Observation Task #1

Task 2.1 The Professional

T2.1.1 Presented in this chapter are three types of knowledge: professional, procedural and personal. They are closely connected and they interact with each other. Based on your teaching experience and/or your “apprenticeship of observation” during your student days, think and talk about how a teacher’s practice of everyday teaching is actually the result of a concoction of the three types of knowledge brewed by the teacher him/herself.

• Professional, procedural and personal knowledge is bound to each other so closely. I think, procedural knowledge consists of professional and personal knowledge because the knowledge that acquired from books, theories and via formal education and the knowledge that a person’s inner world and his/her values, ideas helps teacher  give a form to his/her teaching style. For example; how does the teacher see the teaching, unwilling or enthusiastic? Has she/he got enough knowledge to teach on his/her field?

 T2.1.2 Take any one specific feature of professional knowledge (it doesn’t matter whether your choice is from the segment on language, language learning or language teaching) and discuss how its classroom manifestation (i.e., how it is implemented by the teacher) might reveal traces of a professional, procedural, and personal knowledge base.

• In the last lesson, the subject was tourism and tourist attractions. My mentor teacher mentioned about her travel to Egypt and Keops Pyramids. She tried to reflect his ideas about how this fantastic places affected his inner world. This relates to her knowledge of personal. Knowing how to pronounce the word “Keops” is about her professional knowledge and while telling her adventures about this fantastic places, ability to manage classroom and knowing how to transfer her knowledge in the best way to the students is about procedural knowledge.

T2.1.3 Professional knowledge has been described as something that experts produce. Under what circumstances do (or can) teachers produce professional knowledge? When does (or can) teachers’ personal knowledge get recognized as professional knowledge? If teacher knowing is more important than expert knowledge, why do you think experts’ professional knowledge has been privileged over teachers’ personal knowledge?

• Teacher can produce professional knowledge on the grounds of his/her experiences on learning and teaching processes. Teacher can do an action research on his/her context and he/she can produce professional knowledge thorough scientific data. Theory and reality may not be corresponded so in this case teacher knowing is more important than expert knowledge. I think professional knowledge of experts and teachers’ personal knowledge are worthwhile and essential. Neither of them is superior to other one.

 Task 2.2 The Personal

T2.2.1 Personal knowledge signifies the teacher’s “thought processes sedimented through observations, experiences, and interpretations that span a long period before, during and after formal teacher education programs.” Focusing on any one period (before, during, or after) and selecting any one specific example, discuss how a particular feature of your personal knowledge is dependent on or free from the influence of the formal teacher education program that you are familiar with.

• Personal knowledge covers the professional knowledge. Everything what we have experienced have  contribution on shaping our personal knowledge. So it cannot be considered separate the professional knowledge from personal knowledge.

T2.2.2 “Over time, teachers accumulate an unexplained and sometimes unexplainable awareness of what constitutes good teaching.” Why is it unexplained? Why is it unexplainable? If it is unexplained and unexplainable, how do (or can) teachers articulate the rationale, and justify the decision, governing their teaching acts?

• The most essential part of education is students. It cannot be mentioned about education or teaching without learners. So the thing that constitutes good teaching is closely related to learner and individual differences. Every learner needs to a special learning program to herself/himself. So good teaching is unexplainable because of individual differences and needs.

T2.2.3 Teachers’ personal knowledge is deeply connected to the operating principles of particularity, practicality and possibility. Recall the characteristics of these principles from section 1.2 in Chapter 1. Think and talk about what kind of an impact each of the principles can potentially have in shaping teachers’ personal knowledge.

• Operating principles provide the direction and support required to convert certain beliefs, values, and expectations into actionable plans and measurable outcomes. So they have so crucial role in shaping teachers’ personal knowledge.