The Art of Reflective Teaching: Practicing Presence

by Carol R. Rodgers

Overview

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:

• Shows educators how to mentally and emotionally connect themselves to their students, their classroom, and their teaching.
• Provides a tested structure for reflective practice based on the work of both John Dewey and the author’s own practice.
• Includes a course outline for teaching presence that can be used by teacher educators, professional developers, and teacher inquiry groups.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807778463
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	04/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Carol R. Rodgers is associate professor of education at the State University of New York at Albany.

Table of 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 153

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“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

Editorial Reviews

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

From the Publisher