As a teacher of over 20 years, I feel that I have been facilitating for quite some time. One thing that I have learned is that I have not spent much time verbalizing these experiences and that it is not easy to do. Second, I have realized that over the pandemic, it has been a huge shift. At first, I tried to recreate these learning environments virtually. Over time and especially during my MALAT journey, I have realized that I don’t have to and in fact it is more beneficial when I don’t. A lot of my decisions have been implicit and make use of tacit beliefs. After much reflection, I have realized that I take an iterative approach to design and learning. I feel I enjoy working like this and that there is always another layer to peel and reveal something new I can improve upon.
I do have two questions to pose. First, what can I do to better reflect and truly observe my own work without bias and have a better objective view? Is that possible? I feel the older I get and the more experience I have, the more my past experiences colour the present. I want to remain open and flexible. I sometimes feel I am less flexible.
September 3, 2022
Great initial thoughts, Sam and believe me when I say you are not the only person who has taught for decades but still finds it difficult to articulate their pedagogy. Kudos to you for even realizing this as my experiences working within the post-sec system has taught me that not all instructors are even aware there is a gap in their own understanding of not only how, but more importantly why they teach the way they do. Hopefully your MALAT journey is helping to provide that language.
September 5, 2022
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post, Clint. I have always had a fear of getting older and losing that connection with students. I have observed that all of my colleagues including myself have changed over the years and especially during the pandemic. My MALAT journey has helped me build my confidence and I do feel it is providing me that language I never knew I needed. Thank you!
September 4, 2022
Hi Sam,
You pose a really good question about how to reflect on your work more objectively and without bias which has got me questioning my own reflection. Have you come up with some possible solutions to your question? I have found that having others observe me while working can be helpful as well as calibrating with my team to ensure consistency and accuracy for clinical purposes. Any discrepancies can be discussed with the team to come to a consensus.
I am curious about the image you selected. Does this show that the view (your view) is changing? The contrast of old vs. new? Would love to hear more.
September 5, 2022
Thank you, Gail.
I think that you are right. Before the pandemic we were observed every 4 months and teachers who have been working at our organization for 10 years or longer were observed every year. It was helpful but now as our school is in such a crunch trying to find new teachers and staff, this has fallen to the wayside for now. We do still get feedback every month from students through Survey Monkey and I feel that is always helpful. They can be direct, honest and it is anonymous.
The photo is of a muralist who has been planning her mural for quite some time but it seems to be a continual work in progress. I feel that my teaching is a continual work in progress. Sometimes I feel like things are going great but sometimes I realize I need to change things and learn new things to stay relevant.