Philosophical Foundations

 

Teaching as Contemplative Professional Practice

Thomas Falkenberg's article provides a lens on teaching as a mindful and reflective practice. He believes that teaching is not just about delivering content; it is a moral and personal journey. Falkenberg writes that teaching should be “done for the betterment of others,” which connects with my definition of teaching as a relationship-based practice that requires awareness of ourselves and our students. As the author puts it, “we indeed teach who we are, then we better get to know ourselves”(p.29).  While reading this, I reflected and thought about one of the first few lessons I felt during my practicums. One of the students was acting out during the lesson, and I found myself getting frustrated more easily than usual. I realized after the lesson that I was bringing stress from earlier in the day into the classroom, which was not fair. The moment of self-awareness helped me respond with more empathy when my student asked what was going on, and it was a reminder that things that are going on outside of the classroom can not affect what is going on inside the classroom.

I can see how Falkenberg was trying to connect the idea of innovation to his article. That does not mean new technology or significant changes, but instead changes from within by becoming more mindful and breaking free from automatic habits. He reflects that “most of my behaviours seem to be automatic or habitual”(p.26). One of the habits I realized I am doing automatically is jumping too quickly to giving students pointers instead of letting them work through their thoughts on their own, to keep the lesson going.  This habit prevents students from thinking, which I need to pause thoroughly, give students more wait time, before stepping in. This small change can make a big difference.

 My one question is how a teacher can keep a high level of self-awareness in a busy classroom, as he states, “teaching as contemplative practice requires additional psychic energy” (p.33).



The Case for Philosophical Mindedness

Christou and Bullock’s article “The Case for Philosophical Mindedness” explores the concept of philosophical mindfulness in education. The authors go through that teachers, students, and all people involved in education should “seek wisdom” and critically think about teaching, learning and their actions. The authors describe being philosophically minded as “occupying a radical middle between opposing viewpoints and thinking critically, in action, about educational experiences”. This made me think that reaching is not just about following the rules or knowing the correct answers, but about constantly learning, questioning and reflecting as an educator.

This article is connected to my working definition of teaching from last week's glossary. I defined teaching as more than just delivering content to students; it's about guiding students while teaching them life lessons that are not in the curriculum. The article reinforces this by linking teaching to philosophy as “a way of life”, not just an academic subject or a grade on your report card each year. 

Reading this made me reflect on my habits. I notice that sometimes I rely on the same routines or assignments because they are comfortable, rather than asking if they are genuinely helping my students learn. This article encourages me to pause, step back and think more critically about my choices in the classroom, even if they feel uncomfortable. Change is hard, but some of my most significant growth in life is when I reflect and make the changes which I needed to do in some of my teaching practices.

My question to the author is, how do you balance deep reflection with the day-to-day pressures of teaching?

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