I’m also a fan of this analogy. I liken this to recipes. You stick to what you know at first but then as time goes on and you start to gain confidence, you begin to tweak things. Sometimes these additions work without fault and you wonder what took so long to add them. Other times, it’s a spectacular disaster and you learn from your mistakes. I’m very much from the mind set of improvement through trial and error, and feel that if you’re not out there trying out new things because you’re afraid of failure, you’ll never truly improve yourself. Things extends to the classroom and beyond.
Author: Jason Callahan
Comment on Time to Put a Bow on it by Jason Callahan
It’s always impressive to see reactions to a course when it is winding down. Your post encapsulates most of the major themes we discussed as a class, or engaged in with tangibles. After reading your post, and doing some inner musing myself, I think it is interesting to see how each of our peers measure the take-aways from the the course. I’m a firm believer in innovation in the classroom, but not when it comes at the expense of why we students come to the classroom. I agree that as a student, I thought the professor/instructor knew it all, and now that I’m transitioning into that role and into the realization that I clearly DO NOT know it all. It’s about coming to grips with that and putting forth what’s best for the students and their futures.
Comment on No More Broccoli by Jason Callahan
You’re spot on with a couple of things. First of all, broccoli is disgusting. Second, this class has taught us all that if nothing else, there isn’t one correct way to prepare the classroom. It seems to be more of a fluid dynamic that requires you to always adapt to see what works, and what doesn’t. This is reminiscent of learning and teaching: there is always more that can be done. Having an open mind of this fosters learning and teaching. I feel like you’ve summed up the entirety of the course with your last sentence: “Work on perfecting the craft of teaching, not perfecting the application of theory.”
Comment on Avoid Distraction from Electric Devices by Jason Callahan
I’ve done and felt the same way when accidentally leaving my phone at home. I’m realistic. I’m not the most important person in the room, and the likelihood of me absolutely needing my phone every minute of the day is hovering around zero. Does this mean I want to leave it home everyday? Of course not, but it does put in perspective how easily the learning process can be damaged by distractions. I’ve tried to take steps at home to take me away from the temptation of watching tv, or surfing the internet, or mindlessly playing a game on my phone. Class can be a different story. Like you mention in your post, many instructors incorporate technology into the classroom routinely. This creates a strange balance between learning and distraction that we all will have to come to grips with.
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Comment on Critical Pedagogy by Jason Callahan
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable in the classroom – recognize and set aside biases.”
This really stood out to me. In many of my classes, I like to play the contrarian but to be argumentative, but to play Devil’s Advocate. This often means speaking up in times when conversations become uncomfortable. I’ve found this to be a good source of interactional learning, and I try to employ this method in the classroom with students. Not to make them uncomfortable, but to try to engage them and have them think from perspectives not necessarily their own.
Comment on Critical Pedagogy: Education as Emancipation . . . or . . . Teach for the Sky by Jason Callahan
I agree with Nicole and Amy. Coming from a social science background, I am constantly exposed to new publications and behavioral theories. I’m certain I am not alone, and that other disciplines are as well. Teaching must remain fluid to account for new information and discovery to give students the greatest chance of success.
Comment on Jigsaw-Zigsaw: An Adventure for Every GEDI by Jason Callahan
Thanks for the comments Jaclyn! To be fair, I suppose I am still technically a student since I’m still working towards my degree but I’ll stand by my statement. I think its an important point to make. Whether we learn new perspectives or ideas from our students, or we continue formally learning ourselves, we are always still and honing our craft.
Comment on Interdisciplinary Learning by Jason Callahan
I really liked your post. I think this class is a great example of interdisciplinary learning. There are so many different educational fields that are represented in this class, each stemming from unique disciplines of study, and all having a different perspective on pedagogy in general. For the last three years of my program, I’ve been surrounded by the same social science field, and it is easy to fall into a “group think” mentality. Every week, this class more or less recharges my batteries to remind me that there are different perspectives out there that I don’t get the chance to tap into as often as I’d like.
Comment on Negotiating Limits & Uncertainty Within & Beyond the Classroom by Jason Callahan
I’m also in a social science program, and couldn’t help but smile as I pictured myself in this situation. I’m certain I would be the outlier who asks “why?” or “let’s think about if we did…” It is encouraging to see your interactions because I think I would be hesitant to place myself in a situation because I would be outside of the comfort zone of my educational discipline. But seeing how receptive and willing the other students were to engage in discussion shows that different perspectives are more welcomed than I may think.
Comment on The Nervous Instructor by Jason Callahan
I think I’ve been holding my breath a little as well. I’m in a social science program that routinely studies social inequality and racial discrimination in various levels of social institutions so I am sure the subject will come up. While I’m not nervous about discussing these topics as they come up in during the course of teaching, I am just hoping I can maintain an environment that embraces different perspectives and allows the flow of a professional discussion about sensitive topics. I don’t mind if people disagree or challenge different perspectives in this arena because it exposes the rest of the class to a way of thinking they may not have considered. The challenge for me is keeping the classroom a professional learning space that encourages rather than intimidates students from interacting.
