Just a quick mental note for myself.
Yesterday I participated in the annual Rotterdam ‘Educational Parade’ . A meeting for ‘educators’ to participate in workshops that are related to education. I participated in the workshop: The Ideal Teacher; which was part of the 2-year HR teacher training program for professionals who start teaching.
Collaborative learning and inclusiveness were elements of the workshop. All members gave their ideas regarding the ‘ideal teachers’. The ideas were written down and placed on the table. Through dialogue we discussed what each topic implied and how it would relate to the other words. We also tried to connect ‘related topics’ to bigger concepts. Afterwards we compared these ideas with the curriculum program of the teacher training program.
My reflection: The program seems ‘student/client’-orientated. The goal is fixed, but the student can find his/her own means to achieve that goal. This always sounds appealing for the student, which is why I associate it with a ‘client’ (service design) type of education. What I found lacking was a strong personal proposition, and practical examples of best practices.
I am in favour of the ambition to make education more personal, with more freedom for each student. Let’s all look for individual talents. However this should not result in a ‘laissez faire’ mentality in which the goals are static terms.
I think an educational philosophy should be reflected by the leading team of tutors.