Philosophical Foundations of Teaching and Learning

 Article # 1: Teaching as contemplative professional practice (Falkenberg, 2012)

• Innovation: The description of teaching as a contemplative practice can be seen as a need for innovation and continuous growth. Innovation builds on something that already exists and creates something new in the process. Falkenberg states that in order to be contemplative teachers “will have to engage in ongoing work on the functioning of [their] inner life and professional practice” (2012, p. 30). 

• Creativity: The article talks about the noticing component of teaching and that we be aware of the need for change and find alternative ways to practice teaching. Defining the noticing component, Falkenberg explains that, “the second step is to develop alternative, more desired ways of experiencing and responding” (2012, p. 31). Connecting to my definition of creativity it is important that one consults and draws upon literature and experts in order to create new practices of teaching. 

• Teaching: Falkenberg suggests that,  “teaching is properly done for the

betterment of others—the students—and that the teacher’s decisions, actions and behaviour are central to that moral endeavor” (2012, p. 27). His suggestion that the goal of teaching is to induce learning as well as guide the students to be better aligns with my definition of teaching as a system or process that is guided and monitored to suit the needs of the students.  Teachers have a moral obligation so to speak to ensure that what we teach is for the betterment of the students. 

• Learning: While Falkenberg doesn’t directly speak on the learning process of students, he highlights many ways to improve our learning process as teachers, through mindfulness, awareness, contemplation and reflection of our personal teaching practices. The mindset of the learner is an important factor in learning that I mentioned in my definition of learning. Being open to reflection and mindfulness is an important part of the learning process.  

• Question: How do we balance the professional expectation of teaching the curriculum while also being mindful and reflective of our own personal lives and finding ways to better engage with our students? 

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

Article #2: Teaching for Hope (Werner, 2008)

• Innovation: When Werner speaks of “vision” in this article he doesn’t explicitly talk of innovation, but there is a close connection between the two. If we think of my definition of innovation as adding something new to an already existing item or thought then we can link that to Werner’s idea of desiring alternatives for our future. Children are encouraged to think about how their future will look and make personal connections to imagining a “new” future. 

• Creativity: “Rich imagination is the stuff of hope” (Werner, 2008, p. 195). Allowing students to imagine a future in their own way is the epitome of creativity. Connecting the student’s personal experience with the existing history and then creating something new. This perspective of hope aligns with my definition of creativity in the sense that the things being created need to hold value for the creator and also be connected with a certain amount of background knowledge. 

• Teaching: This article touches on the idea of teaching, in the sense that teaching is not just delivering information, but also tailoring it to fit the needs of the students. In this case Werner suggests that “thoughtful discussion of information is essential” (2008, p. 195). Teaching for Hope means we are not hiding the dark information of the past, but being cognisant of our students' emotional needs and delivering honest and accurate information that supports a positive future for these students. 

• Learning: Werner states that “any learning that is memorable and important is also emotion-full” (Werner, 2008, p. 194). If we add personal connection to the material that we teach this will further the learning for the children, even if the emotions or feelings can be surprise, anger or awe. When defining learning I discussed the idea of making it meaningful and of value and that the teacher helps to determine what knowledge we pass on to future generations.

• Question: My question for Werner would be, how do we navigate the fact that students have access to endless amounts of information through technology? And how do we teach them to navigate that information to search for reliable, accurate and appropriate information and not fall into the area of catastrophizing our history and future?

Werner, W. (2008). Teaching for hope. In R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The anthology of social studies, Volume 2: Issues and strategies for secondary teachers (pp. 193-197). Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press