Philosophical Foundations of Teaching and Learning

 Teaching as Contemplative Professional Practice: 

Teaching:

Falkenberg focuses his article on the contemplative and reflective nature of what it means to be a teacher. They examine how what we focus on influences our actions and moral choices. It is through mindfulness that teachers can become more aligned with their inner lives, and by extension, their morals. The article emphasizes the importance of awareness of thoughts, feelings and motivations, as it directly impacts how teachers interact with students.

Innovation: 

While this article does not mention the word “innovation” explicitly, perhaps the innovation in this article comes through in terms of a teacher’s mindfulness, and how that equates to being able to have more innovative approaches.

Creativity: 

This article also does not mention the word “creativity” explicitly, but there are many other articles in existence that cite the potential link between mindfulness and creativity. (eg. Henrikson)

Furthermore teachers who are mindful may expand their own practice, and encourage mindfulness, thereby supporting a more growth oriented, creative and innovative environment.

Learning: 

This article implies that mindfulness leads to improved outcomes for students. By encouraging teachers to be more contemplative and reflective, it can lead to more self-awareness, which leads teachers to better be able to support students.

An Inclusive Design Vision for Canada - Schooling as a Process for Participatory Democracy and Responsible Citizenship:

Teaching: 

In this article, teaching is described as a collaborative and participatory process. This article emphasizes that teachers should be facilitators and co-learners rather than being seen as the sole holders of knowledge. With this, there is a more democratic classroom where more points of view are valued and education becomes a shared journey.

Innovation:

In this article the word “innovation” is not mentioned, however innovation could be taken to include the “inclusive design process” which involves the co-construction of knowledge. Through a collaborative environment innovation can arise in meaningful and authentic ways, as teachers move away from traditional forms of education like rote memorization and towards inquiry, critical thinking and problem solving.

Creativity

This article does not specifically mention “creativity” however the concept could be seen in the idea of supporting student voice and choice. Also, through the exploration of social justice issues students can come up with creative ideas. Through this process students can express themselves, challenge biases (or grapple with misunderstandings) and thereby become more creatively capable.

Learning

Learning should be centered around student experiences and voices. Authentic learning occurs when students engage with real world issues and reflect on their position in society. Through inquiry based learning and critical thinking, students can navigate societal challenges and it can lead to more informed and responsible citizens. 

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How this is related to my glossary:

Before reading the Falkenburg article, when I was writing my definitions, I did not factor in how mindfulness and reflection in teachers was a component that is essential to teaching, learning, innovation and creativity. 

As a teacher I’ve always been incredibly reflective and have looked towards providing the best learning experiences I can for my students. My own approach as a teacher has also always been that the most important thing is for my students to be good people, which is supported by both Falkenburg in his stance that teachers need to live in moralistic ways that influence their teaching, and by Chanicka, Silva & Merkley in their determination that education should be aiming to produce responsible citizens. 

For the past decade I have taught in the PYP. Both reflection and producing responsible citizens is an element of the PYP. Reflection is an aspect of teacher planning, as well as a recognized aspect of the inquiry cycle that can fit in at any stage. Problem solving and critical thinking are also seen as essential within the PYP framework and every unit recognizes “action” as a key component of the program, with a focus being on producing authentic action. 

My original definition of teaching also includes the idea of co-construction of knowledge. The article by Martin, which I cited previously, also mentions the importance of community members in teaching and learning.

Questions:

Regarding the first article, my questions reflect how we can give teachers the mental bandwidth (and energy) to properly reflect both in and outside of work. Our morals are not just shaped and exercised in the classroom / at work, but also require time, space and decompression outside of the workplace, which is why I think that there are systemic issues in many schools that underlie to what degree to which the first article can be exercised.

1. How can schools optimize/streamline processes and communication, so that teachers have a better work / life balance and don’t burn out? 

2. How can schools and administrators support the time, space and energy needed (during the school day) to facilitate deep reflection? 

3. What if a teacher has a strong sense of morality but the school they work for does not abide by that same sense of morality and tries to force their own sense of morality onto their employees? 

4. How do schools become a more equitable place so certain marginalized groups do not take on more work without the same recognition? (A process which adds to the cognitive load that some groups take on, thus making it more difficult to have the energy and time to reflect) 

Regarding the second article, I simply have an observation and commentary related to international schools:

In many areas of the world, there are certain topics you simply cannot talk about or address. Despite this, I have never been spoken to at an international school orientation, about topics to avoid in a particular country. Examples would be “the kalafa system” or Israel in Qatar and “The three Ts” (Tibet, Tiannamen and Taiwan) in China. There are also cultural aspects like “saving face” that a teacher would need to be aware of in East Asia. While most teachers will educate themselves, it seems irresponsible on the part of international schools not to include this in the orientation process. 

Within inquiry based schools, in all countries social action is usually possible on some level, even if it’s just on a level of solving issues within the school, however it’s difficult to act as an effective facilitator of social justice and action based projects, when you don’t know where the line is from the onset. 

Sources

Chanicka, J., Mahari de Silva, R., & Merkley, K. (2018). An inclusive design vision for Canada - schooling as a process for participatory democracy and responsible citizenship. Intercultural Education (London, England), 29(5–6), 632–646. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2018.1508620

Falkenberg, T. (2012). Teaching as contemplative professional practice. Paideusis, 20(2), 25-35.

Further Evidence / Sources

Henriksen, D., Richardson, C., & Shack, K. (2020). Mindfulness and creativity: Implications for thinking and learning. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 37, 100689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100689

Martin, J. R. (1996). There’s too much to teach: Cultural wealth in an age of scarcity. Educational Researcher, 25(2), 4-16. doi: 10.3102/0013189X025002004