The Art of Reflective Teaching
Practicing Presence

Carol R. Rodgers (Author)

9780807763643

Paperback / softback, published 27 March 2020

176 pages
22.6 x 15.4 x 0.7 cm, 0.254 kg

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.

• 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 
  158