Reflection Of Leadership In Palmer's The Courage To Teach

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I am intrigued with Palmer’s premise in The Courage to Teach, simply “good teaching cannot be reduced to techniques; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.“ In a time when education reform is focused primarily on pedagogy, he sheds a light on the many different elements that go into being a good teacher. He also asks us to think about what makes a good teacher or a good mentor, as I reflect on the classes that I have enjoyed the most, they are those where the teacher thoroughly enjoyed what they were teaching, but also teaching itself. As I am currently writing my goals for the year, incorporating my identity and integrity would be helpful in the reflection of my practice. My website with my information and instructions
Depending on the topic, certain pedagogies fail to facilitate the understanding that is necessary to continue a student’s growth in the subject. Connecting with the students is important, especially with our centennial generation, who need the social connection more than any other. They do not know a world before technology and the connections that it facilitates, the choice to voice opinions and be heard. This follows well with the training that I participated in this summer, Captivating Kids Hearts (CKH). Our school is promoting the activities, allowing us to integrate collaborative codes of conduct and positive affirmations. During our training we spent time learning how to connect with each other on a personal level, emotions were difficult, but what it has given me is the permission to take time to make better connections with my students. What I have found is that class seems to work smoother, and I expect to see other changes as the year
It’s suggested that schools disciplinary policies can be compared to Foucault’s model termed “panopticism”, where the school’s (principal’s) power convinces people to act appropriately because they are being watched and judged. This is clearly evident when you consider the use of technology in my classroom, school and district. My students and I know that we are both being watched, and monitored. In my classroom I have the ability to watch students screens, block program or web access, and adjust some hardware settings like turning off sound. The real power behind the system is not management of student behavior, but in some circumstances it does come in handy. The real power is to have another instructional strategy to help students learn harder concepts. My ability to project my screen on theirs, either completely or in a window allows me to make sure all students can see what is happening. It also can help them as I walk through instruction, by allowing for my tasks to be projected and they can emulate what I do without looking up and back where the possibility of them losing their place is inevitable.
Foucault says that observation can be used to increase production, as applied to schools, students produce better work. Surveillance (Panopticism) in the classroom can be positive or negative, it is all in how we choose to use it. I have

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