Stefanie Asks Questions

"Recognition is inextricably intertwined with selfhood and personal identity" "the practical active knowledge that animates teaching is something that belongs phenomenologically more closely to the whole embodied being of the person as well as to the social and physical world in which this person lives" "our actions are sedimented into habituations , routines, kinesthetic memories ... [and] are sensitive to the contigencies , novelties and expectancies of our world." I'd like to unpack these quotations with reference to the Heideggerian term Befindlichkeit  that Manen mentions and to the Greek term phronesis that he alludes to when talking about 'practical wisdom.' Central to both of these concepts is the idea of situatedness/embodiment/being-in-the-world. For Manen, and for me, this idea of temporal, spatial and individual existence is the critical piece, oft underemphasized by students, of teaching education. It reminds me of th...

At the end of this past class, I found myself with lots and lots of questions. Here are some of the big ones I've been thinking about since then: How does this model clash with the concept of Obchenie? This class came on the heels of our discussion of the interrelational nature of teaching/learning as it was understood by Vygotsky. He saw the social nature of education as a crucial aspect of the act of learning. At first glance, it seems that flipping the classroom would take away from the social nature of learning by making instruction one-sided. But after listening to Khan speak, it became clear that putting the stand and deliver model aside actually creates much more time for direct, one-on-one interaction in the learning environment. And not just between teacher and student, but between peers, a practice that is known to positively impact students of all abilities and levels. My concern with this model is that introducing new topics in an environment outside of teacher contr...

The idea of wholeheartedness in this article really speaks to me. Living in a society so caught up in effectiveness and time-management, it can be difficult to see the value of taking extra time to meet the needs of our students at the margins . Societal values of getting the most reward from the least effort run seem contrary to these extra steps. This balancing act of limited time, resources and energy is ubiquitous and eternal. We will never be able to reach every student or accomplish every goal. But, in my experience, the practice of reflection makes me better prepared not only to make these tough choices but also to intuit and predict the possible outcomes . The more I make  observations, think critically about myself and my practice, and implement changes, the better I become at observing, thinking critically and implementing change. On a more fundamental level, being wholehearted resonates with my personal values and my identity. I am the kind of person who becomes e...

"You have to go where adolescents are" - Frank McCourt The more I learn about teaching the more I realize that it is a constantly shifting balancing act. Am I professional enough but not too distant? Am I engaging my students but also teaching the required curriculum? Am I honouring teenage experiences but not overstepping on parents' rights? For Frank McCourt, erring on the side of adolescent realities was a key component of his practice of Teacher Inquiry and Teaching by Inquiry. Being true to his students informed not only the way he comported himself and interacted with his students, but also they actual material and lessons he taught. By being personal and personalizing his class material, McCourt engaged his students in an honest and meaningful way. I intend for student realities to inform my own practice, but the extent to which this will be possible is very dependent on school context. I admire McCourt's dedication to honesty, but wonder how much presen...

What three areas am I initially interested in regarding my Inquiry 1 & 2 project? Consent Understanding and respecting consent is one of the fundamental necessities for human interaction. And yet, we have a societal tendency to undermine or ignore children's boundaries both inside and outside the classroom. Sometimes, when the child's safety is a concern, an adult must intervene. But how much do we ignore student consent in order to accomplish our goals? My interest in this area is finding out how these actions impact students' ability to learn. Moreover, how to we healthily and helpfully incorporate non-coercive practice into the classroom? Additions - How do we balance student comfort and the learning goals? Sex and Gender Education There is plenty of literature to support the positive impact of comprehensive, realistic sex education. My question is how sex education impacts students' learning in other areas. We know that by the time they've hit grade 7...

Controlled confusion . Is this an oxymoron? Educational neuroscience reminds us that excess stress - when all you see on the board is hieroglyphs or the white hot panic when Teacher asks you a question and you're not even sure it was in English - gets in the way of learning. And not just a little. Chronic experience of excess stress will actually re-wire the brain in such a way that it can no longer properly regulate emotion. Imagine trying to concentrate when your body is in a constant state of fight, flight or freeze . It's obvious, then, that confusion has no place in the classroom. But is it? One of the tensions expressed in educational neuroscience and effective learning is that there is an optimal level of stress. Too much gets in the way, but too little does also. Learning is hard, and in order to make the cognitive jump to higher understanding, we need a little oomph. Healthy stress is an incredibly useful motivator. In this way, Teacher must balance on one scale  a ...

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Teacher Inquiry! Together we will explore some of the inumerable questions about teaching, learning and everything in between.