Exploratory task 1.5

Specify a problem in teaching and design an “organizational” framework of the project, i.e. clear up what problem in teaching makes the project necessary, what materials you are going to produce etc.

Needs analysis	Materials production	Piloting materials	Reflection on results	Evaluation of results

Reflective aspect is different from the organizational matters. It describes why and how the teacher undergoes the process of professional change “from inside”. This is a very sensitive issue because there are reasons why a teacher can refuse to change, even though there is a need for innovations. Some teachers do not want to be self-critical and reject any judgments about their work, because it incurs a sense of guilt for doing something “wrong” in the classroom. Others can be afraid of loosing the haven of security i.e. traditional and safe ways of teaching and dealing with problems. Still others can find the innovations too scientific and abstract (Argyris, Ch. 1992. On Organizational Learning. Blackwell). The prospect for change can also be understood differently. One of the models for change suggested by Lewin is unfreeze (creating the motivation to change) – change (developing new practices based on new expertise) – refreeze (stabilize and integrate the change into personality) (cited in Bennis, W. et al. 1973. Eds. “Interpersonal Dynamics”. Dorsey Press. Illinois. P.242). This model can be referred to as “ pessimistic model” of change, because it recognizes the stage, at which the teacher development will “fossilize” again after having integrated an innovative element. An alternative to the “pessimistic model” is the “optimistic model”. It can be described metaphorically in the following stages “Letting the Gin out of the bottle”, “Fulfilling the four wishes” and “Obtaining a magic wand”. “Letting the Gin out of the bottle” stands for developing critical thinking in teachers, which is a tendency of mind to put to deliberate doubt the reality of the teaching environment including the course-books and the teaching materials, teacher and learner performance, teaching approaches and techniques, validity of assessment etc. “Fulfilling the four wishes” is a necessary component of the “optimistic model” because every teacher wants to be “successful” in resolving professional problems, “achieving” by getting a reward for the hard job, “great” i.e. recognized by the learners and “effective” in obtaining professional goals. These four wishes make up an acronym “SAGE”. Putting it in a non-metaphorical language it is necessary to develop in teachers “innovative expertise”. “Obtaining a magic wand” stands for handing over a useful tool of professional development, that can be always used when a problem occurs. This useful tool is “research methodology”. The reflective aspect of exploratory teaching consisting of the three components is shown graphically as a loop cycle. It is the critical thinking phase that gives this model “permanence of change”.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-24