September 14, 2023 – Classes Officially Start

I know that classes started last week for universities, but normally the first week entails the course syllabus and some introductory activities to establish norms. This image is of my EDUC 394 class and us participating in Dr. Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms with random groupings, non-permanent vertical surfaces, and TRIADS (or groups of three). It’s Week 2 and this is our first class.

I love teaching EDUC 394 (Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Teaching – Theory in Practice). It’s my third time to teach this course in the last 4-years of the program implementation of the redesigned curriculum. The first time I taught this course, I taught it online with both cohorts during the pandemic. The year after, I did not teach this course. And, last year I taught the course with the elementary cohort.

This year I am teaching this course with both cohorts, elementary and secondary, but it’s in-person. Now, we are looking at teaching and learning K-12. We started the course with Parker Palmer’s “Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity of a Teacher” (1997). I love the idea that teaching is the interweaving of the subject matter, the students, and the teacher. Self-knowledge is key to one’s success.

I’ve been working on understanding myself for many years and it may become the underpinning of my research program. With each course I always ground myself in the work of Parker Palmer. I am rudely or nicely reminded of the importance of loving what you do and integrating oneself into their practice. It’s the love for the subject matter, love for your students, and love for oneself. I am learning this.

Parker said that teaching is a vulnerable act. Brené Brown says that learning is an act of vulnerability. I say, there is no difference between teaching and learning. My hope for teacher candidates is to become expert LEARNERS (not expert teachers). I used CANNED PEACHES as my metaphor for learning this year in this course. I learned last week how to can peaches and it was an amazing learning experience.

But, the idea of BEST PRACTICE and a fresh peach. Over time, that best practice rots over time. Best practice is never static. If we keep to a best practice over time, it no longer becomes a best practice. Things change over time, much like a peach. So, we want to preserve the fruit. Although it’s not the name after it’s canned, it’s still a peach. Sweet and delicious. That’s the part of practice that needs to linger.

With Block 5 teacher candidates heading into practicum, Block 1 is an opportunity to renew and refresh. I’ve learned a tonne from the crew who are currently in Block 5 and I am so happy to bring all of the good things that we learned together to this new group in EDUC 394 and EDUC 405. I am only going to bring the good things and find opportunities to learn something new as well. That’s the true joy.