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25th April 2006

Witnesses to educational truth

posted in blogs, digitalstorytelling, literacy |

We need more teachers and classroom bloggers like Doug, author of Borderland. In his post “Bearing Witness” he writes:

I want to shine a light on problems so that we can perhaps begin to understand them and grow from that knowledge. I want to discuss implementation, as well as reform because literacy is a doorway to the self. Self knowledge is what students remember us for. I firmly believe that students remember teachers mostly for how we made them feel, and not for what we tried to teach them. I want to celebrate our humanity, and to urge that we look to one another for reassurance that we’re doing what is necessary to bring the world forward out of darkness, fear, hatred, and suffering comes from forgetting who and what we are. We don’t need tests’ results to tell us that, unless the tests are the kind that can be read in the smile on a child’s face, or in the sound of laughter, or an “Aha!” moment, all of which are magical to a teacher. I’m writing to simply bear witness to my experience as a teacher, whatever that might mean.

The educational research agenda is important, but I think stories and conversations have the most potential to really change our practices. We all need to be shining light on the realities, truths, and challenges in our own spheres. The edublogosphere is a great place to have conversations about that process, and about these issues. This is the authentic professional development path of the 21st century teacher-leader. And it is not just a theoretical pursuit without practical application. This is where we can challenge and further shape our perceptions, which will translate into changed behaviors in the classroom and the boardroom. We should join Doug in being witnesses to educational truth, so we can carry the torch of authentically engaging and meaningful learning into our interactions with other learners each day.

On this day..

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 9:34 am and is filed under blogs, digitalstorytelling, literacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  1. 1 On April 25th, 2006, Doug Noon said:

    Thanks Wesley. The emphasis you place on the power of story and the transaction between author and reader is a message I can hear and imagine. I appreciate the vision you’re sharing through your work. Action comes from the seeds of ideas. Who knows what will take root if we broadcast far?