1. Dr Dennis Francis Commonwealth Education Trust
Being a Teacher
Dr Dennis Francis Commonwealth Education Trust

2. Foundations of Teaching for Learning
Course 2: Being a Teacher
Week 2: Myself and my learning
Lecture 2.1 Thinking about who I am

3. What have I learned? About myself? About myself as a teacher?
About myself as a colleague?
About myself as a learner?

4. Below the waterline
“You spend a lot of time trying to follow, to conform to the policies, rules and procedures. It might be unwise not. But at the same time you try to hold to what you believe and what you think is most important for your students - and for you – but it is not always easy. Not easy but important for your own self esteem”
(Teacher, Zimbabwe elementary school)

5. Rules Policies Procedures Conventions
The ‘deep structures’
Rules Policies Procedures Conventions
Beliefs Values Attitudes
Expectations

6. Five ways of being Kieran Egan, 1999 Philosophic Somatic Romantic
Bodily senses
Rhythm and musicality Gesture Communication
Drive for generality lure of certainty schemes
theory
search for truth search for authority
Romantic
Extremes limits of reality
heroes
wonder collections hobbies
idealism
Ironic
Mythic
Testing limits of theory
Doubt
Context
Story metaphor binary opposites joking and humour sense of mystery games, drama, play
Kieran Egan, 1999

7. Mythic As a teacher How often do I draw on this way of being?
Story Metaphor Binary opposites Joking and humour Sense of mystery Games, drama, play
As a teacher
How often do I draw on this way of being?
For myself?
For my students?

8. Romantic As a teacher How often do I draw on this way of being?
Extremes Heroes and villains Wonder Idealism
Collections Hobbies
As a teacher
How often do I draw on this way of being?
For myself?
For my students?

9. Philosophic As a teacher How often do I draw on this way of being?
Drive for generality Lure of certainty Schemes Theory
Search for truth Search for authority
As a teacher
How often do I draw on this way of being?
For myself?
For my students?

10. Ironic As a teacher Doubt Uncertainty Scepticism Testing theory
How often do I draw on this way of being?
For myself?
For my students?
Doubt Uncertainty Scepticism Testing theory

11. Releasing the energy How do I/we……
…..find ways to release the creative energy of students, for this is the force that fosters experimentation and that breathes life, excitement, and enthusiasm into the learning environment for students and for their teachers
(Mitchell and Sackney, 207 p. 87)

12. Self belief and self efficacy
When teachers have a high sense of self-efficacy they are more creative in their work, intensify their efforts when their performances fall short of their goals and persist longer. Teachers’ sense of self-efficacy can thus influence the learning and motivation of students, even if students are unmotivated or considered difficult. Most studies have found a positive relation between teachers’ efficacy beliefs and several student cognitive outcomes, such as achievement in core academic subjects and performance and skills (Scheerens, 2010: 28)

13. Seeing, touching and hearing
“At first we were focused on teaching like just talking. Now our headteacher has provided us with many teaching-learning materials. Now we use a lot more materials for all subjects. Students are also excited because they can see, touch, and hear. Based on this now teachers also have become more creative, we are drawing on our own, and also students are helping us. This has brought their skills out”
(Basic school teacher, Ghana)

14. The external policy world The internal world of the classroom
Managing the tension
The external policy world The internal world of the classroom

15. See think wonder
I see
I think
I wonder

16. Foundations of Teaching for Learning
Course 2: Being a Teacher
Week 2: Myself and my learning
Lecture 2.1 Thinking about who I am

17. Dr Dennis Francis Commonwealth Education Trust
Being a Teacher
Dr Dennis Francis Commonwealth Education Trust