Dec
This post is largely in response to a comment by Kenny.
One of the most significant influences on my practice over the last decade has been the online sharing of ideas/resources, with other members of my subject community and the wider teaching profession. Ironically, the dialogue that I maintain with this wider sphere has more depth than my internal conversations with colleagues- I’ve always thought this shouldn’t be the case…
I remember starting teaching and having few connections to the wider subject community or profession, those connections that did exist were mostly P.G.C.E. colleagues and a termly copy of Teaching Geography from the Geographical Association. I didn’t have access to the Internet at home, nor was there much online; with the exception of Alan Parkinson’s Geography Pages: the rise of the Staffordshire Learning Net for Geography forum, once discovered, opened a new world of connections- the opportunity to discuss and share practice with a wide range of individuals. Of course, these opportunities have exploded over the last few years, to include Twitter, Nings, Blogs…
So why share? I remember Richard Dawkin’s discussion of altruism in the God Delusion, he suggests that this is not a unique human trait and has a clear evolutionary purpose. Part of sharing is having a common interest in the development of the group, as educators we share approaches to help further the practice within classrooms that are not our own, as Kenny suggests, the main beneficiaries are the students. The engaging practitioner also benefits from the dialogue, the opportunity to learn how an approach has been devised, or how a resource has been developed.
The practitioner also benefits from the collective altruism of the group in times of need, whether with resources, suggestions or support, this response in part is based upon the notion that by aiding an individual in their time of need, the same support will be received in the future, if not the system begins to unwind- highlighted by the annual frustration in some learning communities with lurkers and takers.
One of the concepts that I struggled with when considering Dawkin’s viewpoints on altruism, was the concept of power: that by being altruistic you project your power, in this case knowledge and experience. I’ve never thought of the consequence of sharing in these terms, but perhaps it’s disingenuous not to consider this point of view. Part of my work is my play; I sometimes prepare materials for the group, which I don’t utilise myself, because I enjoy it. As such I feel very cautious when sharing materials or ideas with my wider connections, I don’t want to be held up as an example of practice, nor do I believe I am a good teacher, and ultimately I don’t want to be regarded as self-promoting. Sharing does raise your profile within a group, but I would hate to think that this inhibited others from sharing their own practice.
I’ve also separated my wider contributions from my internal work, though the connections to my wider community have developed my practice and brought a number of opportunities, it is something that I rarely speak about to my colleagues, even my supportive line manager doesn’t really know the full picture. I do this mostly because I’m a private person, and don’t feel the need to justify my work to others, nor do I wish to be used as an example, but mostly because my main concern is not with my status, but the individuals that are sat in front of me.
