Final Definitions & Reflection

 

1. Innovation: The process of adding to or altering an item, thought or process that already exists in order to create something new or unique. Innovation is often born from the necessity for a newer or more efficient product or way of doing something. 

This definition is not much different then my original one, because the two pieces that stand firm for innovation are that it is based on a need for change and that it is a process. Innovation doesn’t happen overnight, especially in education.  As Falkenberg mentions, teaching is a “contemplative” practice and it is ongoing (adapting, altering and improving) to enhance the learning experience (2012, p. 30). One of the things I have learned over the course that I also connected with my professional practice is that Innovation ebbs and flows as the necessity for change increases and decreases. There are certain time periods in history,  especially the educational realm, where innovation and change were the main part of daily practice and others when things stayed stagnant for long periods of time. I have found this in my career as an educator over the last 10 years there have been times of increased innovation and other years where we are stagnant. I believe that both of these times are important to the process of innovation to allow reflection, adaptation and change to meet the needs of our students. 

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

2. Creativity: Is the fostered or nurtured ability to bring something new like an idea, product or process into existence that holds value for all stakeholders. It requires some form of background knowledge or experience. 

Creativity is a subjective concept, in that the “level” of creativity is really based on the perspective of all stakeholders. For example, in education, when marking something for creative value, teachers will design a criteria or rubrics that students need to meet, or else creativity is open to interpretation. Creating something new doesn't mean it needs to be fancy or groundbreaking, it just needs to hold value to the creator and/or stakeholders.  Creativity breeds something new, but also requires the creator to draw from past experience and knowledge. The reason I highlighted the background knowledge or experience in my definition is that after reading the articles for Modules 3 & 4 it was evident that creativity is not something that grows out of thin air. It is a process that involves a “collective” of experts who draw on each other's knowledge (Martin, 2003) in order “to develop alternative, more desired ways” of doing things (Falkenberg, 2012). 

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

Martin, J. R. (2003). What should we do with a feminist educational theory when we have one? A response to Audrey Thompson. Curriculum Inquiry, 33(1), 67-77. doi: 10.1111/1467-873X.00250

3. Teaching: The process between individuals whereby the teacher facilitates, guides and monitors the exchange of knowledge or skills to the learner with the mutual goal of learning new skills or acquiring knowledge. 

The most important concept I have learned during this course is that 

teaching is a mutually agreed upon process. The teacher and the learner should both have a similar goal and mindset that align or else the process will stumble upon roadblocks and true learning will not be achieved. One of the comments I received when I first posted my definition was that if students are not learning from the way we teach, then we need to teach them the way they learn! In his article, Teaching for hope, Werner suggests that we need to be mindful of the emotional needs of our students and tailor our content and approaches to fit those needs. The other important piece of the definition of teaching is that the teacher is not solely passing along knowledge or skills, but they are also monitoring and reflecting on the process of learning, to ensure that the learner is being taught in a way that best suits them. 

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

4. Learning:  A lifelong, active or passive process in which a person acquires new knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors. Learning happens when both the teacher and the learner value the information, skills or behavior being passed on. 

Learning is situational, as mentioned in Tomkins article, because societies and 

institutions are deciding what information, skills and attitudes should be passed onto future generations in order for society to move forward (Tomkins, 1981).  The reason I started the definition with learning being a lifelong process is simply because I truly believe that learning occurs our whole lives, whether actively or passively. The reason I refer to it as a process and why it is important that both learner and teacher value the learning is because it should be a reciprocal process. In her article on Indigenous education, Madden articulates that learning should involve all parties and it should be intentional as it is believed that knowledge is spiritual and the transfer of it is seen as ceremonious (Madden, 2015). All parties or stakeholders in the learning process should have the same goal and mindset in order for the learning process to be truly reciprocal and hold value for all involved. 

Madden, B. (2015). Pedagogical pathways for Indigenous education with/in 

teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education 51, 1-15.

Tomkins, G. (1981). Foreign influences on curriculum and curriculum policy 

making in Canada: Some impressions in historical and contemporary perspective. Curriculum Inquiry, 11(2), 157-166