Is it embedding or is it education?

For my subject specific conference paper I looked at embedding English across vocational courses as I believe, when faced with a blank lesson plan with boxes to tick for the embedding of English, Maths, IT, Employability Skills, British Values, Equality and Diversity and others; time poor tutors quite understandably feel the need to find a way to tick the box so we can get on with teaching the actual subject. I was pleasantly surprised by the results of my research into the difference embedded English and maths programmes can make to learner’s retention and achievement in vocational college settings. I have attached a link to my Sway presentation on this subject.

Ideas around embedding, the obvious positive results it can bring about when done well and the pressure to tick boxes for accountability measures have continued to formulate in my mind since the specialist conference last month. I have been speaking to colleagues about this issue and considering it in light of what it means in the FE sector to be a professional teacher, linking to the hidden curriculum we present to our students. I feel that the engagement in embedding such subjects touches upon our attitudes as teacher to education, the very foundation of what we feel education is for and how we feel the curriculum should be designed and taught. Are we producing educated individuals or proficient workers? Can we do both, challenging the social and economic destinies of our students, allowing them to achieve their potential in an unequal society while enriching their minds?

The embedding of such subjects within our classrooms also has a reliance on our own proficiency and pedagogical content knowledge of them, which puts us in a potentially uncomfortable situation. How do we deal proficiently and confidently with issues we may have low skills in ourselves? How do we as professionals build our skills in the right directions and know where to go to do that? I would suggest this is where community of practice has to come into its own. We have a wealth of knowledge and information to hand in the settings we work and within the people we work with. We need to acknowledge these, be open about our own gaps in knowledge and support each other to build our own skills. As part of that community we also need to share our own knowledge in the manner of fellow professionals, without judgement.

I found it particularly significant that the students in the studies I looked at could see when their vocational tutors did not value their English or maths studies. I find it telling when I come across this in my own classroom or when speaking to my PGCE peers about their experiences in their settings. As educators, we need to stand together and support the validity of our colleagues’ subjects, support our students to achieve in all their classes and work together to show a united purpose and belief in the value of all educational pursuits. I know I need to continue to address my own content knowledge, and will need to strive to build this up not only in my own subject but also in Maths, IT and any other areas relevant to my learners. To be able to embed English or any other subject into the vocational curriculum, we need to learn about the vocational subjects our students are studying. We can do this by leaving our classrooms and staff rooms and visiting our vocational colleagues, speaking to them about the issues they face and building relationships that will be positive for the whole college community from this point.

 

Off the peg v’s tailor made.

I recently had the opportunity to deliver a block of four lessons that had been planned by the head of my department, who is also my mentor. This was an interesting experience for me as a trainee teacher as I was working from someone else’s plan without necessarily knowing where they were going with the lesson or their thoughts on the learning to take place.

The lessons themselves approached the teaching of English Language using part of the Literary Cannon, ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. I was excited by this style of teaching, very different to the texts my class have been exposed to so far this year and a definite challenge for them. I could see how using one text in multiple ways can focus the learning and consolidate what is being achieved with the learners. This has the added bonus of allowing the students to be exposed to language they would not normally encounter in day to day life, I see this as especially valuable for students such as mine who are undoubtedly ‘word poor’ and who struggle to see why they should be studying English at all.

“a child from a high-income family will experience 30 million more words within the first four years of life than a child from a low-income family” (Arney, 2016)

The exposure to the literary cannon for these students is minimal and I feel more and more that access to our cultural heritage is vital for all learners. It felt much more like the lessons I remember from the GCSE classroom of my youth.

I found delivering a pre-planned session worked for me as I was able to focus on refining my explanations and concentrate on the knowledge I wanted to get across to my learners. I felt more confident knowing the resources were of the standard the learners need to get to and I was given the space and time to focus on my own delivery (as a newbie, I find planning can take all the time I have available and I am cramming into the night to prepare for each lesson). It also gave me the opportunity to think about what the learners were learning and how they were expected to learn it. Having the space and time to develop my Pedagogical Content Knowledge felt like a luxury to me.

“Anyone who had ever taught anything knows that it is often only through teaching that one comes to a mature understanding of the materials taught.” (Freestone, 2016)

This year has been very much a learning curve as regards the requirements for the GCSE specifications as well as the Functional Skills specifications; my students are sitting Functional Skills this year to build their skills, qualifications and confidence then moving on to GCSE next year. I have had feedback from observations regarding tightening my explanations and being clear about the content knowledge I am presenting to my learners. I have struggled with this as English has rules, but these can be broken if you are being creative about it; with my literature background the clarity and fixed nature of the English conveyed to learners of English Language to pass exams feels constrictive. However, I have seen the difference it can make to my learners writing and comprehension. Further considering this in my lesson reflections over the year, I am aware that the group I am working with needs a clear structure, for, if you are unaware of the rules, breaking them does not then become innovative or creative.

I was expecting the learners to be resistant to such a dense text however, they did not seem daunted by it at all. They enjoyed finding out historical background to the text themselves, it seemed to give them some investment in the process. Teaching the vocabulary specifically before we approached the reading also made a lot of sense to me as it allowed them to understand the meaning of the text rather than puzzling over the words while we read. The lesson was pitched at the right level to stretch them and had elements of fun within it such as a quick quiz to review and consolidate learning as well as questions rooting learnt words into real life situations. I found it interesting that no matter what the participation in any other activities, give a learner a quiz, with low stakes, and they do engage. I have consistently seen this work with the group, often finding learners who would not normally speak up, will contribute in a quiz situation.

I was also asked to reflect on the process by my mentor to feed into future planning in this manner. The process of reflecting on the sessions while I knew the reflections would be scrutinised was also enlightening, I found myself using a more formal reflective format and considering how to present my reflections carefully, looking at how my class as a group and as individuals responded, what I would do differently and how this could help my department to adjust plans for future lessons. I was aware of the vulnerable position reflecting for others to scrutinise placed me in and this was again interesting as a trainee to consider how truthful teachers feel they can be in this kind of position. I am fortunate in that my mentor has observed my practice regularly and has no illusions as regards my practice or the group of learners I am working with. Even still, I checked and checked again before hitting the send button.

The lessons I taught had a beneficial impact on my planning in that I have been able to use ideas from them to develop lessons I have planned since then. I got to try some methods that worked well with my specific group as well as some that didn’t. I reflected on these and refined them for my own teaching and group. I also found this fed into the community of practice I am part of within my department. With us all teaching from the same hymn sheet for a short period, we were able to compare notes and discuss learners’ responses within different classrooms and with different teachers. I can see definite benefits to this kind of pre-planned lesson format, however within this, teachers need to have the autonomy to be able to adapt in the moment, refining the lesson and delivery in response to the situation and responses of the group.

 

Arney, K. (2016, April 8). Small talk, big impact. TES, p. 28 – 32.

Freestone, S. (2016, April 8). We need a united front on child mental health. TES, p. 18.

Inclusive?

My son loved his pre-school, he was included and I felt happy and comfortable with the care and education he received. I also was very pleased to see him become a member of his own community, forging links with children and families within the area he lives. When it came to choosing a primary school however, I was conflicted. My son has a range of physical, visual, medical and developmental labels; his needs are varied and complex, as he grows, the demands of caring for him increase. My final decision to choose a special school 20 miles from our home was made with sadness as I believe in the power of inclusivity to increase the acceptance of disability and difference in our society. I also believe in education, that everyone deserves to be given the opportunity to achieve their full potential. My decision was in part selfish as I wanted the best opportunities for my son, experts in their field who would know how to bring the world to him (he also loved to travel so I knew he would enjoy his journeys to and from school each day). Financially I felt responsible to society, the complexity of simply moving and handing my son, the cost of specialist equipment and training, the space his equipment would take up in the classroom, the travel costs for specialists to visit the setting, and the demands on the classroom teacher’s time all added up to an unfeasible option in my mind. The school he would have attended if he had stayed in mainstream provision is a good school, one that is not unused to inclusive practice. However, I had to do what I felt was right for him and society. He is still active in his local community, visible and present, and it is my duty to ensure that continues, that he can remain a smiling ambassador for difference in his home town.

I have seen first-hand how difference can be accepted when children are included in mainstream and it makes me joyful to see. My nephew has attended in pre-school and primary with children who are on the autistic spectrum, children who are wheelchair users and he does not see their difference. This was portrayed to me so beautifully recently when he was discussing a child who is a wheelchair user and to clarify between her, and another child of the same name he said “Big Emma*, not Little Emma*”. Children, even when describing someone physically are capable of seeing past the difference. They are also not afraid to look, and we need to be honest and open about difference, we should not avert our eyes, we should look at each other, and smile.

While working in an FE setting I have been impressed by the maturity and acceptance of difference I have seen. There are learners within the setting with a variety of support needs and they are accepted without question.  Difference in ethnic background is has also been accepted without judgement, in and out of the classroom. In class I have used YouTube recordings of speaking and listening presentations by young people from other schools who are of different ethnic groups, and not a word was uttered to recognise or see any difference. It seems inclusion, embracing equality and diversity can break down student’s perceptions of difference in a positive way.

So I was left shocked when a still from the 1962 film of ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ was responded to with racist comments from my students. I have reflected upon this ever since, trying to understand why this image would illicit such a response. My summation is that, although my learners can see the differences within their peers, they do not respond to them because they are the familiar, yet when faced with the ‘otherness’ of people from a different era, in different clothes and of a different age group, they revert to the stereotypes they have as a defence from that ‘otherness’.

The fear of the other becomes particularly accentuated when the other is someone unknown, and when this unknown person seems to be different from the self and from those previously known. (Prieto, 2015, p300)

How do we deal with this fear in our students? When I was lucky enough to attend Trevor Gordon’s lecture, ‘Embedding Equality and Diversity’ this week, he suggested that we can’t stop discrimination from happening, but we can educate our learners as to their responsibility and the implications of their actions, thus making it easier to address the issues when they arise.

Values such as respect and tolerance, derived from an autonomous perspective, allude to ‘‘me’’ and ‘‘you’’ as separate beings. But they do not refer to the ‘‘between’’ that springs from education. This answer concerns ethical reflection, and calls for a notion of living together that considers both differences and commonalities, both understood not as identity or diversity, but as shared experience, as a space and time lived together, and implying the recognition of the dependence that ties human beings. (Prieto, 2015, p.307)

We need to continue to embed equality and diversity whenever we can into our practice, be clear about the responsibilities our students have to each other and ensure they are aware of the rights that coincide with these responsibilities. Much has been achieved by inclusion and I believe much still can be achieved, it is our role to drive this onwards, ensuring out classrooms are welcoming spaces for all.

 

 

*Names changed for anonymity

References

Prieto, M. (2015). The Other from an Educational Perspective: Beyond Fear, Dependence. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 34 (3), 297-309. doi: 10.1007/s11217-014-9442-3.

The ‘Other’ as learner

 

The culmination of a year’s study on my specialist subject area was a two-day conference this week. I was treated to a series of lectures and presentations from some of the most energetic, passionate and inspirational teachers I have had the pleasure to meet. Throughout the two days there was a golden thread of thought, not created by design, I would posit more by necessity.

Lou Mycroft was the first speaker and her appeal to us not to speak of or treat our learners as ‘other’, apart and separate from ourselves, spoke very deeply to me. Her lecture can be found here. This was the beginning of that golden thread of though for me, looking at my colleague’s presentations using the idea of teaching as social responsibility.

Charlie Deane then followed Lou and continued that thread for me, suggesting that we have an impact on our student’s self-worth, their concept of themselves is down to us. Hence the need to not ‘other’ them in our minds, to treat them with respect and as an equal. I need my students to know I care about their futures, that relationship with my students is vital to engage them. Charlie linked this to the growth mindset ideas of Carol Dweak, suggesting that I need to operate in my sphere of influence rather than my sphere of concern (see S Covey’s 7 Habits) to enable me to maintain my focus on making a difference to my students, thus fulfilling the intrinsic motivation for teaching.

The first day was concluded by Steve Baker’s vibrant lecture looking at behaviour for learning. Again, the thread was there, learners need to be welcomed into the classroom, they should know I am happy to be there and happy to be teaching them. To help them to see this I need to be clear that I want the best for them and so the best from them using warmth alongside firmness. This positive and welcoming approach, focusing on positive behaviour to circumvent the negative is again treating the learner with respect, as an individual rather than the ‘other’.

The final lecture of the conference was by Trevor Gordon, who spoke to us about embedding equal opportunities. Yet again there was the overriding respect of the learner and the wish to engage with them as equals in a democratic environment. Trevor pointed out that they have rights, but we must make sure they are aware with those rights come responsibilities. We are unable to see our learner’s whole selves, the history and future they hold, our responsibility is to treat them as individuals, not to judge them or label them as we can not know their potential from outward signs.

Running alongside these speakers were presentations from my subject specialist colleagues who demonstrated a level of care for their learners and passion for their subject that rivalled the lectures. There was a deep concern amongst them all for the challenges their students face in light of the pressures society places on them, the changes to the GCSE English specification and the barriers to learning they experience. However, they showed courage, inventiveness and dedication to their students and their subject. There is a commitment to developing and building a community of practice to share skills, resources and ideas, to reaching and engaging the individuals they work in the best way for those learners. As Lou Mycroft said, and I truly do hope, “a perfect storm is on the horizon for education” (Mycroft, 2016) and with such dedicated professionals with such strong senses of social responsiblity emerging in to Further Education I feel positive for all our learners’ futures.

References

Mycroft, L. (2016, April 4). A New Professionalism: what should a teacher look like in 2020? [Web log post]. Retrieved from  https://teachnorthern.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/a-new-professionalism-what-should-a-teacher-look-like-in-2020/

 

 

Classroom chemistry

My first lesson in my classroom will forever stick in my mind, there was so much to think about it felt like my brain was about to implode. I was left feeling drained both physically and emotionally, wondering how my mentor and the other teachers I observe manage to keep it all going. It also left me thirsting for more, to learn to do it better.

Months down the line another lesson sticks in my mind, my second observation of the year, I was still feeling panicked by the process but, something happened that changed the game for me. My learners and I gelled, I felt at ease, focused and in control, time ceased to matter and I was able to think of all the things I needed to. Don’t get me wrong, there were things I needed to work on still, but I found a balance. That is the feeling I aim for in all my lessons, sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t, and reflecting on this helps me to aim for that perfect balance again.

My latest book purchase is now winging it’s way to me (I seem to be nurturing a quiet obsession with  teaching tomes, and fast running out of storage space). I read about Vanessa Roderiguez’s ‘The Teaching Brain’ in TES recently and it consolidated my thoughts on that feeling of balance within the classroom.  Rodriguez is attempting to ‘quantify what it is that makes good teaching’ (Bloom, 2016) to do this she identifies five awarenesses that expert teachers use to varying levels.

Awareness of teaching practice. Content knowledge, lesson plans, routines, time management, behaviour management and subject knowledge.

Awareness of learner. How pupils learn and knowledge of child development.

Awareness of context. What is your school’s philosophy? What is the culture of the community in which you teach?

Awareness of interaction. There are different types of interactions in teaching: a) reciprocity – “I’m interacting with you, expecting that you will somehow shift. I’ll wait for that shift to happen before I decide what to do next” b) emotional connection – forming a relationship with the pupil, so that you’re interested in doing the best for one another c) between pupil and pupil – recognising that the teacher is not always the best person to deal with every classroom issue.

Awareness of self. Knowing who you are – recognising that you are a product of your gender, your culture and the way you were raised. Also who your pupils are – you can never truly know another human being, so you will always be teaching your own theory of who the learner is, and it will be a theory that is influenced by your own background and experiences.

(Bloom, 2016)

I found the awareness of self particularly interesting, especially when considering my recent blog on ethics in English teaching. We always bring a part of us, our interpretation of the world and our values into the classroom with us. To consider our own perceptions of the student, takes this argument a step further, as teachers we need to avoid bias or making value judgements on our students. I had not considered this aspect in previous reflections of my classroom practice, possibly feeling safe in my professional impartiality as a public servant of 16+ years. However, as Daisy Christodoulou states; We are human, “when we are faced with difficult cognitive challenges we often default to stereotypes.”(Christodoulou, 2015).

In part due to the change in my setting, subject area and teaching age range, this year of my training has seen me develop my skills and knowledge in all of the five areas. This is an ongoing process that I know I will need to keep working on, reading about and practicing. We are never good enough, it is the striving towards that balance and maintaining it for that one lesson that is our reward.

 

 

Bloom, A. (2016, March 25). Love what you do? It’s that old ‘classroom chemistry’. TES, p. 16 – 17.

Christodoulou, D. (2015, November 1). Why is teacher assessment biased? [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://thewingtoheaven.wordpress.com/2015/11/01/why-is-teacher-assessment-biased/.

 

Do we need different horses for different courses?

This academic year’s immersion into teaching a group of 16-19 year olds English GCSE within an FE college has been a steep learning curve for me; the first year of my PGCE was spent in an Adult and Community Learning setting, delivering wider family learning for early engagement alongside employability workshops and craft courses.

The switch to working in a large FE college, all based on one site with teams of teachers delivering subject areas, required a cultural shift in myself. It took time to get to grips with the systems, find out where my team were based (never mind where my classroom was), establish myself as a (albeit a part time and transient) member of the team, undertake the required training for staff and (most importantly) figure out where the break room was. Once settled, I have been profoundly grateful to find myself in a team that supports each other and is dedicated to sharing knowledge, resources and time. Teaching can be a lonely experience and mentors are often busy people (generally it is the busy people who have to most to offer), this year has made me acutely aware of the importance of a strong support mechanism. The community of practice concept (look here for a breakdown of the concept) struck a resonant note with me in light of my experience. Once I found my way into the staff room, I made it my practice to work there whenever I was in college; I was welcomed, supported, included in discussions around teaching and learning, given the chance to observe others teach, asked for my opinion on that teaching and learnt what it means, in that setting, to be an English Teacher. My development towards being a professional teacher has been greatly assisted by this community.

Alongside this process I have been teaching an accredited course with a specification and formal assessment, a far cry from the non-accredited leisure or early engagement courses I am familiar with. Lesson planning needed to be tighter and more focused on the outcomes for the course, whereas previously I was able to ask learners what they wanted to learn, then design the scheme of work around their interests or needs. Previous delivery has been on one day workshops or 5 – 6 week courses, this again required a change of approach to planning.

The combination of working on an accredited course with an age group I have not taught before has been demanding, engaging and petrifying in equal measures. My 16-19 year old group have changed so much over the months I have been working with them. Behaviour has improved, attitudes have changed and skills have developed for us all. Initially I was terrified I would get it wrong for my learners and have been working hard to improve based on feedback from my mentor and observations. Key areas I focused on first were; confidence, voice, ownership of the classroom, use of questioning, clarity of explanations and behaviour management.

I wanted to explore the professional and pedagogical practice I have learnt in the FE setting within an Adult Learning context. Would the skills I had worked on change my delivery in the Adult Learning classroom? I chose two very different classes to explore this; an early engagement employability session with adults in a supported housing setting and a wider family learning session with children and parents in a traditional classroom setting.

My first reflection was from an early engagement class within a supported housing setting. These learners ranged in age from early 20’s to late 50’s, all had their own experiences of the subject matter and very different needs and expectations. There was a parallel to my FE class in that they were required to be there rather than choosing to attend. Behaviour within the session was an issue as regards language use, however, I had to supress my inner FE teacher as the sessions are in the learner’s home, it is their rules. I decided to address language use as a part of the interview training session, looking at formal and informal language and their effects on other’s view of you. I found I did use some of the skills I have developed in FE to increase my effectiveness, I was able to project confidence and my voice, keeping the learners focused on the session using humour and owning the situation. My improved questioning skills also came to the fore, some of the learners were reluctant to engage or see how the session could help, I bounced questions around the room and prompted group discussion to explore and assess all the learner’s needs. When previously working with a group like this, I would have reacted by arranging a one to one to try to engage particular students, the group work was a much more effective method.

I looked at a wider family learning session as in my first year of the PGCE I had struggled to keep control of the room and get the pace right for all the parents and children due to the varied age range. My experience of planning for different levels of need in FE seemed to help me at the lesson planning stage, my resources were more considered and differentiated with extension options. I found the work I had done on owning my classroom space, using my voice and confidence to control the room, changed how the session went dramatically. These sessions have often felt like crowd control, with so many children and adults being active in one room. I was able to stop the class at points and move them on to the next activity as a group, offer extension activities to learners completing tasks early, pace was controlled and the learners gave me some fantastic feedback on an organised and productive session.

I can see clearly that my experiences in FE have enhanced my teaching practice in Adult Learning. Bennett’s five virtues of a teacher:

• Courage
• Wisdom
• Patience
• Compassion
• Justice

(Bennet, 2012, p.67)

are areas I am working on and have kept in mind in my reflections. I believe these cross the boundaries of setting and age group. The virtue of courage in particular has assisted me to confront the challenges I have faced in my teaching practice and I am sure will be drawn upon many times during my career.

 

References

Bennett, T. (2012) Mastering the Art and Craft of Teaching, Continuum International Publishing Group: London

Ethical English Teaching

Ray Mission, speaking at York St John University in November 2015 postulated that English teachers have a unique opportunity to provide learners with the “critical and imaginative tools to combat the ideologies currently trying to subvert society” (Mission, 2015). I have been considering this concept over the ensuing months and have found it encouraging me to question my own ethical stance and responsibility.

Mission suggests ideology and belief are interrelated, passionately held beliefs spring from a synthesis of the person holding them and the ideology surrounding them. “Ideology is a ‘representation’ of the imaginary relationships of individuals to their real conditions of existence” (Althusser, 2006, p. 100). As we develop as individuals, we learn about the world and our place in it through language, this is where the English teacher’s unique position comes to the fore.

So, how would English teaching help to shape a person to assist them to not get locked into a damaging belief system?

In the classroom, asking learners to identify and analyse strategies within a text to persuade us or change our view, can reduce the text’s power; conversely, it can also make it seem cleverer and more believable to the learner. This can be combated with critical analysis of representations, discourse and promotion of critical thinking. However, these are all critical, they would sweep away the ideology, while we need to present a new ‘better’ ideology lest the vacuum created is then filled by another undesirable ideology. To enable learners to accept this new ‘better’ ideology, teachers need to develop learner’s imaginative faculties so they can imagine a possible reality of the future, seeing its impact on others. This involves an element of empathy alongside the ability to envisage alternative ways of being.

All this ties in very neatly with the British Values requirement and Prevent Agenda. I can see how I can embed British Values into lessons on persuasive techniques and how, with careful selection of texts, I can assess learner’s ideological stances in light of Prevent. I found myself reflecting on this aspect of the lecture within my classroom when analysing persuasive texts and considering the power I have to encourage learners to buy into a certain ideology or belief system subversively through a hidden curriculum. I have to question if this an ethical process, where should the ideological line be drawn, and who choses where it is drawn?

Mission went on to state that “there is no way to be objective ethically in teaching English. The ethics are not formed by the work being done as the Ethical framework pre-exists and forms the world around the teacher and students” (Mission 2015). The ethical stance and beliefs I bring into my teaching are mine alone, not objective or inherent to the subject. However, there are legal requirements for me to promote and encourage certain ideological beliefs within my classroom. At this point, beliefs about what education should be for come into play.

It is not just a matter of the adult generation indoctrinating the young and thus inhibiting the evolution of knowledge and of society; it is a matter of one dominant group within society imposing its ideology on society as a whole and thus achieving political control at the expense of freedom of others. ……… There is no better example of this than the practice of adding to the school curriculum whatever happens to be a current fad or predilection of the government in power – for example ‘Britishness’. (Kelly, 2009, pp 47)

Mission suggests education needs to be focused on development of individuals rather than teaching rules, if we can encompass multiple ethical positions within the classroom and promote debate of them, then learners will form fluid concepts of their own identity. This is much more in line with Kelly’s call for a truly educational curriculum, focused on “learning for its own sake and for the development of the individual.” (Kelly, 2009, pp 65)

My role as an ethical teacher of English encompasses development of my learners in a holistic way; encouraging independent thought, development of critical thinking skills and the ability to appreciate and predict the consequences of their actions for themselves and others, equipping them with the confidence and informed knowledge to choose their own beliefs and identity. It is possible to do this while promoting the values society and regulations require me to do, however, I need to consider my own bias and ideological stance while planning to ensure I am as objective as possible.

 

References:

Althusser, L. (2006). Ideology and Ideological state apparatuses (notes towards and investigation). In A. Sharma, A. Gupta (Ed.) The Anthropology of the State, a reader (pp. 86-111). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Kelly, A.V. (2009). The curriculum: theory and practice (6^th ed). London: Paul Chapman.

Mission, R. (2015). “This above all….” The place of ethics in English teaching. [Personal Lecture Notes].

Mirror Mirror

 

While explaining the process of reflection in education to a non-teaching friend recently they inadvertently lead me down a rabbit hole of thought.

No-one is good at what they do initially, they may have a natural talent, but they have to learn how to do it well. If you don’t reflect on what worked and what didn’t, you can’t improve. Take parenting as an example, no-one is a good parent, a natural parent, at first, it is all trial and error, angst and guilt over what we should have done.

The equating of my own role with that of a parent felt like a very real comparison, all too clearly can I remember (and look back at my early reflections, dutifully transcribed) how I was almost paralysed with fear that I might fail my learners in some fundamental way on my first sojourn into the classroom. I feel that responsibility for my own child and even more so for the children I teach; I always have another chance with my child, not so with my class. The time I have with them is limited and so very precious, to be used with the greatest effect I can muster.

Considering reflecting as a natural process we all go through when learning and developing our skills has been helpful to me in my own process of reflection. I have spent the last 6 months using a variety of reflective models to consider my progress, always aiming for the deeper critical engagement with my subject. While in the background, I have been reading, considering and applying the knowledge and concepts to my own idea of what it means to be a teacher in my own context, with my own individual group of learners. That process of awakening as a professional, with a deeper understanding of what the educational landscape means to me in light of my own ethical views, is really what I should have been writing down, not the nuts and bolts of my experience.

If we are to take seriously the emancipatory promise of reflective practice it needs to be lodged within a critical orientation that extends beyond the immediate pedagogic context. Nevertheless, we must not forget the central importance of the pedagogic context as this is the immediate locale of our practice. (Avis, Fisher, Thompson, 2015, p.207)

I will continue to reflect on the day to day experience of teaching as I can see themes emerging from these reflections that will feed into this blog, as well as the benefit of being able to look back on the journey travelled. In addition, I will use this space to draw from the daily reflections, reading, musing and wider experiences to form an overarching view of what is important to me as a professional.

 

References

Avis, J., Fisher, R., Thompson, R. (2015). Teaching in lifelong learning a guide to theory and practice (2^nd ed). Maidenhead: Open University Press.