Reflecting on "The Core Assumptions of Skillful Teaching"

Photo by Josip Ivankovic on Unsplash

It's a new week and a new piece all about reflection. I'm hoping Unsplash doesn't run out of cool images like the one I've chosen for this post!

The first question on your lips (or maybe at your fingertips) is probably, "David, what are the core assumptions of skillful teaching?" That is a great question!

According to Brookfield (2015) they are;

• Skillful teaching is whatever helps students learn

• Skillful teachers adopt a critically reflective stance toward their practice

• The most important knowledge that skillful teachers need to do good work is a constant awareness of how students are experiencing their learning and perceiving teachers’ actions

• College students of any age should be treated as adults

"Ok David, thanks for sharing, but why should I care? And why do you care?"

You're really setting me up here, so thanks. Let's get into it!

Skillful teaching is whatever helps students learn. As much as we wish that there was one amazing method to help students learn the reality is that there isn't because no two students are the same. Every student is different. What works for one may not work for the next. Our responsibility as teachers is to learn what we can about our students and do our very best to mix and match our approach in the hope that we can cater to each student. So take some time to get to know your students. Learn what motivates them, how they like to learn, what approaches have worked (and not worked) in the past, etc. Then use that information to adapt your approach!

Skillful teachers adopt a critically reflective stance toward their practice. Critical Reflection is something I've written about before. Once you finish reading this you should check out this post all about it.

Brookfield suggests 4 methods to aid in critical reflection; classroom research techniques (he leaves this pretty vague), colleagues' perceptions and faculty reflections, literature, and our own experience as learners.

I'm choosing to skip over the first as it's left pretty vague but Deeney (2009) offers a great definition for classroom research, “[The] systematic, intentional inquiry by teachers and other school/classroom professionals about their own school and classroom work” (p.1).

This does however seem quite similar to the second method of your colleagues' perceptions and faculty reflection. Have other teachers come and observe you and offer feedback. Discuss with other teachers the challenges they are facing, or share good practices.

The third method is reading literature. Read blogs like this one, or trade publications. I enjoy Eductive as well as The Academia Top Ten. There are some amazing resources out there so please share your favorites in the comments!

The fourth method to aid in critical reflection is to think back to when we were students and what worked for us. Maybe we can re-invent something we found particularly enjoyable as learners and adapt that to whatever setting we're teaching in.

Now you may be asking why all this matters. Brookfield (2015) suggests that if we base our actions on valid and accurate assumptions gained from critical reflection, then our teaching will be informed and that is much better than any generic option. Secondly, demonstrating critical reflection to our students can encourage them to do the same and will help us "earn the moral right" to ask them to do the same. And finally, when we reflect it can help us re-energize ourselves and move from the comfortable and complacent to the engaged and energized.

The most important knowledge that skillful teachers need to do good work is a constant awareness of how students are experiencing their learning and perceiving teachers’ actions. Our procedures should be based on how our students experience the classroom. So we must gather feedback and it must be anonymous. This will allow and encourage honesty from our students. And then sharing that feedback and discussing it publicly lets our students know that we care, it’s not personal, and we want to be better and need their feedback to do that.

College students of any age should be treated as adults. Students want to be treated with respect. They want teachers to openly address any concerns or difficulties. They want teachers to be open and honest. They are happy for teachers to share a little about their personal life but want them to keep it professional. The most important thing for students is for teachers to explain, "What's In It For Me?" Link what you are teaching to learning objectives and explain why the students need to know this.

"David, that's a great summary and now I know why I care, but why do you care?"

There are two big takeaways for me off the back of these assumptions. The first relates to "Skillful teaching is whatever helps students learn." Brookfield (2015) shared a method he uses when facing students who are anywhere inbetween apathetic and hostile. He brings in former students to share what they got out of the course. This is something I plan to implement with one of the mandated courses our team have to go through yearly. By having our returning team member share the benefits they gained from the course I'm hoping it will help enthuse others and let those students who may be reluctant see the benefits of the course.

The second takeaway from me relates to the thrid point, "The most important knowledge that skillful teachers need to do good work is a constant awareness of how students are experiencing their learning and perceiving teachers’ actions." This links to the course mentioned above again. Over the years the course has been running that have been some great changes to it based on feedback received. I want to expicitly share what these changes are as we get to them to reinforce that feedback is valued and acted upon. This will hopefully encourage all the more honest feedback.

Phew, that was a lot of words! If you've made it this far then please share your thoughts in the comments, or offer some feedback on this post, or just say hi!

References

Brookfield, S. (2015) The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass

Deeney, T. (2009) Improving Literacy Instruction With Classroom Research. Corwin Press