Hello Michael,
Enjoy the read!I am aware that I have not referenced anything as it all comes from the three readings in the course notes.
We had the first lecture for Education, Service and Community Engagement and it was most inspiring. For one thing, the lecturer mostly used a whiteboard and we weren’t all looking at computer screens throughout, so I felt alert at the end of the day. Secondly, and just as important, the content of the lecture was so thought-provoking. The idea of Theology of Liberation has put a new light on Catholicism for me. I am aware that I have associated Catholicism with the oppression of various people. Catholics aren’t allowed to think for themselves (they must think exactly what the church tells them), women don’t have equal rights and many feel so brainwashed and damaged by their upbringings with the strong emphasis on sin, that all they can do later is to reject it.
However, following the first lecture I felt relieved to have heard about the truly good intentions at the base of the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Whilst I am sure that the argument against women in the priesthood is one about which I will always feel uncomfortable, I realize that in closing my eyes to everything about the Catholic Church, I am throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Actually what is more important is to accept the good that is carried out in the name of Christianity. Either one is for something or against something and considering myself Christian I must align myself with other Christians wherever possible.
Liberation Theology looks at what the message of the Gospel looks like from the perspective of the poor. It is Christianity from below. It means that where you live makes a difference to how you view religion. Clearly if people are out there on the street at soup kitchens, this will make politicians uncomfortable as they themselves are not concerned on a daily basis with the welfare of their own people at ground level but more with their political power. Anyone pointing out the plight of the poor is going to be threatening. The work of Gutierrez, displaying such commitment, would be threatening to anyone even slightly unsure of the work they were doing in the world. When the essence of one’s work is not founded on something meaningful it is extremely unsettling to witness another working out of complete commitment to their belief. As I heard about the deep devotion and the hope in the lives of those in South America living under such difficult circumstances just from the knowledge that people in Australia were thinking of them, I felt inspired to be grateful for my life and all I could do. At the same time I felt ashamed by the minimal work I actually do for charity.
I also felt concerned as we were made aware of the inequality in standards of living present in the world. Of course we are in the rich world and there are millions of people living without basic necessities. The video we watched about shopping in America was grotesque and yet our constant buying here in Australia is much closer to that reality than to that of the lives of the starving in Africa. If theology is “critical reflection on praxis in the light of the Word of God”, becoming aware again of these realities is disconcerting in the extreme. Whilst it is comfortable for me to point an accusing finger at politicians who do too little for the poor, what am I actually doing other than giving some money? If “Commitment means encountering the poor” then I am clearly not committed. But as it says in “Signs of a Crisis” “who has time to be a citizen?” In order to give the meagre amount of money I give to charity I am working all hours. But perhaps the “encounter with the poor” would bring more comfort through the reality of an interaction than just sending in the money.
Clearly, as a teacher, I need to know what I think about this. If the human conscience is a “clue to the word of God”, I am surely being spoken to about needing to do more charitable works.
Liberation from the “power of fate” and also from “personal sin and guilt” is also a very powerful proposition. This could potentially lead to the world be changed totally. Once again it is an exciting thought but alarming to think of how little I do in order to bring about this Kingdom of God. It leads me to think that I too am working for the
‘Anti-Kingdom’.
Reading the Signs of a Crisis I found alarming because although it was clearly written a while ago, it seemed more current than ever. It doesn’t matter which political leader is being spoken of, there is always disappointment about how little things have changed since the most recent leader was elected and how things have stayed the same.
Looking again at the greed so prevalent in our society and being some one who lives as part of it, also made me very uncomfortable. I believe like many others that I am doing my best but am I really?
I avoid watching violent films, and attempt to treat people I come into contact respectfully. I prevented my children from watching violent films to protect them from the images to avoid some of the toxins as talked of in “overarching sign of our crisis is our poisoned environment. From our toxic wastes to our toxic values, from the pollution of our air and water to the pollution of our hearts and minds”, hopefully I thereby avoided some toxicity in my children as they grew up.
Although I go and vote I am aware that I do nothing else. The idea that “The ritual of public polling has now almost completely replaced genuine citizen participation in political life” rings true in my life and once again makes me feel uncomfortable. I am grateful for the opportunity to vote but I also know that I should be doing more politically because this is what it is to be Christian on earth.
The issue of societies surviving or not sometimes being dependent on the decisions made about sustainability is also confronting. Learning about ecological footprints and how large my own is, also induces guilt. What can I do to reduce mine? Of course I turn off lights and use little water but how can reduce it further? Having lived in Iceland for two years I saw that somehow they managed to survive having subjected the country to almost total deforestation. The Icelanders lived in extreme poverty until very recently. I would be interested to read what Jared Diamond had to say on it, but from what I saw of Icelanders 20 years ago, they were not environmentally conscious or caring. However, the social structures in place certainly cared for all people equally with remarkable funding for health and education and there seemed to be almost no poverty as there was in Europe at the time. There was an amazing awareness of Spirit in the culture, maybe it was this depth that enabled them to get through the dark winters with singing and story telling being the main entertainment although more recently the Icelanders were as prone to materialism as any First world country.
To complete the first journal entry I would say that I have found this course and the readings very interesting and informative.My feelings of lack were summed up well in the sermon by Keith Raynor at St James' Church yesterday when he said "If we are Christian it is not enough to be part of the crowd".
Saturday, March 31, 2007
first journal entry for michael
We had the first lecture for Education, Service and Community Engagement and it was most inspiring. For one thing, the lecturer mostly used a whiteboard and we weren’t all looking at computer screens throughout, so I felt alert at the end of the day. Secondly, and just as important, the content of the lecture was so thought-provoking. The idea of Theology of Liberation has put a new light on Catholicism for me. I am aware that I have associated Catholicism with the oppression of various people. Catholics aren’t allowed to think for themselves (they must think exactly what the church tells them), women don’t have equal rights and many feel so brainwashed and damaged by their upbringings with the strong emphasis on sin, that all they can do later is to reject it.
However, following the first lecture I felt relieved to have heard about the truly good intentions at the base of the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Whilst I am sure that the argument against women in the priesthood is one about which I will always feel uncomfortable, I realize that in closing my eyes to everything about the Catholic Church, I am throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Actually what is more important is to accept the good that is carried out in the name of Christianity. Either one is for something or against something and considering myself Christian I must align myself with other Christians wherever possible.
Liberation Theology looks at what the message of the Gospel looks like from the perspective of the poor. It is Christianity from below. It means that where you live makes a difference to how you view religion. Clearly if people are out there on the street at soup kitchens, this will make politicians uncomfortable as they themselves are not concerned on a daily basis with the welfare of their own people at ground level but more with their political power. Anyone pointing out the plight of the poor is going to be threatening. The work of Gutierrez, displaying such commitment, would be threatening to anyone even slightly unsure of the work they were doing in the world. When the essence of one’s work is not founded on something meaningful it is extremely unsettling to witness another working out of complete commitment to their belief. As I heard about the deep devotion and the hope in the lives of those in South America living under such difficult circumstances just from the knowledge that people in Australia were thinking of them, I felt inspired to be grateful for my life and all I could do. At the same time I felt ashamed by the minimal work I actually do for charity.
I also felt concerned as we were made aware of the inequality in standards of living present in the world. Of course we are in the rich world and there are millions of people living without basic necessities. The video we watched about shopping in America was grotesque and yet our constant buying here in Australia is much closer to that reality than to that of the lives of the starving in Africa. If theology is “critical reflection on praxis in the light of the Word of God”, becoming aware again of these realities is disconcerting in the extreme. Whilst it is comfortable for me to point an accusing finger at politicians who do too little for the poor, what am I actually doing other than giving some money? If “Commitment means encountering the poor” then I am clearly not committed. But as it says in “Signs of a Crisis” “who has time to be a citizen?” In order to give the meagre amount of money I give to charity I am working all hours. But perhaps the “encounter with the poor” would bring more comfort through the reality of an interaction than just sending in the money.
Clearly, as a teacher, I need to know what I think about this. If the human conscience is a “clue to the word of God”, I am surely being spoken to about needing to do more charitable works.
Liberation from the “power of fate” and also from “personal sin and guilt” is also a very powerful proposition. This could potentially lead to the world be changed totally. Once again it is an exciting thought but alarming to think of how little I do in order to bring about this Kingdom of God. It leads me to think that I too am working for the
‘Anti-Kingdom’.
Reading the Signs of a Crisis I found alarming because although it was clearly written a while ago, it seemed more current than ever. It doesn’t matter which political leader is being spoken of, there is always disappointment about how little things have changed since the most recent leader was elected and how things have stayed the same.
Looking again at the greed so prevalent in our society and being some one who lives as part of it, also made me very uncomfortable. I believe like many others that I am doing my best but am I really?
I avoid watching violent films, and attempt to treat people I come into contact respectfully. I prevented my children from watching violent films to protect them from the images to avoid some of the toxins as talked of in “overarching sign of our crisis is our poisoned environment. From our toxic wastes to our toxic values, from the pollution of our air and water to the pollution of our hearts and minds”, hopefully I thereby avoided some toxicity in my children as they grew up.
Although I go and vote I am aware that I do nothing else. The idea that “The ritual of public polling has now almost completely replaced genuine citizen participation in political life” rings true in my life and once again makes me feel uncomfortable. I am grateful for the opportunity to vote but I also know that I should be doing more politically because this is what it is to be Christian on earth.
The issue of societies surviving or not sometimes being dependent on the decisions made about sustainability is also confronting. Learning about ecological footprints and how large my own is, also induces guilt. What can I do to reduce mine? Of course I turn off lights and use little water but how can reduce it further? Having lived in Iceland for two years I saw that somehow they managed to survive having subjected the country to almost total deforestation. The Icelanders lived in extreme poverty until very recently. I would be interested to read what Jared Diamond had to say on it, but from what I saw of Icelanders 20 years ago, they were not environmentally conscious or caring. However, the social structures in place certainly cared for all people equally with remarkable funding for health and education and there seemed to be almost no poverty as there was in Europe at the time. There was an amazing awareness of Spirit in the culture, maybe it was this depth that enabled them to get through the dark winters with singing and story telling being the main entertainment although more recently the Icelanders were as prone to materialism as any First world country.
To complete the first journal entry I would say that I have found this course and the readings very interesting and informative.
However, following the first lecture I felt relieved to have heard about the truly good intentions at the base of the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Whilst I am sure that the argument against women in the priesthood is one about which I will always feel uncomfortable, I realize that in closing my eyes to everything about the Catholic Church, I am throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Actually what is more important is to accept the good that is carried out in the name of Christianity. Either one is for something or against something and considering myself Christian I must align myself with other Christians wherever possible.
Liberation Theology looks at what the message of the Gospel looks like from the perspective of the poor. It is Christianity from below. It means that where you live makes a difference to how you view religion. Clearly if people are out there on the street at soup kitchens, this will make politicians uncomfortable as they themselves are not concerned on a daily basis with the welfare of their own people at ground level but more with their political power. Anyone pointing out the plight of the poor is going to be threatening. The work of Gutierrez, displaying such commitment, would be threatening to anyone even slightly unsure of the work they were doing in the world. When the essence of one’s work is not founded on something meaningful it is extremely unsettling to witness another working out of complete commitment to their belief. As I heard about the deep devotion and the hope in the lives of those in South America living under such difficult circumstances just from the knowledge that people in Australia were thinking of them, I felt inspired to be grateful for my life and all I could do. At the same time I felt ashamed by the minimal work I actually do for charity.
I also felt concerned as we were made aware of the inequality in standards of living present in the world. Of course we are in the rich world and there are millions of people living without basic necessities. The video we watched about shopping in America was grotesque and yet our constant buying here in Australia is much closer to that reality than to that of the lives of the starving in Africa. If theology is “critical reflection on praxis in the light of the Word of God”, becoming aware again of these realities is disconcerting in the extreme. Whilst it is comfortable for me to point an accusing finger at politicians who do too little for the poor, what am I actually doing other than giving some money? If “Commitment means encountering the poor” then I am clearly not committed. But as it says in “Signs of a Crisis” “who has time to be a citizen?” In order to give the meagre amount of money I give to charity I am working all hours. But perhaps the “encounter with the poor” would bring more comfort through the reality of an interaction than just sending in the money.
Clearly, as a teacher, I need to know what I think about this. If the human conscience is a “clue to the word of God”, I am surely being spoken to about needing to do more charitable works.
Liberation from the “power of fate” and also from “personal sin and guilt” is also a very powerful proposition. This could potentially lead to the world be changed totally. Once again it is an exciting thought but alarming to think of how little I do in order to bring about this Kingdom of God. It leads me to think that I too am working for the
‘Anti-Kingdom’.
Reading the Signs of a Crisis I found alarming because although it was clearly written a while ago, it seemed more current than ever. It doesn’t matter which political leader is being spoken of, there is always disappointment about how little things have changed since the most recent leader was elected and how things have stayed the same.
Looking again at the greed so prevalent in our society and being some one who lives as part of it, also made me very uncomfortable. I believe like many others that I am doing my best but am I really?
I avoid watching violent films, and attempt to treat people I come into contact respectfully. I prevented my children from watching violent films to protect them from the images to avoid some of the toxins as talked of in “overarching sign of our crisis is our poisoned environment. From our toxic wastes to our toxic values, from the pollution of our air and water to the pollution of our hearts and minds”, hopefully I thereby avoided some toxicity in my children as they grew up.
Although I go and vote I am aware that I do nothing else. The idea that “The ritual of public polling has now almost completely replaced genuine citizen participation in political life” rings true in my life and once again makes me feel uncomfortable. I am grateful for the opportunity to vote but I also know that I should be doing more politically because this is what it is to be Christian on earth.
The issue of societies surviving or not sometimes being dependent on the decisions made about sustainability is also confronting. Learning about ecological footprints and how large my own is, also induces guilt. What can I do to reduce mine? Of course I turn off lights and use little water but how can reduce it further? Having lived in Iceland for two years I saw that somehow they managed to survive having subjected the country to almost total deforestation. The Icelanders lived in extreme poverty until very recently. I would be interested to read what Jared Diamond had to say on it, but from what I saw of Icelanders 20 years ago, they were not environmentally conscious or caring. However, the social structures in place certainly cared for all people equally with remarkable funding for health and education and there seemed to be almost no poverty as there was in Europe at the time. There was an amazing awareness of Spirit in the culture, maybe it was this depth that enabled them to get through the dark winters with singing and story telling being the main entertainment although more recently the Icelanders were as prone to materialism as any First world country.
To complete the first journal entry I would say that I have found this course and the readings very interesting and informative.
We had the first lecture for Education, Service and Community Engagement and it was most inspiring. For one thing, the lecturer mostly used a whiteboard and we weren’t all looking at computer screens throughout, so I felt alert at the end of the day. Secondly, and just as important, the content of the lecture was so thought-provoking. The idea of Theology of Liberation has put a new light on Catholicism for me. I am aware that I have associated Catholicism with the oppression of various people. Catholics aren’t allowed to think for themselves (they must think exactly what the church tells them), women don’t have equal rights and many feel so brainwashed and damaged by their upbringings with the strong emphasis on sin, that all they can do later is to reject it.
However, following the first lecture I felt relieved to have heard about the truly good intentions at the base of the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Whilst I am sure that the argument against women in the priesthood is one about which I will always feel uncomfortable, I realize that in closing my eyes to everything about the Catholic Church, I am throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Actually what is more important is to accept the good that is carried out in the name of Christianity. Either one is for something or against something and considering myself Christian I must align myself with other Christians wherever possible.
Liberation Theology looks at what the message of the Gospel looks like from the perspective of the poor. It is Christianity from below. It means that where you live makes a difference to how you view religion. Clearly if people are out there on the street at soup kitchens, this will make politicians uncomfortable as they themselves are not concerned on a daily basis with the welfare of their own people at ground level but more with their political power. Anyone pointing out the plight of the poor is going to be threatening. The work of Gutierrez, displaying such commitment, would be threatening to anyone even slightly unsure of the work they were doing in the world. When the essence of one’s work is not founded on something meaningful it is extremely unsettling to witness another working out of complete commitment to their belief. As I heard about the deep devotion and the hope in the lives of those in South America living under such difficult circumstances just from the knowledge that people in Australia were thinking of them, I felt inspired to be grateful for my life and all I could do. At the same time I felt ashamed by the minimal work I actually do for charity.
I also felt concerned as we were made aware of the inequality in standards of living present in the world. Of course we are in the rich world and there are millions of people living without basic necessities. The video we watched about shopping in America was grotesque and yet our constant buying here in Australia is much closer to that reality than to that of the lives of the starving in Africa. If theology is “critical reflection on praxis in the light of the Word of God”, becoming aware again of these realities is disconcerting in the extreme. Whilst it is comfortable for me to point an accusing finger at politicians who do too little for the poor, what am I actually doing other than giving some money? If “Commitment means encountering the poor” then I am clearly not committed. But as it says in “Signs of a Crisis” “who has time to be a citizen?” In order to give the meagre amount of money I give to charity I am working all hours. But perhaps the “encounter with the poor” would bring more comfort through the reality of an interaction than just sending in the money.
Clearly, as a teacher, I need to know what I think about this. If the human conscience is a “clue to the word of God”, I am surely being spoken to about needing to do more charitable works.
Liberation from the “power of fate” and also from “personal sin and guilt” is also a very powerful proposition. This could potentially lead to the world be changed totally. Once again it is an exciting thought but alarming to think of how little I do in order to bring about this Kingdom of God. It leads me to think that I too am working for the
‘Anti-Kingdom’.
Reading the Signs of a Crisis I found alarming because although it was clearly written a while ago, it seemed more current than ever. It doesn’t matter which political leader is being spoken of, there is always disappointment about how little things have changed since the most recent leader was elected and how things have stayed the same.
Looking again at the greed so prevalent in our society and being some one who lives as part of it, also made me very uncomfortable. I believe like many others that I am doing my best but am I really?
I avoid watching violent films, and attempt to treat people I come into contact respectfully. I prevented my children from watching violent films to protect them from the images to avoid some of the toxins as talked of in “overarching sign of our crisis is our poisoned environment. From our toxic wastes to our toxic values, from the pollution of our air and water to the pollution of our hearts and minds”, hopefully I thereby avoided some toxicity in my children as they grew up.
Although I go and vote I am aware that I do nothing else. The idea that “The ritual of public polling has now almost completely replaced genuine citizen participation in political life” rings true in my life and once again makes me feel uncomfortable. I am grateful for the opportunity to vote but I also know that I should be doing more politically because this is what it is to be Christian on earth.
The issue of societies surviving or not sometimes being dependent on the decisions made about sustainability is also confronting. Learning about ecological footprints and how large my own is, also induces guilt. What can I do to reduce mine? Of course I turn off lights and use little water but how can reduce it further? Having lived in Iceland for two years I saw that somehow they managed to survive having subjected the country to almost total deforestation. The Icelanders lived in extreme poverty until very recently. I would be interested to read what Jared Diamond had to say on it, but from what I saw of Icelanders 20 years ago, they were not environmentally conscious or caring. However, the social structures in place certainly cared for all people equally with remarkable funding for health and education and there seemed to be almost no poverty as there was in Europe at the time. There was an amazing awareness of Spirit in the culture, maybe it was this depth that enabled them to get through the dark winters with singing and story telling being the main entertainment although more recently the Icelanders were as prone to materialism as any First world country.
To complete the first journal entry I would say that I have found this course and the readings very interesting and informative.
However, following the first lecture I felt relieved to have heard about the truly good intentions at the base of the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Whilst I am sure that the argument against women in the priesthood is one about which I will always feel uncomfortable, I realize that in closing my eyes to everything about the Catholic Church, I am throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Actually what is more important is to accept the good that is carried out in the name of Christianity. Either one is for something or against something and considering myself Christian I must align myself with other Christians wherever possible.
Liberation Theology looks at what the message of the Gospel looks like from the perspective of the poor. It is Christianity from below. It means that where you live makes a difference to how you view religion. Clearly if people are out there on the street at soup kitchens, this will make politicians uncomfortable as they themselves are not concerned on a daily basis with the welfare of their own people at ground level but more with their political power. Anyone pointing out the plight of the poor is going to be threatening. The work of Gutierrez, displaying such commitment, would be threatening to anyone even slightly unsure of the work they were doing in the world. When the essence of one’s work is not founded on something meaningful it is extremely unsettling to witness another working out of complete commitment to their belief. As I heard about the deep devotion and the hope in the lives of those in South America living under such difficult circumstances just from the knowledge that people in Australia were thinking of them, I felt inspired to be grateful for my life and all I could do. At the same time I felt ashamed by the minimal work I actually do for charity.
I also felt concerned as we were made aware of the inequality in standards of living present in the world. Of course we are in the rich world and there are millions of people living without basic necessities. The video we watched about shopping in America was grotesque and yet our constant buying here in Australia is much closer to that reality than to that of the lives of the starving in Africa. If theology is “critical reflection on praxis in the light of the Word of God”, becoming aware again of these realities is disconcerting in the extreme. Whilst it is comfortable for me to point an accusing finger at politicians who do too little for the poor, what am I actually doing other than giving some money? If “Commitment means encountering the poor” then I am clearly not committed. But as it says in “Signs of a Crisis” “who has time to be a citizen?” In order to give the meagre amount of money I give to charity I am working all hours. But perhaps the “encounter with the poor” would bring more comfort through the reality of an interaction than just sending in the money.
Clearly, as a teacher, I need to know what I think about this. If the human conscience is a “clue to the word of God”, I am surely being spoken to about needing to do more charitable works.
Liberation from the “power of fate” and also from “personal sin and guilt” is also a very powerful proposition. This could potentially lead to the world be changed totally. Once again it is an exciting thought but alarming to think of how little I do in order to bring about this Kingdom of God. It leads me to think that I too am working for the
‘Anti-Kingdom’.
Reading the Signs of a Crisis I found alarming because although it was clearly written a while ago, it seemed more current than ever. It doesn’t matter which political leader is being spoken of, there is always disappointment about how little things have changed since the most recent leader was elected and how things have stayed the same.
Looking again at the greed so prevalent in our society and being some one who lives as part of it, also made me very uncomfortable. I believe like many others that I am doing my best but am I really?
I avoid watching violent films, and attempt to treat people I come into contact respectfully. I prevented my children from watching violent films to protect them from the images to avoid some of the toxins as talked of in “overarching sign of our crisis is our poisoned environment. From our toxic wastes to our toxic values, from the pollution of our air and water to the pollution of our hearts and minds”, hopefully I thereby avoided some toxicity in my children as they grew up.
Although I go and vote I am aware that I do nothing else. The idea that “The ritual of public polling has now almost completely replaced genuine citizen participation in political life” rings true in my life and once again makes me feel uncomfortable. I am grateful for the opportunity to vote but I also know that I should be doing more politically because this is what it is to be Christian on earth.
The issue of societies surviving or not sometimes being dependent on the decisions made about sustainability is also confronting. Learning about ecological footprints and how large my own is, also induces guilt. What can I do to reduce mine? Of course I turn off lights and use little water but how can reduce it further? Having lived in Iceland for two years I saw that somehow they managed to survive having subjected the country to almost total deforestation. The Icelanders lived in extreme poverty until very recently. I would be interested to read what Jared Diamond had to say on it, but from what I saw of Icelanders 20 years ago, they were not environmentally conscious or caring. However, the social structures in place certainly cared for all people equally with remarkable funding for health and education and there seemed to be almost no poverty as there was in Europe at the time. There was an amazing awareness of Spirit in the culture, maybe it was this depth that enabled them to get through the dark winters with singing and story telling being the main entertainment although more recently the Icelanders were as prone to materialism as any First world country.
To complete the first journal entry I would say that I have found this course and the readings very interesting and informative.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
tony assignment 1
EMBED MSPhotoEd.3
School of Education
ED 4236: ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
Assignment 1: Marking Key Student Name: Elizabeth Lillicrap ______________________
Research Assessment Criteria
Exceptional
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Limited /
Unsatisfactory
Quality and detail of content
Answer to the student’s question in the terms of the question.
Reference to the circumstances of the day outside the classroom.
Reference to the state of the classroom and why you acted to clean it up.
Reference to why you got the students down to work.
Evidence of reflective/inspiring reading
PRESENTATION
Structure/Organisation
Expression/Grammar
Quality of writing
Referencing and accuracy
COMMENTS
Grade
Marker Signature: _____________________________ Date: ______________________
Today I was asked a thought-provoking question by a student.
I was put on an extra with Year 9 for History. It had been raining all day so the students had been in the classroom during lunch break and the room was smelly and in a mess with food on the floor and chairs everywhere. I got the students to tidy the room (that was hard work!) before they started to work. That was when a girl asked me why I bother. I found it rather confronting. But I told her "because I love teaching!"
As Fetherston rightly points out (2007, p.15) “the teaching profession is perceived poorly by the public” and I sensed that the student had picked up precisely this attitude from her parents resulting in looking down on teachers and really wondering why any one would do it for a job.
So why do I bother? Some times it can seem like a waste of everyone’s time but actually I do it because I want to learn how to make the most of every class and every interaction I have with the students in order to be a true teacher: some one who teaches human respect and civil behaviour to the children, whatever the subject happens to be. If I am put on an extra I can also teach those things, encouraging diligence in the students even if I don’t know the subject matter.
It was really inspiring to read how Killen (n.d p.2) described Transformational Outcome Based Education, (as put forward by Bill Spady) stating that the purpose of school is to “equip students for their lives after school and successful learning promotes even more successful learning.” Clearly, even getting a group of unwilling students to clean the room before starting to work does have purpose when education is seen in this light. The students did feel better about the room when it was tidy, so experiencing this was in itself positive! There are certainly benefits to experiencing the positive effect of being in an ordered room and comparing that to working surrounded by mess. This is certainly behaviour considered valuable by adults.
When I read about Expert Teachers, (as opposed to Experienced Teachers or even Novice Teachers like me!) in “Distinguishing Expert Teachers from Novice and Experienced Teachers” (Hattie, 2003) and read how an expert teacher responds to the situation and is “context bound”, it seemed to make so much sense. I hope I can look forward to a time when I will be able to judge the situation successfully and react accordingly. Now I am wondering how I could have dealt with Year 9 differently. They did not want to tidy the room or later do their work. They were bored and just waiting for the end of the day. I had to cheer them along to get them to tidy the room. I suppose I could have more usefully helped them to see the benefits they would experience as a result of tidying the room by stating them clearly before we started. Instead of which I just behaved as the teacher, bossing them about!
If all learning is reliant on internal motivation as Piaget claims (Learning Theory, Constructivism vs. Instructivism), I would surely have done better to inspire them first! Had I been able to trust on a deep level that all and any learning is learning, I would have seen the benefits of the social interaction present in the tidying of the room and not seen it merely as something that needed to be done before the students started the History work.
The Constructivist approach tells us that students learn by constructing their own meaning to what they learn and the experience of tidying the room together may have been extremely positive. I am sure that there are some students who thought that it wasn’t their job to be tidying and this would have led to the Disequilibration spoken about by Piaget (Fetherston, 2007. p.156). But tidying is certainly something that all students will encounter, so it was definitely "equipping" the students for life after school and as such was a worthwhile activity to be doing during school time. But there was part of me that thought that it needed to be done fast, so that the students could get on with their ‘work’. Somehow, I was concerned that the students might go home and tell their parents that they had spent time cleaning a room which reduced the time spent doing written work. But I believe that, as stated by Chester Finn and Diane Ravitch (1996) “the teacher’s most solemn job is to instruct the young in (…) behaviours determined by adult society to be valuable.” Cleaning up is valuable and a significant part of my own education was when we learnt to work together as a group to get a job done and very often the task at hand was not academic. I could see how in Year 9 the “slower learners” as mentioned by Guskey (1997) were able to show the “faster learners” that they were as able to tidy the room. Their success at tidying would have been helpful for the History work they were about to do because as Roy Killen (n.d p.2) said “successful learning promotes even more successful learning” and there seems to be no curricular barriers in this. Experiencing success in cleaning up will lead to increased confidence in History.
So why did I bother to get them to do their work? Well I suppose that my desire is to be a teacher and as a teacher I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to encourage students to work. I also know that when I have set work for students when I am away it is frustrating to discover that the students have wasted their time when they could have been learning. Missed learning is a missed opportunity as far as I see it. With the weather being wet as well the students were apathetic and suffering from a lack of movement so getting active in tidying helped. They needed to focus on something and actively engage their brains. I know that students often like to claim that they enjoy doing nothing in class but I know that the truth is quite the opposite: they love the feeling of completing their work and I intend always to encourage students to get down to work. If I ever stop wanting to do that, I should stop teaching!
References:
Fetherston, T. (2007) Becoming an effective teacher South Melbourne: Thomson
Finn, C and Ravitch, D. ( 1996) A Report from the Educational Excellence Network to its Education Policy Committee and the American People
Hattie, J. (2003) Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?
Killen, R. (n.d) William Spady: a Paradigm Pioneer
Mastery Learning: A basic introduction
Retrieved March 21, 2007 from
http:allen.warren.net/ml.htm
School of Education
ED 4236: ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
Assignment 1: Marking Key Student Name: Elizabeth Lillicrap ______________________
Research Assessment Criteria
Exceptional
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Limited /
Unsatisfactory
Quality and detail of content
Answer to the student’s question in the terms of the question.
Reference to the circumstances of the day outside the classroom.
Reference to the state of the classroom and why you acted to clean it up.
Reference to why you got the students down to work.
Evidence of reflective/inspiring reading
PRESENTATION
Structure/Organisation
Expression/Grammar
Quality of writing
Referencing and accuracy
COMMENTS
Grade
Marker Signature: _____________________________ Date: ______________________
Today I was asked a thought-provoking question by a student.
I was put on an extra with Year 9 for History. It had been raining all day so the students had been in the classroom during lunch break and the room was smelly and in a mess with food on the floor and chairs everywhere. I got the students to tidy the room (that was hard work!) before they started to work. That was when a girl asked me why I bother. I found it rather confronting. But I told her "because I love teaching!"
As Fetherston rightly points out (2007, p.15) “the teaching profession is perceived poorly by the public” and I sensed that the student had picked up precisely this attitude from her parents resulting in looking down on teachers and really wondering why any one would do it for a job.
So why do I bother? Some times it can seem like a waste of everyone’s time but actually I do it because I want to learn how to make the most of every class and every interaction I have with the students in order to be a true teacher: some one who teaches human respect and civil behaviour to the children, whatever the subject happens to be. If I am put on an extra I can also teach those things, encouraging diligence in the students even if I don’t know the subject matter.
It was really inspiring to read how Killen (n.d p.2) described Transformational Outcome Based Education, (as put forward by Bill Spady) stating that the purpose of school is to “equip students for their lives after school and successful learning promotes even more successful learning.” Clearly, even getting a group of unwilling students to clean the room before starting to work does have purpose when education is seen in this light. The students did feel better about the room when it was tidy, so experiencing this was in itself positive! There are certainly benefits to experiencing the positive effect of being in an ordered room and comparing that to working surrounded by mess. This is certainly behaviour considered valuable by adults.
When I read about Expert Teachers, (as opposed to Experienced Teachers or even Novice Teachers like me!) in “Distinguishing Expert Teachers from Novice and Experienced Teachers” (Hattie, 2003) and read how an expert teacher responds to the situation and is “context bound”, it seemed to make so much sense. I hope I can look forward to a time when I will be able to judge the situation successfully and react accordingly. Now I am wondering how I could have dealt with Year 9 differently. They did not want to tidy the room or later do their work. They were bored and just waiting for the end of the day. I had to cheer them along to get them to tidy the room. I suppose I could have more usefully helped them to see the benefits they would experience as a result of tidying the room by stating them clearly before we started. Instead of which I just behaved as the teacher, bossing them about!
If all learning is reliant on internal motivation as Piaget claims (Learning Theory, Constructivism vs. Instructivism), I would surely have done better to inspire them first! Had I been able to trust on a deep level that all and any learning is learning, I would have seen the benefits of the social interaction present in the tidying of the room and not seen it merely as something that needed to be done before the students started the History work.
The Constructivist approach tells us that students learn by constructing their own meaning to what they learn and the experience of tidying the room together may have been extremely positive. I am sure that there are some students who thought that it wasn’t their job to be tidying and this would have led to the Disequilibration spoken about by Piaget (Fetherston, 2007. p.156). But tidying is certainly something that all students will encounter, so it was definitely "equipping" the students for life after school and as such was a worthwhile activity to be doing during school time. But there was part of me that thought that it needed to be done fast, so that the students could get on with their ‘work’. Somehow, I was concerned that the students might go home and tell their parents that they had spent time cleaning a room which reduced the time spent doing written work. But I believe that, as stated by Chester Finn and Diane Ravitch (1996) “the teacher’s most solemn job is to instruct the young in (…) behaviours determined by adult society to be valuable.” Cleaning up is valuable and a significant part of my own education was when we learnt to work together as a group to get a job done and very often the task at hand was not academic. I could see how in Year 9 the “slower learners” as mentioned by Guskey (1997) were able to show the “faster learners” that they were as able to tidy the room. Their success at tidying would have been helpful for the History work they were about to do because as Roy Killen (n.d p.2) said “successful learning promotes even more successful learning” and there seems to be no curricular barriers in this. Experiencing success in cleaning up will lead to increased confidence in History.
So why did I bother to get them to do their work? Well I suppose that my desire is to be a teacher and as a teacher I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to encourage students to work. I also know that when I have set work for students when I am away it is frustrating to discover that the students have wasted their time when they could have been learning. Missed learning is a missed opportunity as far as I see it. With the weather being wet as well the students were apathetic and suffering from a lack of movement so getting active in tidying helped. They needed to focus on something and actively engage their brains. I know that students often like to claim that they enjoy doing nothing in class but I know that the truth is quite the opposite: they love the feeling of completing their work and I intend always to encourage students to get down to work. If I ever stop wanting to do that, I should stop teaching!
References:
Fetherston, T. (2007) Becoming an effective teacher South Melbourne: Thomson
Finn, C and Ravitch, D. ( 1996) A Report from the Educational Excellence Network to its Education Policy Committee and the American People
Hattie, J. (2003) Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?
Killen, R. (n.d) William Spady: a Paradigm Pioneer
Mastery Learning: A basic introduction
Retrieved March 21, 2007 from
http:allen.warren.net/ml.htm
Friday, March 23, 2007
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