EDUC5105, unit 3: Never ask what's in a sausage
I really enjoyed Unit 3 because it was an opportunity to sharpen up my lessons. It’s been a really busy year as it was my first time being an IB Diploma Coordinator and Vice Principal, and I didn’t get a chance to build out or improve my activities as I typically would when teaching was sole role. That said, the activity for this unit is something that forced me to pause and think carefully about one of my lessons on marketing planning. For me, this chapter of the marketing unit is one of the most important as it forms the basis for the rest of the unit and informs a range of business decisions, from human resources and financing, to operations management and production.
The Artifact
Before I go on, here are my lesson activity and lesson plan artifacts (do feel free to use, but please take note of the Creative Commons license attached to both):
Google Slides: Perception Mapping
Google Docs: Perception Mapping lesson plan
A saying I once heard goes something like, “Never ask what’s inside a sausage.” I actually really like sausage, so this is a piece of advice that I take to heart.
"Bockwurst is the wurst" is licensed by Joe Ticar under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
On a serious note, I was so apprehensive about sharing this lesson plan and activity. I shouldn’t have been - in fact, I often remind my students that feedback from their peers is valuable and should be considered carefully when it comes from a place of care. The end result of posting my lesson plan was some very thoughtful feedback from one of my classmates that highlighted an area of potential bias that I need to address. However intimidating this was, I guess this activity was an example of walking the walk.
What I took from this unit, and the corresponding activity, is seen in Osterman (1990), who notes that reflective practice,
Enables individual practitioners to become more skillful and more effective [and] it leads to greater self-awareness, to the development of new knowledge about professional practice, and to a broader understanding of the problems which confront practitioners. Because it enhances professional growth, and thereby responds to the needs of individual practitioners, it also influences the environment of the workplace in ways that support organizational change and effectiveness (p.134).
Funnily enough, I often joke with my students that by the time they’re done the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, they’re like mirrors because they have to reflect so much. However, as Osterman points out, it’s not without its merits. With that in mind, this unit made me aware that for all of the reflection that I do as a professional, it’s an activity that should be done (at least part of it) outside of a vacuum. Reflective practice is best supported through an active process of feedback from other professionals who are familiar with your context, which in my case, is that of a teacher and administrator.
To be honest, I felt (and continue to feel) intimidated by the idea of displaying the lattice behind my teaching, but if it’s something that will ultimately enable me to be a better for my students, then why not? This is one of those times that was okay to find out the exact ingredients of a sausage.
Source:
Osterman, K. F. (1990). Reflective Practice: A New Agenda for Education. Education and Urban Society, 22(2), 133–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124590022002002