Excerpt from Macfarlane, B. 2004. Teaching with Integrity: The ethics of higher education practice. Routledge.
In a cohort seminar we were asked to read the excerpt from Macfarlane, B, 2004. Teaching with Integrity: The ethics of higher education practice.
These are the reflections that my group and I had after reading the excerpt.
(the title is after a book that a member from our group was reading):
Ego is the enemy (by Ryan Holiday)
She’s fantastic at what she does in her ‘real’ work, which affords her privilege of walking into any post.
She catering to a very different audience with teaching, she’s there to serve the students and they may not know who she is.
Be humble – know who we are serving — knowing if we’re the right person to serve (in this case the students)
She’s not fit for the purpose – not humble / defensive / wrong interpretation of feedback
Is it the institution? Expectation of work from institution, pressure to complete tasks on top of role of teaching and research.
She knows it’s part of the action plan, for university. It has to be done, do it properly (not by throwing bad feedback away)
Very good for job within certain context. She has international reputation. She only thinks in one dimension.
She can juggle both research and teaching, there are plenty of people who do this successfully.
She needs to be more self aware of taking on criticism. Understanding theories and pedagogy, improving on self awareness.
She needs to do a PG Cert.
Ego is something she needs to accept as a teacher
Do I enjoy teaching or do I just want to do my research?
Personality – pastoral care and wellbeing of students.
How do we get best out of this situation – removing bias
She’s routed in evidence base teaching.
A few comments from the two padlets from this session:
How could Stephanie move past her defensive reaction?
- Wow, ’embarrassed that someone had to see her student feedback’?!Not cool, Stephanie. Not chill at all. Both the teaching and learning journey is iterative and feedback is formative. Being invested in our own development is so important!
- Reflect reflect reflect.
Sit with the comments.
Look beyond the emotional content to focus on the objective nature. Lack of engagement. - Why are they uncomfortable with receiving feedback? Do they have a psychological blockage?
- Have the desire to grow.
What areas of Stephanie’s practice are ripe for development?
- Consider how her practice can be brought into her lecturing and vice versa, they don’t have to be so seperate. She should frame them as supporting each other rather than one taking time away from the other.
- Stephanie’s false dichotomyI think Stephanie needs to see if she can figure out a way that her teaching practice can complement, feed into or otherwise enrich her research practice. I think by learning to respect her students as (at least) future peers, she could enter a new spirit of generosity rather than obligation regarding her teaching commitments .´
- Provide lecture notes AFTER if she is not keen to ‘spoon feed’ the students prior.
- d. Stephanie could re-consider providing handouts in advance as these could be more inclusive anyway.
- Her ability to take on feedback without getting defensive.
- Needs to renew her passion for teaching and relationships with the students.
- Check her ego and take notes from the more junior teacher
Having had feedback recently again, with the peer observations, I couldn’t avoid feeling nervous. Specially because I really want to do well, with the PGCert and with my teaching. However this is my first year, of hopefully many more, teaching within the curriculum, so receiving feedback is so helpful because I am learning so much reflecting on what I did and how I can improve my teaching.
Reflecting on feedback, I can understand how sometimes it is easy and even normal to get defensive. Personally, I (still) feel like that sometimes. And that is why it is so important to not react when we have this feelings.
I let these feelings come, I embrace them, I think about why I am in defensive mode. Then, I let go of the feelings. I am able, then, to reflect and learn with the feedback.
Talking about feelings reminds me of this poem by Rumi.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.