As I reflected on my work this semester in Education Research I was struck with an image. The image was the manifestation of my feelings about how we see and perceive the world, our world.
I imagined the world inside my mind, created through my biology; my experiences; the influences of family, community, society, environment, and DNA. I imagined the world I see when I look around, the world outside of myself, but still part of my experience. Finally, I imagined the world that I see suspended in a place I cannot see. I thought about how these worlds are connected and influenced by one another. As a result, I created this image: "Look"
Education Research provided me with an opportunity to look at my own practice in a more focused and deliberate way and connect my observations to literature. The research prompted me to ask questions and to truly look. Look myself, my thinking, my actions and inactions. Look at my students, their behaviors, their environments, their actions, their inactions. Look at the educational environment that my program exists in, look at the community, and society, and the world. It prompted to me to look, and then to see, and then to keep asking questions. This is a gift of life-long learning.
Looking led me to discover self-determination theory of motivation and the work of Edward Deci, Richard Ryan, and others at the University of Rochester. This theory has provided me a framework to better understand motivation and student engagement.
Looking led me to identify ways in which I can be more accessible to my students and to differentiate in ways that increase their perception of autonomy, relatedness, and competence.
Looking led me to understand some of my students, their attitudes, and behaviors in deeper ways.
Looking allowed me to discover common ground with colleagues and uncover opportunities to challenge conventional thinking about student motivation and engagement.
Looking allowed me to see. Seeing prompted me to question. Questioning begged me to look more. It's like the image above, a cycle of learning and growing through relationship - within and out.
No comments:
Post a Comment