Submitted by Carson Allard (not verified) on October 25, 2007 - 09:57.
Mr. Hurley poses fundamental questions that attempt to get at the root assumptions of his practice. Through the process of re-imagining and re-inventing his teaching practice, Mr. Hurley is modeling what is required in a paradigm shift that places emphasis on the educator as learner rather than teacher. It is not just students that learn in our classrooms.
To beginning teachers, Mr. Hurley’s act of challenging assumptions could serve as a testimonial that experience and/or expertise alone are not sufficient to bring about educational reform even though evidently he has plenty of both. What seems to matter more is his spirit of inquiry, of action research. There is risk in this activity because we don’t always like what our inquiry reveals about us or are practice. Perhaps the “deep-seated resistance to large-scale changes within our educational systems” is more a fear of what we discover about ourselves?
Mr. Hurley is setting out to create new professional knowledge and has invited us to participate in a very public way. I look forward to visiting again and becoming an assistant gardener!
Inquiry and change
Submitted by Carson Allard (not verified) on October 25, 2007 - 09:57.
Mr. Hurley poses fundamental questions that attempt to get at the root assumptions of his practice. Through the process of re-imagining and re-inventing his teaching practice, Mr. Hurley is modeling what is required in a paradigm shift that places emphasis on the educator as learner rather than teacher. It is not just students that learn in our classrooms.
To beginning teachers, Mr. Hurley’s act of challenging assumptions could serve as a testimonial that experience and/or expertise alone are not sufficient to bring about educational reform even though evidently he has plenty of both. What seems to matter more is his spirit of inquiry, of action research. There is risk in this activity because we don’t always like what our inquiry reveals about us or are practice. Perhaps the “deep-seated resistance to large-scale changes within our educational systems” is more a fear of what we discover about ourselves?
Mr. Hurley is setting out to create new professional knowledge and has invited us to participate in a very public way. I look forward to visiting again and becoming an assistant gardener!