot help but become personal, the line is blurred before the first post is even created. It is all about how you feel and what you think, the temptation to blurt a rant on Facebook is all too easy. Emotions are at the core, “liking”, “reposting”, “#selfie”. Marrying the private and professional aspects exposes the teacher to scrutiny and to befriend a pupil or parent goes against the guidance laid out for us as part of our regulatory body.

So, if I feel Facebook and twitter are too personal and places like glow are too professional or not inclusive of parents then what space do I use? If Social Media is to be a positive experience for all involved, what can I do to get it incorporated?

Pinterest and YouTube are easily accessible, BoB is useful for keeping track of educational programmes. I think many of these social media platforms bring the real world to the classroom. Live connections that can change the setting instantly; evoke instant emotion and discussion. Insuring first and foremost that you are well versed in the lingo, savvy about safety and aware of the omnipresence that Social Media has become. If use of social media is approached in the same manner a teacher would approach a book or a project; well planned, concise and relevant, then there is no detriment to the pupils.

We are now part of a culture that sees children exposed too young, to so many inappropriate images. The need for them to relate and conform to society is a growing pressure and instead of teachers shying away from the subject of social media they need to be seen as a guide. In saying that they also have to guide parents. Why can’t social media be used positively to bridge the gap between home and school? Indeed, between personal life and school?

I looked into this and within a few searches I found a site called Edmodo, a space for pupils, teachers and parents alike. It claims to keep parents in the loop about upcoming assignments, eases use of on the go learning and makes class comprehension something you can analyse mid lesson. For teachers it has all the benefits of social media in a professional context. This appears to be catered to the English curriculum but it’s very interesting how sleek and appealing it looks. Could it be the Facebook for teachers?

As a parent my-self the horror stories regarding misuse of Social Media seem to be splayed everywhere. This doesn’t deter me from encouraging Social Media use in the classroom but it does highlight the need for dialogue. Attitudes will not change if the horror stories are continuously repeated and then documented, ironically, on news sites and Social Media. We teach children how to cross the road, how to construct a sentence but when it comes to Social Media it appears to be them teaching us. Children are all too aware of the independence they can feel on the “big bad internet” and it is our job to show them how to handle that independence and use it to a positive end.

Children have created the frame, catapulting social media into the classroom and we must help them keep within age appropriate boundaries but make the content engaging and beneficial. They will see massive changes in their lifetime. When I was 5 I never imagined I’d be using the internet to converse with people all over the world instantaneously. Actually, when I was 5, there was no internet! If I can’t resist using Social Media in my personal life then surely I can utilise it in my professional life? By following the Professional Guidance on the Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media as guidelines we can help shape the positive use of Social Media in the classroom. There is opportunity to bypass media hegemony and use Social Media to mould a more Just society

World Wide Wondering

Leave a reply

Plato believed that the man who explores the wider world can experience a more fulfilling life; his allegory on the Cave providing an educational philosophy striving for justice and the creation of a just world. The concept of dialogical teaching, disrupting a pupil’s grasp of a subject to show them how to engage in agonistic debate. This idea that knowledge is an absolute form to work toward and that everyone should be taught subjects that engage them in the World. The world in which Plato lived was a far cry from today’s, yet the sentiment rings true. Children’s learning should always be ongoing, becoming.

In a few of our recent lectures we have touched on the importance of societal changes on education. Indeed many philosophers such as Dewey, Greene and Gramsci all lived through or were impacted by the shattering of the norm. So these forward thinking people created educational philosophies based on the need for revolution. After atrocities such as the First World War, when people realised that other human beings can act in ways that will make us question our own morality.

The growth of capitalism in Gramsci’s time drove him to create a philosophy where teaching techniques would be impacted by the issues that impacted the community. Gramsci was very aware that people created their own forms of oppression; we are manipulated by the media we are a part of. This is so relevant in today’s society, relevant to our children and the instant world they are a part of. We need to know what informs the learning environment if we are to impact upon techniques.

Philosopher Friere elevated the concept of gaining knowledge through disruption (aporia) to praxis; believing that dialogue was not enough and critical reflection on action was needed to better the world. These philosophers slowly introduced student autonomy. Even though we are still not there, I believe that acquisition of knowledge begins with questioning the world. We start as babies, making noises and reacting to what is going on around us. The adults in our world respond as they see fit. When we start to ask questions it is then that all effort should be made by those around us to engage and nurture inquiry and action. I know myself, as a mother of a truly inquisitive three year old, that there are only so many “why’s??” I can answer. I genuinely believe that I don’t always have to give a sensible answer, I can sometimes answer with a question or lead the line of question to a tangent and watch her find out by herself.  It’s beautiful to watch.

If children are encouraged to inquire into their own education and they are given the tools to transcend certain contexts to reach a rewarding outcome, then the world would be a more harmonious place. Maybe harmonious is the wrong word, maybe as educator’s we would know those we guide would be able to lead and to follow, delve into agonistic debate and act upon emotions in a discerning manner. International Baccalaureate Schools (IB) are a progressive education system based on the theorist Boyer. Boyer’s theory (very concisely) was the school as a community, a curriculum with coherence, a climate for learning and a commitment to character. These are all implemented within the schools to provide a portable education. From what I have read, there seems to be similarities with our own Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), however it is more hands on and the subjects more aesthetic. It may be that the CfE is still being discovered. I wonder if it will take more universal change to implement a way of learning that is as conceptually based as the IB. I am definitely looking forward to learning more about this approach and to infuse this concious approach in my own teaching.

What do you see?

3 Replies

So philosophy was something I’d never touched on in any great detail. It had always scared me a little, with the open ended answers and taxing questions of such great depth. Friday’s lecture was a smorgasbord of interesting tales and insightful theories. I decided to look a bit more into Maxine Greene, see how her philosophical approach to education could improve me as a future educator. Firstly I’d like to highlight that I think philosophical conversation should be encouraged with all age groups. Children have such fresh and mesmerising views on the world that it would be a shame to not tap into that. I thought a group chat about a piece of art would be a starting point and then let them interpret the piece with their own media. Anyway, I digress.

As adults we sympathise greatly with the figure of childhood. Children bring back the memories of our own childhood and we have the need to keep them safe (on the whole). As a child, at home I was free to indulge myself in any one of my interests, whether that was drawing on the garage walls, painting giant butterflies on old cardboard boxes or making towers out of video tapes. Then in the classroom I had to learn subjects that would make me all grown up. My education was a mish mash of home and the classroom and although I know it was necessary for me to learn the subjects we were taught I can’t help but question there relevance or importance. Are basics enough? Then a child’s own thinking should take over? “Growth is not something done to them it is something they do” (John Dewey, Democracy and Education, p41) This quote from John Baldacchino lecture sat with me. As teachers we must facilitate this growth so whatever the children has an urge to do… do we help them do that? Maxine Greene said “Place children in speech and free writing situations in which they can find out what they think and why” (Greene, Releasing the Imagination p. 54). I agree that children’s thoughts should flow and be reared into knowledge by us as educators. I don’t know, however, if the current system and set up of classrooms allows such self study in primary schools.

Greene believed in aesthetic education, namely aesthetic encounters. So the arts and exposure to aesthetic encounters from all fields of art were opportunities to learn and grow. In Greene’s, Variations of a Blue Guitar she states “to be ready to see new dimensions, new facets of the other, to recognize the possibility of some fresh perception or understanding” So when art is truly seen and thought is taken to engage productively you will gain from that experience. I hope as a teacher I will be able to introduce children to art and the joy of being able to analyse and dig deep into the unseen facets of a piece. Exposure to the arts can only broaden an individuals perception of the world and we are working toward a more multi-cultural society. Within the Curriculum for Excellence we encourage children to apply critical thinking in new contexts and be aware of our place in the world, I can see the important gravitas that aesthetic encounters can have on these capabilities.

Male/Female…. did it matter?

3 Replies

Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between, masculinity and femininity.

I personally never felt being a female effected my education. I was always in a mixed group for classes and spent just as much time building bridges from junk as I did going to a calligraphy group. Interacting with boys in the classroom was easy and encouraged but as soon as we stepped out onto the playground the segregation happened. Boys ran off to play football as the girls huddled to do handstands and gossip. I wasn’t aware that this was inequality or an injustice against me because it was my own choice. Is it innate that we group according to gender? Do hormones play a roll in our interest or interaction with the opposite sex and was I treated in a more gentile manner because of my gender?

I found this document from 2007 highlighting the links between gender and inequality…

Although I have found reflecting on my own primary experience (way back in 1993-2000) has magnified the drastic social changes that children are relating to more and more. Gender confusion in younger children, the need to use gender as a form of identification i.e. transgender and how this must impact upon their lives. I believe as a teacher I will have to be aware of how I refer to a child, that should be as a person and as an individual. So, “boys line up first”, “can the girls all put their coats on” and “pick a girl to dance with” will become antiquated language.