Developing Trust in Your Personal Vision of Teaching: Five Tools to Start the Exploration
Abstract
Based on the idea that reflection precedes thoughtful change, it is my hope to share tools which can add clarity to the process of teacher development beyond learning new methods and techniques. The first part of the paper establishes the foundation that teachers are subconsciously influenced by their emotions, beliefs and personal histories, by taking the time to examine these areas, the teacher can understand his/her strengths and weaknesses better, and then make meaningful growth towards becoming a better teacher. The second part of the paper is an example, provided by the author, as a model of this kind of exploration. This part of the paper is necessarily personal to illustrate the importance of acknowledging the details of self in reflection. The third part of the paper is an offering of five tools (Experiential Cycle, Johari Window, Four Questions, Image Analysis and Bonsai) which can be helpful in the journey towards developing as a teacher.