Over the course of my last few years of education, I have encountered Gude's Postmodern Principles a number of times. I've looked extensively at them through the lens of curriculum and pedagogy as these are foundational concepts in the philosophy of our program. However, this encounter was different. Gazing through the looking glass of reflective teaching, I was looking for evidence of these principles in my classroom, my teaching, and my student's work. What I find is that, although postmodern principles such as these so present themselves in my classroom, I'm not utilizing them to their full potential.
Through both of these articles, in one way or another, Gude is challenging us to really consider how we are cultivating creativity in our classrooms. It's not the first time I've been asked or have asked that question of myself, and it remains a surprisingly difficult question to answer. We show up, we present the students with questions, ideas, and materials, and we assume that creativity is being exercised, that growth is happening, that meaning is being made. Surely, sometimes it is so, but like the dispirited teacher and student described in the playing, creativity, and possibility article, it may not be happening for everyone all the time, or at least not to the degree that may be possible. Anxiety and Resistance are ever-present daemons for both teachers and students. How do we master them and take away their power? If the root of these evils is self-consciousness and fear, only trust can defeat them. It's not easy to establish trust in the one hour per week you may have with students and once you get it, it remains a delicate, sometimes ephemeral entity.
"Conditions of psychological safety and freedom that make creativity possible are produced, not merely by the teacher's wishes, but rather by how his or her attitude manifests itself in the range of choices the affect course content, work styles, class discussions, peer interactions, opportunities for playful engagement with materials and ideas, and assessment or the lack thereof."
Every decision we make has to be in the service of trust; building it and strengthening it. Only then can authenticity and creativity come out to play, both for the students and the teacher.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your assessment that trust is key (one of them anyway) I would invite you (and everyone) to consider in your own relationships, what makes it possible to trust someone else?
I know from my own experiences, that the more honest and real I am with my students (my kids... they are more than students to me), the more vulnerable I am willing to be, the quicker the trust comes. I have to go first. I have to admit when I am wrong, I have to listen to their perspective and reflect on it, add it to mine. This is one of the reasons I work with them. Im in the trenches with them so to speak, discovering with them, getting excited about stuff, freaking out etc. All this takes tremendous courage, and a willingness to be rejected by our students (at first) But arnt we asking the same from them?
The past "roles" of teacher and student, are fading. I feel we need to be ourselves (minus some potty words perhaps) in the classroom. Authentic human beings. Kids are smart. They know robotic teaching when they see it. They know when we believe in what were saying. They have no reason to connect or take risks in a situation like that. Think about Dr. Unrath... she's a PERFECT example.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteThis week found me viewing my classroom through the lens of Gude’s Postmodern Principles too. I pondered them again while composing my response yesterday, and though this was not my first encounter with these Principles, I can’t seem to stop thinking about them. How do I measure up? Where do I fall short?
This is long and rambling, but hopefully I bring it around…I started typing and it just took on a life of it’s own!
My district conducts learning walks where a team of teachers, usually from another building, and district instructional coaches pop into your classroom for 3-5 minutes. They carry around an iPad with an excel doc open and immediately after exiting your classroom go through the document evaluating evidence of : Use of Marzano Strategies, Objective clearly posted, Student understanding of the objective, Student work posted (with scoring guide), Cooperative learning, ISTEM activities, Product or Project based learning, etc ad nauseam. This reflective practice supposedly gives a snapshot of learning within the building. Perhaps it does, but with building goals linked to the use of these strategies, more often than not, teachers make darn sure that they are demonstrating as much of this evidence as possible on the day of the Learning Walk. In my opinion, it’s a highly orchestrated dog and pony show that kind of mirrors Gude’s description of the dispirited teacher. There is no trust, teachers aren’t actually taking ownership of the practices, but instead, demonstrating evidence of what they know the Learning Walk team wants to see. I agree with you, “Anxiety and resistance are ever-present daemons for both teachers and students.” This holds true for all of education, doesn’t it? I find myself wondering how the standards based criteria for the new Model Teacher Evaluation System will actually support learning versus foster a generation of teachers who go through the motions.