Una’s Blog

I chose this image to base my teaching metaphor on primarily because it is very nature based. When i thought about it more however, it became apparent that it fit with a lot of my ideas about teaching. Firstly, the importance of the environment, that learning is a social act, and is done in a social context. Each student (or ripple) effects the others, and one thought or idea leads to the next. In this way learning is very connected. The second idea is that education is for change; that education is action based, not only in its method, but also in its outcomes. Education and learning should produce effects. In this way the stone that is dropped into the water could be seen as the teacher, or the catalyst, which initiates the change. This highlights the importance of a good teacher, someone who inspires learning, action, and change. The third idea revolves around the reflective nature of water. Reflection is a very important aspect of education. It leads to further insight into a students ideas, questions, communication, and metalearning. 

There are a number of problems with this metaphor, however. Well not so much problems as things that I cant relate to it easily. The following are things i would have liked to include in my mini-philosophy. The metaphor:   
   Doesn’t allow for a facilitator role of teacher in learning, which I believe in.   
   Doesn’t easily allow for the collaborative nature of education.   
   Doesn’t have a place for the role of technology in education, (maybe I need a different metaphor for that.) 

Image From: www.flickr.com/photos/89488115@N00/276344173