Publication Date: March 27, 2020
Pages: 176
The Art of Reflective Teaching examines what it means to be present in one’s teaching. The book begins with an in-depth definition of presence from several different angles. The text goes on to delineate what a teacher may be present to, providing a map for useful discussions among teachers and between teachers and students. The book then outlines the structure of reflection, its intentional practice, and its importance to presence. Finally, it provides a detailed outline for teaching presence to new and preservice teachers. Rodgers’s curriculum integrates mindfulness practice with reflection, using presence as a bridge between the two. Drawing on her own experiences and those of her students, the author demonstrates how reflective teaching is grounded in a living and evolving philosophy of practice.
Book Features:
Carol R. Rodgers is associate professor of education at the State University of New York at Albany.
“Thoughtful, inspiring, and full of ideas to think about and put into practice.”
—Teachers College Record
“Carol Rodgers presents here an informative and engaging discussion of teacher education and provides a lot of the ‘whys’ of what happens in schools and what can happen. The author is as at home talking about Dewey as she is discussing Freire and Piaget. From the standpoint of more philosophical levels of educational theory, Rodgers is right on with the way she brings together these and other experts who have spent their whole lives striving to find better and more equitable approaches to teaching.”
—Critical Issues in Teacher Education
“Reading Carol Rodgers’s book The Art of Reflective Teaching: Practicing Presence is like being invited into a space where teaching becomes more expansive and where the reader once again believes that teachers can do profoundly important and transformative work.”
—Democracy & Education
“This book is a breath of fresh air in a time that celebrates technical solutions to complex teaching challenges. Carol Rodgers does not shy away from the largely non-technical, human aspects of teaching. Instead, she embraces them fully. The Art of Reflective Teaching dives into the vital role of the student–teacher relationship and its enduring impact on learning. It shines a light on how learners thrive in the presence of teachers who ‘see them fully’ and respond ‘with heart and intelligence.’ Rodgers captures the hard work and the magic of teaching and reminds us to attend carefully to the rich relational context within which it occurs.”
—Anna E. Richert, professor emerita, Mills College
“In this beautifully written book, Carol Rodgers clearly explains the essential role of presence—or being wide-awake to the moment—in teaching, drawing on Maxine Greene, John Dewey, and the philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness. New and veteran teachers, teacher educators, and all of us who care about the future of our schools should read this book and share it widely. It contains great wisdom, practical ideas, compelling stories, and a case for the role of love and compassion in teaching.”
— Katherine Schultz, dean, School of Education, University of Colorado Boulder
“Carol Rodgers has distilled a lifetime of teaching and working with teachers into a well-composed account of teacher 'presence.’ This powerful concept comes alive through her careful analysis and her vivid examples of working with students, teacher candidates, and teachers. The book will fascinate and enlighten teachers at every level of the system, as well as teacher educators who conceive their work as a calling. Rodgers has achieved a splendid fusion of theory and practice.”
—David T. Hansen, Weinberg Professor in the Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Preface: Why I Wrote This Book xiii
Origins xiii
Who This Book Is For xv
Structure of the Book xvi
Part I: Introduction to Presence 1
Philosophical Foundations 1
Presence 8
My View of Learning 8
Part II: Defining Presence 11
1. Attitudes 13
Overview: Six Essential Attitudes
Directness 13
Wholeheartedness 14
Open-Mindedness 15
Responsibility 16
Curiosity 17
Equanimity or Neutrality of Mind 18
2. Mutual Vulnerability 20
Critical Pedagogy 20
Humanizing Pedagogy and Mutual Vulnerability 22
3. The Permeable Nature of Self and World 24
Origins 24
Permeability of Self and World Across Professions 26
Authenticity and Connection 28
4. Inquiry 29
Thin-Slicing and Inquiry 29
Heuristics and Inquiry 30
Medicine and Inquiry 32
Teaching, Inquiry, and Presence 34
5. Love 38
Love and Trusting the Learner Within 38
Love and the Moral Dimension of Presence 39
Love and Listening 39
Love and Attention to What Cannot Be Seen 40
Love of Subject Matter 41
Love and Self-Compassion 42
Conclusion 42
Part III: What We are Present To: I, Thou, It, and Context 45
6. The Teaching Triangle: Its Parts 47
The I (Teacher) 48
The Thou (Learner) 51
The It (Content) 54
7. The Teaching Triangle: Its Dynamics 58
The I–Thou Dynamic 58
The I–It Dynamic 61
The Thou–It Dynamic 63
The I’s Interaction with the Thou–It Dynamic 65
Summary of the I, Thou, and It 67
8. Context 68
Context as a System 68
Purposes of Education 71
Conclusion 74
Part IV: Reflection 77
9. The Research 79
Early Proponents 79
Poststructuralist Critique 79
Dewey 81
Adaptive Expertise 81
10. Purposes of Reflection 84
The Development of Perception 84
Accepting What Is 87
Alignment of Practices with Self 87
Alignment of Practices with the Purposes of Education 89
11. The Process of Reflection 91
Phase 1: Experience 93
Phase 2: Description 94
Phase 3: Analysis and Interpretation 95
Phase 4: Taking Intelligent Action (Because Awareness Is Not Enough) 98
Summary 99
12. Reflective Practice, Mindful Practice, and Presence in Teaching 101
Part V: Educating for Presence: How Do We Learn to Be Present? How Can It Be Taught? 103
Module 1: Learning Stories 107
The Activity 107
Reflection 109
The Readings 110
Module 2: The Poem 112
The Activity 112
Reflection 114
The Readings 115
Module 3: The Leaf Activity 116
The Activity 116
Reflection 117
The Readings 119
Module 4: The Gun and the Naked Woman 120
The Activity 120
Reflection 122
The Readings 123
Module 5: Descriptive Feedback 124
The Activity 124
Reflection 125
The Readings 127
Module 6: Descriptive Review of a Learner 128
The Activity 128
Reflection 129
The Readings 132
13. Conclusion 133
“Are You Okay?” 133
Final Thoughts 134
Appendix: Rubric for Descriptive Reviews 136
Notes 139
References 143
Index 147
About the Author 158
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