Assessment

1. What do you think about the deliberative conversations you have been engaged in?
2. Were there other questions that you think should have been part of the conversations?
3. Is there anything you'd like to add? 

Heart Stories

“Teaching students to use their minds and hearts well refers to schooling aimed at creating intellectual habits and  high moral and ethical conduct that will remain with them for the rest of their lives” (Krovetz & Arriaza, 2006, p. 53).

“I invite you to reflect back on how your stories have shaped your teaching life. How can you ‘write’ new stories with your students and colleagues, as you attempt to infuse elements of mythopoetic inspiration in your teaching?” (Henderson et al., 2015, p. 134).

à Can you share stories from your teaching practice about how your emotions (positively or negatively) affected your teaching? And, in your opinion, how can we as educators have our emotions guide us in good ways? 

Democratic Humanism

“The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.” – Thomas Paine

 “We who are teachers would have to accommodate ourselves to lives as clerks or functionaries if we did not have in mind a quest for a better state of things for those we teach and for the world we all share”  (Greene, 2000, p. 1).

à How do you envision the role of education in fostering world peace and the preservation of the Earth? In your practice, how do you and your students deal with such issues? 

Equity in Schools

“Social justice is significant because there are children who suffer, in very visceral ways, for the lack of equity and access they experience in their daily life at schools” (Henderson et al., 2015, p. 100). 

à Take a couple of minutes to watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z754lhcX6qw

After watching the video, what does social justice in school mean to you? How can students’ voice be heard and honored in schools? How can students be engaged in a dialogue about social justice and social norms in their schools?

Cross-paradigm Critique

“Buckingham and Coffman (1999) insist that the best leaders are those who support and encourage colleagues to change through mutual resolution; they change together. For me, conflict should be expected, embraced, and looked at as an opportunity for discussion and growths (Elbow, 1986; Feiman-Nemser, 2011) … The main goal is not to solve the problem; rather, it is to transform the participants while they discover together a mutual resolution through negotiation” (Henderson et al., 2015, p. 97).

à What do you think about the statement written above? How do you deal with conflicts with your colleagues and students?

Building a Disciplinary Community

“In building trust for a 3S disciplinary community, we strive to loosen the cultural boundaries that impose limits on democratically oriented ways of being with each other. On purpose, we create priorities that demand alternative foci for study and stand in contrast to the ones prevailing in current school reform efforts” (Henderson et al., 2015, p. 74). 

à How do you develop trusting relationships between teachers and students that eliminate hierarchy? Are there any cultural boundaries that stand in the way of building democratic atmosphere between teachers and students? If yes, what are they?

Embodiment of Holistic Understanding

“Embodiment in curriculum and pedagogy embraces and acknowledges that our minds, bodies, and spirits are central to the everyday experiences of people” (Henderson et al., 2015, p. 61).

à Do you think that your teaching practices have an effect on shaping your students’ bodies, minds, and spirits? If yes how? If not how would you change them to take into account your students’ holism?

Teaching for 3S Understanding

“What we want is a curriculum for being and, more importantly, a curriculum for becoming. Yes, we want students who are smart in subject matter, but we also want good people. Our world depends on it” (Henderson & Gornik, 2007, p. 136).

 If you are not familiar with 3S understanding, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3S_Understanding

How do you think it can be possible for teachers in your situation/ context to teach for deeper understanding that not only students’ lives are affected but also their communities, now and in the future?