Uncertainty at its best

Born Not Made notes

Born not made: the nativist myth and teachers’ thinking
Catherine Scotta* and Steve Dinhamb

Notes that inform my practice: "...pertinent is the lack of language or framework with which to discuss classroom practices, which partly has its origins in the apparent isolation of the classroom."

"People have culturally conditioned biases in the way they make attributions."

"...culturally differing causal theories seem to be rooted in more pervasive, culture-specific mentalities in East Asia and the West."

"In the context of education, understanding the consequences of people’s models of human traits and characteristics is extremely important. Education is, after all, about changing people – what they know, think and can do – but if one believes that certain aspects of people are entities – inborn and unaffected by environmental factors – then this powerfully influences one’s expectations about what can and cannot be achieved with students."

For me, I think it's incredibly important to be aware of how my identity as a teacher fits into the broader discourses of Western thinking and use this to inform my practice particularly in my ESL classrooms. Although I might be automatically predisposed to a certain way of thinking I think technology provides ample ways of bridging the gaps. If students can express themselves through myriad mediums than there is more chance for cross cultural learning to take place.

Kami= student teacher

So, my methods are Media and ESL with a bit of English thrown into the mix. I like all things creative and somewhat inspiring.

The Light and the Tunnel

As I begin to find my footing in the world of teaching I constantly remind myself the journey's only just begun.
The journey through this abyss we call uni never seems to stop, its endless and relentless waves of theory crashing over our heads as we gasp for air time and time again clutching at the hope that it will all be over soon.
But the light is there gleaming at the end of the tunnel beckoning us to push forward and not to give up.
This is only the beginning.