My Evolving Pedagogical Stance...
Before beginning this course, I had never heard the word pedagogy, now having completed my first placement it seems that all teachers’ view their pedagogical stance as an ever evolving and important aspect of being a teacher. Throughout the past few months of my study and during my recent placement I have seen my pedagogical stance evolve on many levels.
Before beginning this course, I had never heard the word pedagogy, now having completed my first placement it seems that all teachers’ view their pedagogical stance as an ever evolving and important aspect of being a teacher. Throughout the past few months of my study and during my recent placement I have seen my pedagogical stance evolve on many levels.
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein
After discussions following the first intensive week of learning in this subject, it was clear that my pedagogical stance was not yet defined. I had an idea of how I wanted to teach and what kind of teacher I wanted to become, but no real evidence or research to support my views. I wanted to be a fun, engaging and knowledgeable teacher who was liked by all the students, and had no behavioural issues in their class. What a dream! As my learning progressed I began to realise that this dream could be reached with a few tweaks here and there and extensive research into student engagement, classroom management and holistic learning. My pedagogical stance was beginning to evolve.
Subsequently, I first felt my pedagogical stance evolve as we began learning about educating for holistic well-being. I felt myself becoming more aware of students well-being and how many aspects of their well-being can affect their education and learning. I felt this was an important aspect of my learning that needed to be integrated into my pedagogical view, as a student’s well-being should be of utmost importance to any teacher.
Subsequently, I first felt my pedagogical stance evolve as we began learning about educating for holistic well-being. I felt myself becoming more aware of students well-being and how many aspects of their well-being can affect their education and learning. I felt this was an important aspect of my learning that needed to be integrated into my pedagogical view, as a student’s well-being should be of utmost importance to any teacher.
"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein
Following on from this I felt another shift it my pedagogical stance when I began to learn about classroom behaviour. I found the different “types” of misbehaving students, as discussed by Lewis (1991), and why students exhibit misbehaviour, as discussed by Dreikurs (1982), absolutely fascinating. I felt this information contribute towards my pedagogical view as I now have strategies of how to recognise this behaviour and how to manage it.
Lastly I found learning about the models and theories of classroom management and the different types of power, very pertinent and relevant to adding to my pedagogical view. The models and theories of classroom management allowed me to explore how I wanted my classroom to run on a daily basis and subsequently how my students may learn. I found I was able to connect with the Model of Management (Lewis, 1991) most effectively and believe I would be able to integrate this model into my teaching.
"A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein
Whilst on placement, I attempted to incorporate such model into my teaching and felt that it was effective and allowed me build rapport with my students and create good relationships. My pedagogical view was beginning to become more concrete and evolved. I was able to create a safe learning environment for my students where I felt they were able to hone in on their abilities that they had already developed whilst also realising their full potential. I felt my pedagogical stance begin to take on a transformative model as I learnt to engage with my students (Fogelgarn & Sparks, 2015).
Overall, I feel my pedagogical stance is continuing to grow in many different areas. I am now able to further understand the importance of student teacher relationships in the art and science of teaching. I have a better appreciation for student management and how to efficiently cope and manage students with challenging behaviour. I feel my dream of becoming a fun, engaging and knowledgeable teacher is getting closer and closer the more I delve into my studies. I need to continue to support myself through my ever-evolving pedagogical view and professional development as a pre-service teacher.
"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein