Back in Belgium, it is not so easy to find the time to work on this e-pedagogy course. Although I have planned to work on it, only on days my agenda has a little bit empty space, always some urgent things pop up. Besides that, the weather is so nice that some work in the garden has to be done. In Belgium, you always have to take advantage of the good weather the day it is there, because when it gets bad, it can be a long time before you have some good days.
Nevertheless, I am pleased with the work I have done until now. I read Anna Sfard and David McConnell and I wrote in our document. So, the plans I made, are fulfilled.
The things I read were very interesting. The article of Anna Sfard was not so easy, but I like the way she puts two views in learning in these metaphors. What I have been thinking about is whether you shouldn’t take in account what one must learn. Learning is a broad concept. Is learning how to walk for a child the same as get competencies to have a empowering conversation with a client?McConnell mentions ‘higher –order learning’ and I think that is very important. Sometimes I prefer just someone who gives me the right information, so I can go on so soon as possible. However I remember once I had a new colleague that kept on asking all the things he didn’t knew. Even when we had a good written procedure with all the information in one glance, yet he came to me and asked it. I became a little bit nervous about this. Sometimes I notice this ‘habit’ also with students. It is so easy to ask rather than do an effort and consult the tutorial.
Another idea that came to my mind, while reading McConnell, was that what for me was clear – I want to be a coach as a teacher and facilitate learning processes and not an information-provider – is maybe not so widespread as I thought. And even me as a believer, sometimes like to tell some good stories. In evaluations, students appoint this as very positive, because of my experience in practice. So I think the mixture is the best thing.
The idea of ‘a community of practice’ made me dream. Wouldn’t it be beautiful and powerful when we could make such a community with people in practice and school staff. Not a kind of social network, but a real community. McConnell pointed out the difference between those two very well.
For my own course, the guiding principles in McConnells article are very important. I surely have to keep them in mind. I see a lot of this clearly now, looking to the structure and design of the e-pedagogy course.
So, this is a short reflection on my ‘journey of learning' (McConnell) so far.
dear wim,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean by saying "not so easy to find the time for the work...". it´s the same for me in Germany, a big fat load of work waiting around the next corner, and no way to hide ;-) but I think we have done really ok so far, and even if the work goes perhaps a little bit slower as we at first expected, we can be satisfied. Your comments are very important for my own reading of the texts, it helps me to have a direction. And your idea of a "community of practice" is really great! we should try to make that dream come true!
Hi Wim.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how you use the new knowledge from your readings of the suggested literature with your earlier knowledge and experience as a teacher. That is really the good thing about being a student (besides the problems related to: the work-load; other duties; the feeling of that there is always something more to read, to write to do….)
What do you think is the right way to describe this: Should we say that your readings as an e-pedagogy student give you the possibility to broaden your horizons, or is it better to say that you by the reading get some new models and metaphors which help you to describe your practice…?
(Well; that is not up to me to tell, I just wanted to raise a question that maybe is impossible to answer, as all teachers do –sometimes. So can we other times come with the sole and single answer when needed; - as you so discussed in your blog!)
I am happy that it seems like that both you and Alexander find the “Community of Practice” –notion useful! You will have the possibility to meet it again later in the course (by Terry Anderson, f ex) as well as other theories that might be of help for your further work. But till then; good luck with your’s and your fellow students’ collaboration and sharing of knowledge creation!
Grete Oline