Reflect: Signature Pedagogies

Urs Fisher
Challenging the ideas of surface

I have been thinking about the surface structures of pedagogies. The operational acts of teaching and learning.

With teaching writing one couldn't follow the principles of a maths or science based course, these fields demands accurate, erudite knowledge, particular in engineering and medicine, and even the non-maths based law course.

Tutors teach by means of selecting singular students and opening with a question that the students has to answer to the fullest of their ability, and then the teacher carries out follow up questions. This line of enquiry expires when the tutor is satisfied. These techniques would be a disservice when operating in the field of the arts.

As I am three years in to my own course it has become visibly clear that a creative could not, or should not, have this kind of technique applied as most areas of discussion are subjective and dependent upon who's viewing or reading them. And so nothing is black nor white. Furthermore, practises vary too, there is no standard a writer can abide by, it's a personal craft dependent and unique to whom is creating it. Some people micro manage, others plan everything out in full detail on post-it notes all over their walls before they even start a sentence.

I do think the current system we have encountered of group-based work is the best structure for teaching writing, however, I think I would have the teacher interject further and prop up workshopping with particular elements students should pay attention to, like sentence construction, word choice, metaphors, how one achieves their voice. I think these techniques need to have a better understanding and focus in teaching.

--ST

Critical Thinking in Young Minds by Victor Quinn

This week I was unable to find the book I exactly wanted in the library, and so after rooting around, this book by Victor Quinn proved to be an interesting choice. It's focus is on children learning but the techniques explained and reasons why are worth looking into.


Chapter 12: Climate and Pedagogy (a focus on teaching children)

 1. Humour - brings together the relationship between teacher and student, captivates and is useful for extended periods of deep speaking

 2. Provocation-in-role - use of provocation, abuse, derision, is to help them develop confidence and to counter edginess, not by matching irritation and aggression, but by reason and argument proper.

 3. Listening - systematically disorientate with paralanguage so they don't rely on teacher's clues and respond with the expected answer. Provoked into saying their real views.

 4. Challenge - classroom should challenge their ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and aspirations. And develop giving and receiving criticism.

 5. Intelligence - academic: deals with the conventions and routine of the subject. The intellectual has to do with exercise, development, exploration, and articulation of intelligence.

 6. Pedagogy for judgement - being prompted appropriately by the circumstances of the task , the engagement, the life - not the teacher. It is to see thinking skills as requiring repeated, developmental practise before they become educational attainments, that is before they become judgement or critical thinking.

 7. Common sense - to avoid sterility of a subject  it is necessary to make it a development out of common sense, rather than a superimposition upon existing understanding.   If the learning is mere academic learning, and does not affect their common sense grasp of the world, then the teaching is failing.

 8. Acceptance - allow challenges and foolishness because students want to venture and explore and that it is important to listen to the dismissive adult, to resist him, and to counter his dismissal.

A lot of these ideas deal with young children and the importance of the climate of learning. Some of these points are transferable across all ages.

--ST