towards an authentic practice: a novice teacher's transformative journey

Running head: TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC PRACTICE

Towards an authentic practice: A novice teacher’s transformative journey

by

Joseph Paul Tong

Bachelor of Education (Home Economics), University of British Columbia, November 2010

Bachelor of Arts (Family Studies), University of British Columbia, May 2009

A GRADUATING PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

Master of Education

in

THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES

(Home Economics)

The University of British Columbia

(Vancouver)

© Joseph Paul Tong

April 15, 2014

TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC PRACTICE ii

Abstract

This self-study follows my path as a beginning home economics teacher and teacher of everyday

life in British Columbia. I will give insight into the context of my practice, as well as how facets

of contemplative teaching and transformative learning have become guides for me to

conceptualize authentic learning and teaching in the home economics classroom. The study uses

stories, otherwise known as critical points, in exploring three events that have served as moments

in transforming my practice thus far as a novice teacher. The selection of these particular critical

points are meant to make sense of my journey as a reflective teacher and student interested in the

transformative aspects of learning and teaching authentically. Each critical point will be

deconstructed based on themes of purposing, learning, and questioning.

Keywords: authenticity, authentic learning, authentic practice, holistic education, contemplative

teaching, transformative learning

TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC PRACTICE iii

Dedication

I dedicate this paper to my wonderful parents, Grace Wong and Ping Fan Tong, who are

the most influential educators in my life. To my mother, thank you for showing me the

importance of embracing challenges and prioritizing one’s purpose in life. To my father, thank

you for showing me the importance of hands-on lifeskills and the impact a persistent work ethic

can have on others.

TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC PRACTICE iv

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank my advisors, Dr. Mary Leah de Zwart and Dr. Mary Gale Smith, for their

expertise and precious time. Thank you for your everlasting dedication to our progress, for the

meaningful learning situations, and for your contributions to our transformative journeys.

I would like to acknowledge and thank all the members of my school district (#sd36learn)

for supporting my efforts at creating authentic experiences for students in Surrey, BC. I also wish

to thank all of the teachers – past, present, and prospective – who continue to inspire me.

Finally, I would like to thank my HEEL colleagues for their conversation, camaraderie,

and community. The feedback and new friendships from HEEL have led to a life-changing

experience. Thank you to my friend and colleague Kelsey Kwong for the countless hours of

candid conversations and contemplation that led to this study. I look forward to the next journey.

TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC PRACTICE v

Table of Contents

Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii

Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................ iv

Chapter One: Embarking Towards Authenticity ...........................................................1

A journey that began in high school ..............................................................................1

A slight diversion but back on course ............................................................................1

Passing a sign on the road ..............................................................................................2

A block in the road changes the course .........................................................................3

First steps in a new direction .........................................................................................4

Authenticity in education ...............................................................................................7

Authentic learning ............................................................................................................... 7

Authentic instruction ........................................................................................................... 8

Authentic assessment .......................................................................................................... 8

Chapter Two: The search for an authentic practice .....................................................10

Storytelling and Narrative as a Research Methodology ..............................................11

Chapter Three: Teacher as human and authentic learning companion .....................13

(1) Expert content knowledge vs. Pedagogical content knowledge. ...........................13

(2) Reflecting on teacher identity: teacher as co-learner .............................................15

(3) Boundaries of humanism in the classroom ............................................................16

Chapter Four: Culture of authentic learning and inquiry ..........................................20

(1) Teaching as transmission vs. Teaching for transformation ....................................21

(2) Focusing on authenticity through the process of inquiry .......................................22

TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC PRACTICE vi

(3) At a loss for words: what is authentic teaching and learning? ...............................24

Chapter Five: The practice of authentic conversations ................................................27

(1) Giving and taking vs. Conversation .......................................................................28

(2) Optimism in authentic conversations .....................................................................30

(3) Calling a conversing spade an authentic spade ......................................................31

Chapter Six: Discussion – a journey towards an authentic practice ...........................32

Qualities of Authentic Practice ....................................................................................32

Understanding-by-design .............................................................................................33

Holistic education ........................................................................................................34

Beginning teachers and transformative learning ..........................................................35

Contemplative Teaching ..............................................................................................39

Chapter Seven: Reflections on becoming an authentic educator ................................42

References .........................................................................................................................48

TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC PRACTICE 1

Chapter One: Embarking Towards Authenticity

A journey that began in high school

I graduated from secondary school in 2005, completing a multitude of home economics

courses, mostly in foods and nutrition. I was told that I had exhausted all of the department’s

home economics courses and prompted a new course to be created for a group of my fellow

home economics enthusiasts in our final year of high school. Looking back, it was no surprise

that I fell in love with this area of study years later. I had a strong bond with my home economics

teacher and an even stronger connection with studying lifeskills and engaging with topics

concerned with everyday life.

A slight diversion but back on course

Shortly after secondary school I enrolled in the Bachelor of Science program at the

University of British Columbia (UBC). Much to my dismay, I found it difficult to engage with

memorizing facts, computing figures, and reading material that I could not immediately and

relevantly apply to my surroundings. I yearned for a genuine connection to what I was studying.

I wanted to put theory into meaningful practice. In 2006, as I worked through first-year physics,

chemistry, and math, I found myself wanting to study how the world works from the perspective

of social interactions, everyday gestures, and lifeskills rather than formulas, spreadsheets, and

equations. In my second year I made the decision to switch into the Family Studies department,

where I was introduced to home economics as an area of focus.

Throughout my undergraduate degree I found myself working with a multitude of

nonprofit organizations from private recreation facilities to family services agencies and food

security initiatives. This wide spectrum of experiences shined a light on how subjects connected


to home economics could inspire youth to focus on lifeskills development in all areas from

personal wellness to nutrition and family living. During my time with nonprofit organizations I

developed a grade seven to eight transition program at a family services agency, a food

preparation and nutrition program at a recreation facility and a food volunteer program at a food

security initiative. I later recognized these areas of development as being strongly connected to

home economics.

Passing a sign on the road

Up until my year of teacher education at UBC I had volunteered with my former high

school home economics teacher in Vancouver, BC. Although some recipes had changed since I

had studied at the high school, the same format remained – theory (in the form of worksheets or

research assignments), demonstration (teacher-led and fill-in-the-blanks), and lab. I assumed

that this was the way of all home economics programs. During my year of teacher education, I

made my way to one-day classroom observations as far as Sechelt, BC and Surrey, BC. I found

that all the classrooms I visited also had variations of the aforementioned theory-demonstration-

lab structure.

According to authors of transformative learning research, I had created a meaning

perspective of home economics that was based on the theory-demonstration-lab structure. A

meaning perspective is a habit of mind that comprises of a set of assumptions and expectations –

in other words, a frame of reference (Mezirow, 2003). At the time, this structure felt natural to

me and I was not prepared to question its existence or intention. Throughout my year of teacher

education, we were introduced to concept attainment strategies and inquiry-based learning,

which aimed to tap into students’ existing knowledge bases and allowed for student-directed

investigations. To be honest, during my school visits and during my practicum I had not


experienced a home economics classroom that used inquiry-based learning effectively or valued

student authority. This observation encouraged me to follow along with the status quo during my

practicum as 1) it was rather easy to replicate the way I was taught in secondary school due to its

familiarity and 2) I had been encouraged to go along with the status quo in order to successfully

complete my practicum. Without solid examples and experience of inquiry-based learning (or

anything that contrasted transmission teaching for that matter) I ran into trouble with seeing the

different ways of knowing that were possible in a home economics classroom. I was used to

having standardized recipes given to me in a neat package at the beginning of the year, with little

room for input other than the odd decorating task during holiday baking season.

The perspective that remained after my secondary school experiences and classroom

observations in my teacher education program had set a boundary for me. I had come to

understand the status quo (demonstration, lab, worksheet) was considered the “right” way to

approach home economics. I found little connection between the status quo and the type of

learning and teaching that was being promoted in my teacher education program. Student-

centered learning and students’ taking responsibility for their learning were foreign concepts to

me and just as far-fetched to many of my colleagues.

A block in the road changes the course

It was during my practicum that I discovered a need in my students. My perspective as a

teacher was different than my experiences as a student in secondary school – I could notice when

students were not engaged and that bothered me. When I offered worksheets and assignments

that required fill-in-the-blanks or word-for-word questions from a textbook, my students were

not excited about the content, though they were usually excited about what they would be

preparing in the kitchens – an excitement that was often misconstrued as engagement with the


recipes when in fact at times it was mostly a relief from the monotony of worksheets and poster

projects. I wanted the home economics class to make a genuine impact on students’ lives and

their communities. As I mentioned, I went through my practicum pushing few boundaries, under

the close recommendation of many of my colleagues and friends, as I wanted the shining

practicum report teacher candidates desire in order to enter the competitive teaching industry.

When I emerged from the teacher education program, I immediately started dreaming

about what my class was going to look like. I had an expanding discomfort through my

practicum and teacher education year that built on the question: “What is authentic student

engagement and learning in the home economics classroom?” I made a promise to myself that

my teaching career would change drastically in order to become a reflective educator that was

aware of his students’ needs. I immediately set out to find a “different way” of doing things. I

attempted to connect with teachers within home economics about my changing perspective but

found that even with their help I could not push my understanding of the home economics

curriculum far enough to answer my question.

First steps in a new direction

I enrolled in UBC’s Human Ecology and Everyday Life program with the intention of

seeking a theoretical basis for the many classroom structure “experiments” I had started

performing in class. From experiments such as revealing learning outcomes after exploration, to

working from research and inquiry questions, I needed a purpose, just like my students, to be in

the classroom. I needed a philosophical foundation to guide me.

When I secured a supply teaching position with two school districts, I was excited – this

was the time to observe a spectrum of teaching styles from school district to school district. Time

and time again I was met with comments from experienced teachers that I was of a different


status as my home economics upbringing was subpar to the education many seasoned teachers of

home economics had endured in the past. These individuals mentioned that current home

economics teachers did not have the extensive knowledge base in the subject content that they

did. I found these messages to be rather contradictory, particularly because the same individuals

also had complaints about not getting enough teacher candidates interested in home economics

and because it was indicative of such a traditional – teacher as expert transmitting information to

empty vessel – view of teaching. With these frequent experiences, I found it difficult to feel

welcome to the home economics teaching profession. This prompted me to look into what my

personal style of teaching home economics could be, how it could be relevant to our current

demographic, and how I might share that with the world. I wished to develop my own style – a

style that could be helpful in developing a new wave of home economics teachers, as well as a

style that could be relatable to experienced home economics teachers. I believe that in order to

inspire students to become authentic home economics educators and learners, we must work to

remove the stigma of the “non-home-economics-trained.”

At the beginning of the Human Ecology and Everyday Life (HEEL) program, I quickly

realized what it meant to be a teacher of home economics. Much of what I realized as the raison

d’être of home economics was anything but repetitive facts and memorizing the different forms

and functions of ingredients – a staple in “theory” lessons in the traditional home economics

classroom. Evidently, all home economics educators do not share this realization. Brown (1980)

says, “… home economics educators currently hold conflicting and unclear conceptions of the

aim of home economics, of the questions with which it should be concerned, of knowledge

relevant to the field, of appropriate procedures and norms of inquiry.” The conflict that existed in

the differences in procedures of home economics educators continued to occupy my mind


throughout the HEEL program. This led me to look into what authentic practices in the

classroom could look like if we adopted a more holistic perspective of education. I learned that

the impact of home economics could be far more extensive than I had thought. For example,

Vaines (1994) argues that ecology should be our unifying theme, Smith (1995) and Smith and

Peterat (1992) suggest that our mission compels us to have a global perspective, McGregor

(2011) says that critical consumer citizenship is imperative, Smith and Peterat (2001) advocate

action research as professional practice, and de Zwart (2001) takes a post colonial look at our

practice and recommends we seek new metaphors to guide our practice.

Inspired by these researchers’ suggestions, I intended to transform perspectives of home

economics education from a controlled lab environment into an authentic setting that could be

relatable to new and experienced teachers of home economics as well as educators of other

subject areas. I wanted to use theories I encountered in the HEEL program to expand on my

teaching practice and share my journey as a teacher that was trying to create purpose for his

practice. I strove to move past the criticisms that I received based on some educators’ frustrations

with the current requirements to be a home economics educator, and focus on my personal goal

to accommodate a wide spectrum of students and create authentic learning situations for students

of home economics.

This self-study will take the shape of several chapters – this chapter sets the context for

my search for an authentic teaching practice; chapter two outlines why I believe a narrative study

is the best way to chart my beginning journey towards an authentic practice; chapters three to

five include stories that have been critical points in the recent transformation of my teaching

philosophy and practice; chapter six offers detail into my conceptualization of authentic practice

and the pedagogical perspectives that have inspired my shifts in practice; finally, chapter seven


offers a recapitulation of this study as well the inferences I am able to make about an authentic

teaching practice.

Authenticity in education

For the purposes of this paper I will define some common terminology surrounding

authenticity in teaching.

As a noun, authenticity is typically taken to mean genuineness or realness or the quality

of being authentic. According to Petraglia (1998), what is authentic is what we find personally

real. It involves a sense of reality. Authentic in existentialist philosophy means “relating to or

denoting an emotionally appropriate, significant, purposive, and responsible mode of human life”

(“Authentic,” 2014). To me, authenticity or being authentic, thus involves knowing or getting to

know one’s true self and others, critically navigating and participating in the world rather than

automatically following the status quo. It becomes the underpinnings for authentic learning,

authentic instruction and authentic assessment.

Authentic learning

Authentic learning is defined as learning that is seamlessly integrated or implanted into

meaningful, “real-life” situations (Jonassen, Howland, Marra, & Crismond, 2008). According to

the Glossary of Educational Reform,

In education, the term authentic learning refers to a wide variety of educational and

instructional techniques focused on connecting what students are taught in school to real-

world issues, problems, and applications. The basic idea is that students are more likely to

be interested in what they are learning, more motivated to learn new concepts and skills,

and better prepared to succeed in college, careers, and adulthood if what they are learning

mirrors real-life contexts, equips them with practical and useful skills, and addresses topics


that are relevant and applicable to their lives outside of school. (“Authentic learning,”

2013)

Authentic learning is supported by authentic instruction and authentic assessment.

Authentic instruction

Newmann and Wehlage (1993) outline five standards that essential to authentic

instruction: higher-order thinking, depth of knowledge, connectedness to the world beyond the

classroom, substantive conversation, and social support for student achievement. In writing

about alternative assessment in home economics Lowe and Howell (1994) define authentic

teaching activities as those that provide students with the opportunity to use complex reasoning

skills by developing a thought-provoking task, providing a ‘real world’ task and clearly defining

the criteria for assessment.

Authentic assessment

Authentic assessment is defined as assessment that is embedded directly into authentic,

realistic learning experiences, instead of being administered as an independent quiz or test in an

isolated context (Herrington & Kervin, 2007). According to Meuller (n.d.) authentic assessment

springs from the following reasoning and practice:

1. A school's mission is to develop productive citizens.

2. To be a productive citizen, an individual must be capable of performing meaningful

tasks in the real world.

3. Therefore, schools must help students become proficient at performing the tasks they

will encounter when they graduate.


4. To determine if it is successful, the school must then ask students to perform meaningful

tasks that replicate real world challenges to see if students are capable of doing so.

I hesitate to develop these terms any further at this point, including what the definition of

an authentic practice could be. The common thread in the above is the term “real”. My aim in

this self-study is to explore that notion of what is “real” in a teaching practice and contribute to a

further elaboration of what authentic practice entails.


Chapter Two: The search for an authentic practice

Like many graduate students, I’m writing these words as I sit in a local coffee shop. I’m

also sitting here as a novice teacher, loosely defined as a teacher who has had less than 3 years of

experience, a label that takes into account my few years of chronological experience and not the

quality of the experiences I have had so far in my teaching career. Some define this as the time

when new teachers focus on survival and establishing classroom routines (Kumi-Yeboah &

James, 2012). Up until this point I have been considered many things: the naïve “new guy,” the

teacher who gets mistaken for a student, the teacher who uses media and thus is always watching

movies, and occasionally the teacher who just plays games all day. Yes, I will admit that I do not

have a decade of teaching under my belt, a pending application for a position in administration,

or filing cabinets full of worksheets that I have collected for the last few decades. That being

said, what I have is a passion for developing connections with students’ lives, drive for

meaningful social change, and demand for authentic learning. The purpose of this self-study is

for me to dig deeper into what I believe it means to teach authentically and what contributes to

authentic learning. I plan on deconstructing key incidents in my career so far that have

contributed to my conceptualization of authentic learning and ultimately the transformation of

my practice. Schön (1983) mentions that teachers engage in a process of reflection and inquiry to

frame problems, drawing on familiar methods in order to test new hypotheses and methods. To

chart my journey towards an authentic practice, I use the concept of transformational learning to

lead my inquiry, where critical points or problems are deconstructed and theorized. Mezirow

(1990) describes transformational learning as a process where learners enter a process of

personal and social change by critically examining their beliefs, assumptions, and values when

faced with new knowledge. Essentially I want my students to be changed and want to participate


in meaningful change – be it personal growth, developing positive self-concept, acquiring

lifeskills, or implementing change in the community and the world. On my end, I would like to

challenge myself to prepare a learning environment that teaches to the whole student, creating

authentic learning experiences. I will expand on this perspective, holistic education, later in this

study. This self-study is an outline of the challenges I have faced during my mission towards an

authentic practice – the issues and tensions, understandings, and inferences I have formulated

from key experiences.

Storytelling and Narrative as a Research Methodology

This paper takes the form of a self-study, narrative, or portraiture. A concept such as

authentic learning and teaching has been rather difficult to concretize. Researchers indicate that

“stories capture more than scores of mathematical formulae ever can” (Carter, 1993, p.5). The

richness that comes with using stories to document learning focuses on the “wholeness,

integration, connection, awareness of the present moment, and the quality of experience”

(Byrnes, 2012, p.27). Therefore, this format seems to be a beneficial way of communicating my

thoughts and process through my search for an authentic teaching practice. Karpiak mentions

that “adult learners who write their life story embark on a process of personal self-reflection and

meaning making” (2003, p.99). A self-study also allows a learner to represent their learning from

events or experiences in their own lives in reflective ways as well as realizing the uncanny. The

reflective and uncanny are seen as profound learning experiences that could contribute to the

“transformation of one’s perspective of self and the world” (Karpiak, 2003, p.99). Through short

vignettes in chapters three to five, I will seek to make connections between literature and practice

as well as find purpose for specific events in my transformative journey towards an authentic

practice. When it comes to contemplative teaching, a perspective that has been a large part in


shaping my journey so far, Byrnes sees portraiture as an appropriate method because of the focus

on “connection rather than separation, or seeing the universal through the particular, and on self-

awareness and transformation of both participant and portraitist (2012, p.26).

On the topic of novice teachers and narratives, Carter (1993) sees the need for new

teachers to understand teaching by focusing on and capturing events as a fundamental process as

they learn to teach. The assumption is that novices lack situated knowledge, or experiential

knowledge, and often have troubles navigating classroom events. “Thus, by recording what

events are storied by novices…it should be possible to gain insights into what they know, how

their knowledge is organized, and how their knowledge changes with additional experiences of

watching and doing teaching” (Carter, 1993, p.7).

Each of the three following chapters will outline critical points in reshaping my meaning

perspectives (frame of reference and expectations through which I interpret the world). As the

backbone of transformative learning is critical reflection, I will critically reflect on these

vignettes using my assumptions and beliefs (Cranton & Roy, 2003). According to Karpiak, this

sort of knowledge, the translation of memory into narrative, brings relationships between others

and us into consciousness and leads to “learning from life events, relationships, and experiences,

which leads to self-awareness and insight” (2003, p.103). To deconstruct and theorize my

experiences, I will group my analysis in three questions based on Newman’s (2001-2009)

“snippets” on critical incidents: (1) What issues or tensions am I dealing with? – the issues faced

in this story has had on my journey towards authentic teaching (2) What do I now understand

and what inferences can be made? – the potential lessons have I taken from this story to guide

my practice and potential links to developing an authentic practice (3) What questions remain? –

the loose ends that linger as a result of questions and conversations with colleagues.


Chapter Three: Teacher as human and authentic learning companion

“We teach who we are” (Palmer, 1998, p.2)

In my first year of teaching I was recommended to a school for the beginning of a maternity

leave. The department head and I were having a conversation in the laundry room as we prepared

for the afternoon’s classes. As we sorted through the laundry and got to know each other, we

landed on the topic of what route I took to become a home economics teacher. Before I could

even begin to explain where I had come from, she interrupted, “well, whatever it is, it was

nothing like what I had to do in school. I actually learned food science, chemistry, biology, and

the like – nothing like the basic nutrition courses they let people get away with to get into the

program nowadays.” I replied with a respectful nod and a quick synopsis of my experiences and

education. Without an acknowledgment of my response, she quickly intervened, “also, you

probably don’t have any knowledge of textiles, I mean back then you also had to be trained in all

three areas, and the teachers nowadays don’t know anything about textiles.” Dumbfounded by

the stark remarks, I mentioned that I quite often experimented with textiles, to teach myself some

skills that I could see being important. “Well, that’s just playing, you’ll never get the true

techniques that way – the kids won’t be able to learn anything from someone who doesn’t know

the right way of doing things.” I smiled, completed the laundry, and went on my way.

(1) Expert content knowledge vs. Pedagogical content knowledge.

As much as I loved working at that school, that incident served as a tipping point for a shift in

my pedagogical philosophy. We had already scrutinized the “teacher-as-expert” model of

teaching in our undergraduate coursework, but I had not experienced any alternatives to this

model as a student or teacher. Up until that point, the transmission-teacher in me still believed

that I was required to be an expert: the one with the experiences, the one with the answers, the


one that could tell students yes – you’re right – or not. This was a problem, particularly because I

also wanted to encourage more student authority and transparency in my classes. The tension

that existed in this case was between expert content knowledge (where a good educator is

considered to be the embodiment of content knowledge) and pedagogical content knowledge

(where a good educator is one who is able know what teaching approaches are appropriate for

certain content) (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The department head, in this situation, valued expert

content knowledge in her practice. Although I see content knowledge as an important dimension

of an educator’s background, I find it rather presumptuous that one can be judged based on his or

her educational background. Rather, I believe that pedagogical content knowledge is far more

related to creating an authentic experience for our learners. Essentially, this aspect of education,

catering my teaching practice to my students as unique individuals, serves as a priority in my

practice – a priority that could make my pedagogy authentic. Pedagogical content knowledge

takes into account how students can represent concepts, how much students already know, and

addresses students’ difficulties and misconceptions in order to further meaningful understanding

(Mishra & Koehler, 2006). By having this teacher tell me that my credentials were subpar

pushed me to think: my path was different, yes, but all paths are different – and students are all

different. What makes one educator more qualified than the other? What path makes one teacher

a better teacher than the other? This led me to question the current priorities in home economics

and what teaching methods would impact our students holistically rather than as robotic sponges

of content knowledge.


(2) Reflecting on teacher identity: teacher as co-learner

The biggest lesson I took from this and one aspect that I considered as a prerequisite to authentic

teaching had to do with reflecting on my identity as an educator. Was I an embodiment of

knowledge? Was I a transmitter of content? Was I a facilitator of inquiry? Or was I a companion

in learning? I believe wholeheartedly that in teaching we also teach who we are as people

whether we are authentic or not. I also believe that the deep knowledge of who we are, the

awareness of what influences us, and the impact we have on others is part of a hidden curriculum

that is often dismissed as unimportant within the focus and scope of our course content. I would

consider a contemplative reflection on who we are as people and educators, therefore, a portion

of an authentic practice as it becomes part of the curriculum whether we like it or not.

Researchers suggest that the unseen curriculum is a critical part of formal education (Shockley,

Bond, & Rollins, 2008). Course content is more than curricular objectives, prescribed learning

outcomes, and the mastery of a specific set of skills.

Students respond “affirmatively to attempts to understand their personal and private

hidden curricula and are open to transforming some areas of it when such attempts are believed

to be authentic” (Shockey et al., 2008, p.198). Those who neglect this humanistic part of

teaching also neglect the fact that students are in tune with this hidden curriculum at all times.

“Knowing [yourself] is as crucial to good teaching as knowing [your] students and [your]

subject” (Palmer, 1998, p.2). In the case of my former colleague, the focus on the human aspect

of teaching was neglected. My identity as an educator had been boiled down to a series of letters

that made up an undergraduate degree. This point at the start of my teaching career inspired me

to redefine part of my teaching philosophy from teaching students how to make an ideal product

based on a recipe or follow directions to authentically exploring, with my students, how to create


knowledge about aspects of everyday life and how to navigate the fast-paced digital world that

offers us content and facts similar to what we encounter in the worksheets given out in home

economics classes. This shift encourages me to constantly cater class activities, lessons, and

explorations to students’ experiences and what is currently happening in their lives. I believe that

meeting students where they are in terms of content knowledge and interests is a part of my

journey towards an authentic practice. At the same time, I also believe that students should have

the opportunity to make their learning relevant to themselves. This creates a shift of my role as

an educator from being a mentor to being what Cranton and Wright call a “learning companion”

(2008). They use this term because they believe the word “mentor” implies that one is

experienced and one is less experienced (Cranton & Wright, 2008). A learning companion is

defined as “one who helps the learner to recognize his or her own expertise and experience and

draws on that – shifting the emphasis slightly away from being the guide and opener of doors to

being…[one who helps] the learner deliver their words to the world and put the learner into the

conversation” (Cranton & Wright, 2008, p.35). Ultimately, the learning is a shared experience

that benefits both student and educator, culminating in a shared curiosity that engages an

exchange of learning

(3) Boundaries of humanism in the classroom

The main concerns that come up in my conversations with other educators about the concept of

“learning companions” have to do with the boundaries between teacher and student, the

practicality of this type of teaching, and the pressures of course content and curriculum on this

pedagogical perspective. Although I do not have solutions for all of these concerns, I do have

guiding principles that seek to understand the curricular objectives, organization, and integrity of


an educator who chooses to be a learning companion with the aim of achieving an authentic

practice.

On the topics of curricular objectives and practicality, educators are often concerned that

they have tests to teach toward, or that they have prescribed learning outcomes that hinder them

from allowing students to explore content on their own. Essentially, the common assumption is

that a class that sees an educator as a learning companion is a class with no structure and

direction, and that students are not able to fulfill their own curricular needs without the authority

of an educator. My perspective after researching this topic is this: an educator that makes

personal and ministry objectives (e.g. in British Columbia, the Ministry of Education publishes

Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs) and Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for teachers)

transparent to students has the ability to scaffold a student’s personal inquiry to levels that allow

students to find authentic connections with a topic. This transparency is all part of the seamless

integration of research, teaching, and learning that can be woven with reflexivity, emotional

engagement and relationship accountability (Tanaka, Nicholson, & Farish, 2012). The ministry

guidelines exist and respecting the guidelines is a given part of being a public educator. Where

educators can be more resourceful and creative is in the way that they offer and present their

courses. In order to make course content relatable, researchers recommend that educators be

flexible and vulnerable with students, be honest about items that they do now know, model

reflexivity, share emotions, be transparent in their practice, and welcome learner autonomy

(Tanaka et al., 2012). I believe that this vulnerability could be misconstrued as a chaotic as some

educators may see vulnerability as a stripping of control and all authority – however, the aim is

not to lose control of the curriculum; it is to control the walls that may be preventing students

from seeing how educators engage with content as reflective humans.


On the topic of professional boundaries, some of my colleagues have expressed that they

do not believe a student’s ability to perform in class has anything to do whether or not his or her

teacher has taken the time to get to know him or her. Rather, they attribute factors such as

genetics, family background, and special education designations to rationalize a students’ ability

to concentrate, engage with course material, and learn. In my classroom, my overarching mantra

has become “relationships first.” I believe that creating strong rapports with students eliminates

the qualities we may project onto students and allows us to teach authentically and individually.

In foods and nutrition classes, my students and I spend much of the first two weeks of classes

establishing a rapport with each other, creating a safe environment for risk-taking, and pushing

our social boundaries by partaking in brief icebreakers to break up lessons. As much as this may

sound like a summer camp, the feel-good aspect of these two weeks not only introduces my

students to the course content, the physical environment, the classroom culture, and the other

learners that they will be interacting with for the semester, but also introduces them to me as a

human being. I have developed a comfort in lowering a wall that used to stand between my

students and me – a wall that formerly did not allow me to show my vulnerabilities, a wall that

separated “student work” and “teacher work,” and a wall that separated my life from theirs.

Palmer suggests that students “quickly sense whether you are real, and they respond

accordingly” (1998, p.7). Byrnes also states that “teachers who are open to bringing their whole

selves to their work with learners connect their inner life with their roles as a teacher” (2012,

p.24). There is power in being genuine, and with this also comes the ability to increase comfort

and authenticity in the classroom. There is little power, as Palmer suggests, with law or

technique – true connections and learning do not exist because of rules and coercion (1998). This

prioritization of connections with students and the subject area opens up avenues for educators to


also connect with their subject areas in different ways to which they they may be accustomed.

When educators find coherence between their methods and themselves, only then can they show

that they have power in the classroom (Palmer, 1998). One question that I constantly ask myself

is, “Who am I as an educator?” I admit that I am still searching for an answer to this question,

and I don’t expect to find it soon. What I want to search for, however, is my authenticity as an

educator – what part of my inner life can I bring to my work in the classroom? Byrnes asserts

that “teaching with integrity involves congruence between a person’s inner life and their external

role as a teacher” (2012, p.24). My aim is to connect with students as a human who cares about

making authentic connections with them and their communities. My aim is also to be an educator

who cares about knowing who I am so I can know who my students are. Finally, I want the

passion I have for my subject area to fuel passion in my students’ work.


Chapter Four: Culture of authentic learning and inquiry

“If we regard truth as something handed down from authorities on high, the classroom will look

like a dictatorship. If we regard truth as a fiction determined by personal whim, the classroom

will look like anarchy. If we regard truth as emerging from a complex process of mutual inquiry,

the classroom will look like a resourceful and interdependent community.” (Palmer, 1998, p.51)

I was overjoyed. I had finally made my way into almost guaranteeing me my first contract

position at a school that I loved. From supply teaching at this school, the students seemed great,

the staff was friendly, and the commute was short. However, before I could sign the paperwork

and take the contract, I was taken for an unofficial “test spin.” The trial week was to be filled

with visits from administration, 120 brand new students, and a hovering department head.

Needless to say, the environment was anything but relaxing. I walked into the classroom on the

first day and located the department head to get some details for the trial week ahead. When I

asked what the focus and scope for the semester would be, she pulled out a 60-page booklet and

placed it on the desk. “This.” I looked at her, smiled gingerly, and started to leaf through the

booklet. As expected, page after page was filled with worksheet after factsheet, fill-in-the blank

after articles, and word-searches after recipes. The whole year had been planned down to the last

sheet. Was this easy? Was this the routine? Was this meaningful? In an attempt to make

everyone involved happy, I flipped through the first few pages with each of my classes.

I made it to the second day with the course package. After I experienced my first

administration visit, while I was going through a worksheet on safety rules, I could not bring

myself to enjoy one more day going over fact sheets, assigning worksheets, and sitting down and

watching students do “busy work” while shushing the odd student who seemed to be off task. On


the third day I had a plan. I was going to exercise my professional autonomy and get to know my

students. I started off each class with a quick icebreaker, which I participated in. Since we were

scheduled to review kitchen equipment that day, I decided to play a class-wide scavenger hunt

through all the cupboards. To be honest, I didn’t know what was in each cupboard, and I saw this

as the opportunity to learn something about the kitchen layout as well as the students in my

classes. When the department head walked into one of the classes, she was horrified. She quickly

asked me why students were touching the kitchens and why they were not working on

worksheets. I gave her my educational reasons, and she stormed off. The following class period,

an administrator casually walked into my class. I had started the same icebreaker and scavenger

hunt again. The moment she walked in my stomach turned – what would she think? Did I just

lose my chance at a contract?

(1) Teaching as transmission vs. Teaching for transformation

In brief, I got the contract and I am currently at the same school in a continuing contract. In fact,

that event generated a small buzz about my “rebellious” nature and allowed me to acquire some

leadership roles and become a part of school and district pilot projects. When I arrived at the

school this package of notes looked like it had been photocopied at least five times, in someone

else’s style, and that was disheartening to me. I was expected to teach from someone else’s work

of which I was unable to take ownership. The assumption that one can take a factsheet with an

accompanying worksheet and hand it to a student to complete is indicative of teaching as

transmission (Christensen & Aldridge, 2013). The role of students in this perspective is that of a

passive learner, a receiver of knowledge – their job is to “sit quietly and pay attention” (p.72).

This passive role of the student did not align with my attempt at cultivating an authentic practice.

The tension heightened when I started exploring the idea of teaching as transformation, where a


transformed teacher “works to make a profound and positive different in [his or] her students’

lives” (Christensen & Aldridge, 2013, p.78). I wanted to make an impact on my students’ lives,

to challenge concepts found in everyday life, and together make an impact in the community. I

saw this type of teaching as being authentic as they would have to engage with themselves as

people in order to meaningfully understand the curriculum. I furthered my inquiry into an

authentic teaching practice by questioning what I had experienced as a new teacher at this school

– how could I expect students to be engaged, own their learning, and engage in authentic

dialogues about home economics when I could not connect with what I was doing? After I

signed the paperwork for this contract, I immediately started reinventing what I considered to be

teaching as transmission in home economics. I was excited to finally have a platform to play

with my ideas, but I needed to approach the area with caution – there were expectations,

classroom traditions, and egos to respect - the journey to redefining my practice as authentic

would be wonderfully shaky.

(2) Focusing on authenticity through the process of inquiry

I was quickly inspired by an inquiry-based pilot course that had started running that year –

Inquiry 8. This course took multiple eighth-grade level academics (Social Studies, English,

Science, and Math) and integrated them in a series of self-directed inquiry projects. The project

seemed exquisite – rather than focusing on content and rote memorization, the course focused on

the skills that individuals required in order to organize, process, and create meaning for

themselves. The way I see it, the inquiry process mimics the way we go about learning

something that we are passionate about – we plan what we want to learn, retrieve resources,

process and sort the information, create meaning or innovations based on the information, share

what we create, and evaluate our learning process. I saw a connection between being


passionately connected to a subject and authentic learning and teaching – the process of putting

our interested selves in our own learning posits our authority in our learning. We are at every

step of the process in this kind of learning – nothing is prescribed from above, and we are in

charge of ensuring that we are covering every nook and cranny of the topic. I believe that this

ownership on the part of the learner is also what makes learning authentic. Cranton and Carusetta

(2003) define authenticity in teaching as including a plethora of values, which educators

critically reflect on, such as bringing the self-aware self into teaching, taking the time to get to

know one’s students, and maintaining positive rapports and relationships with students. By

enlisting these values in daily practice, we as educators can also encourage a culture of

innovation – how do we make advances in research without a process of inquiry? How do we

challenge the status quo? How do we genuinely motivate students to be creative? Some

researchers note that by using intuitive inquiry teaching methods we can encourage

transformative learning and learning through creativity and innovation. Furthermore, this type of

inquiry in the classroom attempts to transcend academic knowledge and promotes multiple ways

of knowing (Netzer & Rowe, 2010). The creative process is a dimension of inquiry that I have

adopted as essential part of an authentic practice – the retrieving, processing, and creating from

information to something new has become the backbone of the structure of my courses. Students

connect with what they create, as long as they are the true authors of their products. There is a

close connection between authoring and authority. Palmer sees this connection as such:

“authority is granted to people who are perceived as authoring their own words, their own

actions, their own lives, rather than playing a scripted role at great removal from their own

hearts” (1998, p.33). We cannot script creativity. It is no surprise that our attempt at asking

students to “just be creative” is often received with puzzled stares or frowns. Creativity has too


long been seen as a subjective and unreachable concept. However, what I have seen is that when

the act of creating and innovating is framed in the structure of the inquiry process, and when this

process is involved in students’ authentic learning, creativity becomes a part of the process rather

than a seasoning to be added after the fact.

(3) At a loss for words: what is authentic teaching and learning?

One of the many challenges that I have with authentic teaching is how to convey and explain it to

others. I have troubles explaining, to other educators, “how to be authentic” in the classroom as

the personal dimensions of student and teacher are fully immersed in the everyday interactions

that cannot be generalized to all student-teacher relationships. How does one explain to someone

how to be human? How does one make a judgment on how an educator is being authentic in the

classroom? Those are all questions that I struggle with on a daily basis when people ask me how

I scaffold students from almost nothing on paper to full-blown inquiry projects. At the same

time, the suggestions that I offer such as “be human,” “take risks,” “be vulnerable,” “let students

direct the conversations and questions,” and “find students’ passions” hardly hold tangible

strategies for my colleagues. Palmer approaches suggestions such as these with caution: “when

we approach teaching as “how to do it,” [that] it is nothing more than “tips, tricks, and

techniques,” [we] fail to touch the heart of a teacher’s experience” (1998, p.11). This statement

by Palmer doesn’t stop me from trying to explain what I do with my colleagues, but it helps to

normalize the struggle of explaining authentic teaching to others. The approach I take to

explaining what I currently do in class centers around a culture of reflective practice and

authenticity. Brady sees the importance of “taking time to stop, to dwell on questions, ideas,

methods, and personal experiences [in order to] create a different classroom culture from

what…students are accustomed to” (2007, p.286). I believe that this may be the best advice of all


in cultivating an authentic practice – to reflect, and contemplate, and create. Similarly, Dence

and Collister agree that “…teaching and learning the process of praxis…[by] foster[ing]

authentic ways of knowing and authentic ways of being provid[es] a remarkable transformative

learning experience for the whole classroom community” (2010, p.191).

Part of my current journey as an educator has also been to understand what we mean

when use the words authentic learning. In my few years of teaching I have conceptualized

learning not as what I prescribe students to be able to do, but how effectively students go through

the process of retrieving and processing information, and how they ultimately create their own

knowledge. Karpiak describes two types of learning: learning “that” and learning “from” (2003).

Learning “that” is seen as focusing on the “acquisition of qualities, attributes, and facts” leading

to a gap between student and content. Conversely, learning “from” considers events and

experiences that carry emotional qualities and seek attachment from students to the knowledge

leading to insights into the content (Karpiak, 2003). Through this attachment to knowledge,

students are given the opportunity to comfortably challenge and delve further into

experimenting, challenging, and recreating content knowledge. The focus on student ownership

is key. Altobello suggests that when given the opportunity to own learning, students reach a

“deep understanding, critical reflection, solid research, and creative engagement” that no longer

regurgitates facts and semantics (2007, p.355). In my students’ classes, we focus on the creation

of a documentation piece that charts their learning process. We see this as a very personal

process that asks students to show their reflective path in planning, organizing, narrowing, and

creating. Netzer and Rowe (2010) suggest that a focus on the creative process “often awakens the

student’s personal voice, ethical awareness, and inspiration for social action” (p.131). They

suggest that by focusing on a multimodal perspective that uses inquiry as a path to knowledge,


we are able to foster “valid, meaningful, and essential” personal expression from students (p.

131).

In a study of authentic learning in secondary schools, Kane and Maw (2013) observed

three themes to authentic learning: positioning and autonomy of students, the role and disposition

of the teachers, and conditions for authentic student involvement:.

(1) Positioning and autonomy of students: students are given the authority to have a say

in what is worthwhile in their learning, are able to explain their learning in a language

that conveys meaning, are given trust to see the value and relevance of their research

focus, and are made aware of the ownership of the outcomes through feedback cycles.

(2) Role and disposition of the teachers: teachers are committed to improving their

teaching practice, open to listening to their students and their needs, and share power

in the classroom and in research.

(3) Conditions for authentic student involvement – openness, transparency of the purpose

of inquiry, time for dialogue, flexibility and responsive process are priorities. (p. 315)

In addition to classroom structure giving opportunities for authentic learning, researchers

also stress the important for instructor authenticity (Kreber, Klampfleitner, McCune, Bayne, &

Knottenbelt, 2007). The opportunity to recreate knowledge, and the possibility of pushing

boundaries in knowledge comes with comfort and trust. It is therefore important for educators to

remain comfortable in their approach to their students. “Authenticity is seen… to make

individuals more whole, more integrated, more fully human, more aware, more content with their

personal and professional lives…, more clearly linked to purpose, …and better able to engage in

community with others” (Kreber et al., 2007, p.24).


Chapter Five: The practice of authentic conversations

Good talk about good teaching can take many forms and involve many conversation partners –

and it can transform teaching and learning. But it will happen only if leaders expect it, invite it,

and provide hospitable space for the conversation to occur (Palmer, 1998, p.160).

I was introduced to Twitter as a form of professional development in my first year of teaching.

Twitter is a social networking service that allows people to send 140 character text messages,

called “tweets,” to a personal micro-blog that is then accessible to the public if users so choose.

Users “follow” each other’s micro-blogs, are able to interact with, and “retweet” each other’s

posts (share copies of someone’s tweet with their own followers). Educators who use this social

platform often share links to articles, resources, or what they are doing in their classes. In fact,

many educators also create Twitter accounts for their classes. I had dabbled in the social platform

for about a year as a “lurker” – a person who may read and follow tweets but rarely tweets. One

day, I saw some educators in British Columbia tweeting about something called an “Edcamp.”

Seeing as a few other people from my school were planning to attend, I decided to attend the

Twitter-promoted event. An “un-conference” or “tweetup” as some call it (a combination of the

words Twitter and meet-up), the Edcamp brought together participants from all disciplines,

levels, and backgrounds. Participants were not seen as teachers, students, parents or

administration – they were seen as a collective of individuals interested in discussing the true

goals of education. We all arrived at the school, registered, and were given a handful of post-it

notes. In the library was a bulletin board with a number of topics that had been proposed

beforehand by some individuals. We were invited to place post-its on the topics that we were

interested in discussing and were welcomed to start new topics if we wanted to. After everyone


had placed their post-its on the board, a schedule of the day was created based on the most

popular topics. I made my way to rooms that discussed student engagement, communication with

parents, authentic learning, and even a session named “things that suck”, a discussion that

challenged judgments of educational practices that some of us may see as being old-fashioned.

What was unique about this “unconference” was the fact that there were no official presenters –

it was not a workshop where someone got up and described to all of us how we should

implement an instructional strategy. It was a chance to have an academic conversation about a

topic, and to share experiences around that particular topic.

(1) Giving and taking vs. Conversation

This may be a strange story to be telling in order to narrow the idea of an authentic practice – one

may ask what the significance of social media is on teaching authentically. I have made some of

my most valued connections through Twitter, particularly with home economics educators who

have inspired me to play with the structure of my classroom. I share details and reflections on

what I experiment with in my classes on my school blog, which is linked to my Twitter account.

My tweets are from my genuine self and often reveal parts of my personality. My colleagues

respond by offering excerpts of what they are doing and how it may affect my practice. What I

find intriguing is that it is not only home economics educators who give me comments on my

practice – by sharing my perspectives online, I am able to have conversations about practice with

educators across the globe.

The tension that exists in this story has to do with the exchange of ideas surrounding

pedagogy that exists between colleagues. As I stated previously, the generosity of teachers

continues to be phenomenal – I have exchanged many lesson aids, ideas for projects, and

textbooks. However, I would describe this process as giving and taking rather than conversation.


As I outlined in chapter three, I found it difficult to deliver a content lesson that was given to me,

as I could not be authentic in my delivery. Receiving a multitude of resources, although exciting,

is more effective with conversations about the context of one’s original practice in order to make

it relatable and potentially transferable. I believe that the authenticity takes place in conversation

– where everything from experiences, purposes, and opinions are also shared candidly.

The root for conversation, conversari, means "to live with", "dwell with", "talk with".

Thus, conversation has to do with acting and living among others. Thompson and Gitlin (1995)

use the term conversational shifts to capture the possibility of exploring new possibilities rather

than implementing changes that have already been designated as improvements. Arnett (1992)

advocates what he calls dialogic education, a form of praxis whereby education becomes a

conversation about ideas between persons. He outlines the following ingredients as necessary

for human dialogue: presence; unanticipated consequences; otherness; vulnerability; mutual

implication; temporal flow; and authenticity. Though I use Twitter as a current way of

exemplifying the social phenomenon of conversation, I have found these authentic conversations

in person as well at Edcamps and similar face-to-face situations. The conversations we have with

others interested in the same pedagogical topics are rooted in meaningful sharing, the content is

concentrated, and the feedback is genuine. The Edcamp introduced me to educators who also

wished to teach authentically out of isolation, and who saw the value of conversing with others

in an open environment. It opened my eyes to why social media is not only one of the best

sharing and professional development tools but also a pivotal step in creating conversations

around authentic practice. “Talking about teaching with others helps us to consider our own

views in a new light” (Cranton & Carusetta, 2004, p.290). This new light, found in conversation,

is what I believe helps us connect, restructure, and transform our practice.


(2) Optimism in authentic conversations

The greatest aspect I have taken from this event has to be the ability for critical moments in a

transformative practice to be uplifting, encouraging, and reflective. The process and aim of

transformative learning has been to critically reflect on meaningful events and reconfigure our

ways of understanding authentically. These critical moments invite educators to share their

practice in an open and honest way (Palmer, 1998). By participating in a culture of conversation,

the sense of community grows as we discover how much we have in common. When a

community grows to make learning authentic for students, our conversations also grow and

deepen. My goal to expand my practice, my learning network, and relate to other educators was

aided by the Edcamp. The need to belong to a culture of educational practitioners who valued

change, student engagement, and authentic learning started to strengthen in the first years of my

practice due to the conversations I had on Twitter. This sense of belonging elevated my passion

towards an authentic practice and helped me realize the essence of conversation. Social

networks allowed me to connect with educators of all ages and walks of life. Palmer suggests

that “younger teachers believe their struggles are unique, but find relief that older faculty still

struggle with problems like their own” (1998, p.146). To a certain point this statement rings true.

I find solace in knowing that experienced educators who I respect go through some of the same

thoughts I do in my practice. At the same time, the exchange of our insight into the issues we

face in education, especially cultivating authentic practices, is rich in personal experiences that

seek to transform our preconceived thoughts and assumptions. The more we listen to others’

experiences, the more we can reflect on our own identity and integrity as educators (Palmer,

1998).


(3) Calling a conversing spade an authentic spade

The question of how to get more educators involved in conversation is a key component in this

dialogue. Furthermore, defining what it means to converse genuinely is another key component. I

believe that in order to share any resource, a conversation is necessary – a conversation that

includes transparency of educational goals, practice, and reflection. As I mentioned, most of the

basic sharing that I encountered in my first few years of teaching was in the form of the

following – “here is the worksheet I use” and “here is the answer key.” The culture of authentic

conversation is much more contemplative and personal than this. I believe that, ideally, we

would share our educational visions, candid experiences, as well as our goals for personal and

societal transformation when sharing resources (Byrnes, 2012). This is, however, assuming that

we prioritize our practice in a way that includes personal and societal transformation. In addition,

we must work to be authentic in our sharing as well – by exchanging every dimension possible

including pedagogical perspectives, purposes, and inferences. I suggest that making authentically

conversing with other educators during the sharing process will reveal the impact the qualities of

compassion, integrity, and mindful awareness held within individual educators have on daily

practice (Byrnes, 2012). In essence, these three vignettes I have shared are my attempts at

developing authentic conversations about what I believe are the most influential resource in

authentic teaching practices: stories.


Chapter Six: Discussion – a journey towards an authentic practice

The ideas and practices that I believe make up an authentic practice rarely come from thin air;

rather, many of the advances I have made into developing an authentic teaching practice are

inspired by various perspectives that are introduced to me by my colleagues. In this chapter, I

will first discuss the qualities of authentic practice that I have gathered from the three critical

points in this self-study. I will then outline pedagogical perspectives that have affected my initial

experimentation of curriculum and classroom activities (understanding-by-design and holistic

education) and how these perspectives are recent contributors to my daily teaching practice

(transformative learning and contemplative teaching).

Qualities of Authentic Practice

In each of my three critical points I have attempted to obtain qualities of authenticity in

order to develop a conceptualization of authentic practice.

In chapter three I described an exchange with a colleague over potential educational

background differences between novice and experienced home economics teachers. With this

story, and thanks to the inspiration from holistic education research, I touch on four qualities of

authenticity in teaching – being able to balance expert and pedagogical content knowledge

(where one is not more important than the other but both can exist symbiotically in an authentic

practice); being able to consider oneself as a co-learner or learning companion (learning with

students rather than forcing learning on students); being human and forming real pedagogical

relations with students; and being able to reflect on one’s identity as a teacher.

In chapter four I described an experience, early in my career, where I was expected to

teach from a prescribed booklet of activities. I recount my experience in navigating away from

the booklet and the repercussions of my actions. With this story, I suggest four teaching


perspectives that have provided me with motivation towards an authentic practice: teaching for

transformation, inquiry-based learning, understanding-by-design, and contemplative teaching. I

also touch on the importance of creative real-life learning in the classroom and its impact on

authentic learning and student authority.

In chapter five I described my experiences as an educator on Twitter and my encounters

at my first Edcamp. With this story, I stress the importance of authentic academic conversation

with colleagues, and creating a culture of sharing stories as a way of inspiring a reformation of

authentic practice.

The many conclusions of what I show in my stories are based deeply in research into

trending pedagogical perspectives in my region and school district. I have gained ideas from my

colleagues through academic conversation as well as experienced the outcomes of incorporating

various pedagogical perspectives into my practice. In this next section I provide a rather personal

and reflective investigation of a few perspectives that have stirred my interest in seeking an

authentic practice. I will describe the following perspectives: understanding-by-design, holistic

education, transformative learning, and contemplative teaching.

Understanding-by-design

Understanding-by-design focuses teaching on what educators believe as critical to

include in the curriculum because so much of today’s information is found readily on the Internet

(Wiggins & McTighe, 2005; Pickard, 2007). In this perspective, teachers’ work is seen as

teaching for understanding – “digging deeper, continually asking the essential questions,

rethinking” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p.vi). Each module I introduce in the classroom has

many avenues for students to decide what essential questions they would ask about a topic, how

they are going to demonstrate their learning of the subject matter, and what that subject matter


will cover. The part of this perspective that resonates with me is the thought of knowledge being

deeper than surface level facts and skills. I believe that this way of looking at curriculum, rather

than starting with content knowledge or facts right at the beginning of a course, provide an

opportunity for students to engage authentically with the content and exercise choice in what

their passions are in any classroom.

Holistic education

Holistic education is defined as teaching in order to develop the whole person (including

the intellectual, emotional, physical, social, aesthetic, and spiritual dimensions of an individual)

(Miller, 2005). This perspective of education appeals to me because I believe that allowing

students to make connections between coursework and themselves as people is one of my main

roles as an educator. Davis-Manigaulte, Yorks, and Kasi (2006) assert that in order for educators

to effectively employ a kind of holistic method of learning they must engage themselves

holistically as well. This idea of educator as co-learner and companion in the holistic classroom

is a concept that has guided my journey away from considering myself the expert and towards

being an authentic practitioner in the classroom. Similarly, McMahon (2003, p.259) states,

“engagement stands for active involvement, commitment, and concentrated attention, in contrast

to superficial participation, apathy, or a lack of interest.”

Along with co-learning with my students I am also currently playing with the idea of

passion-based learning or learning through innovation, where students are given time to solidify

a theme or topic of interest either within their course or by connecting an outside topic to the

course. Students then develop a guiding question about a topic that connects personal

development and the impact it may have to their immediate or global community. At the same

time, as my students explore their topics, I also work on an innovation project of my own to


experience the process of inquiry with them. McMahon (2003) believes that classrooms where

both students and teachers are engaged are dynamic and energizing environments. I suggest that

criteria that includes a focus on developing personally and in the community allows both

students and teachers to embark on journeys through the course together, a meaningful and

authentic learning experience that would be rarely achieved if students were following teachers’

orders. I must note that through my theorizing and experimentation of a new way of thinking in

the home economics classroom I have found that my classes have been very messy, spontaneous,

and at times unpredictable. I believe that transformative learning is just as messy, chaotic, and

scattered. I would suggest that this chaotic way of discovering and learning reflects that way that

we currently learn, especially with the rapid increase in the speed of retrieving information on

the Internet. Ultimately, the HEEL program has expanded the context of my practice – why

home economics exists, how it is structured theoretically, and what future directions may look

like. In this study, I attempt to shed some light on what I believe a new and authentic home

economics classroom and educator may look like. The path through the mountain of learning

designs will be very much unpaved, but the foraging for authentic learning will prove to be a

dynamic and meaningful expedition.

Beginning teachers and transformative learning

As a preservice teacher I was fortunate to have a healthy network of supporters: my

faculty advisor, my school advisors, my cohort of teacher candidates, and the colleagues I met in

the industry. Upon graduating as a new teacher, I looked to all of these professionals for

inspiration in seeking areas of growth and change. It made sense – novice teachers looking to

others, particularly experienced teachers, for guidance. In true collegial form, my colleagues

were open to sharing resources, ideas, and conversations when requested. The teachers I saw as


mentors were quick to send me classroom-tested lessons and activities. Cranton and Carusetta

(2004) found that newer teachers began with following what was expected, implementing

suggestions made by authorities on teaching, and emulating their own teachers. I appreciated,

and received, the generosity from the home economics teachers in my life and recreated many of

their lessons in my classroom. However, as much as I tried to make these lessons my own, I

experienced a mental and philosophical gap with a substantial portion of the resources that were

being handed to me. Cranton and Carusetta (2004)assert that eventually, through experience,

educators encounter situations that lead them to question the value of suggestions and advice. I

had not become unappreciative of resource sharing, but I wanted more than just pieces of paper –

I wanted to live experiences in the classroom that I had never felt before. This became one of my

biggest challenges in the classroom: the feeling that what I was doing in class was in line with

what I philosophized as the objective of home economics and life skills. The underlying

assumption was that the teacher education program would prepare me for the classroom

challenges I would encounter. However, Kumi-Yeboah and James (2012) believe that the

opportunity to make an impact on students’ lives is often overshadowed by the many challenges

in the first years of teaching such as preparation and organization. They also believe that

planning and preparation are often seen as the key elements of becoming award-winning

teachers. I would suggest that my biggest challenge was not the act of planning and preparing

classes, but the struggle to make my lessons meaningful to students. In other words, my

challenge was the precursor to planning and preparation, the conceptualization of authentic

learning, rather than preparing materials and worksheets for the classroom.

I was introduced, in detail, to the notion of transformative learning in my final semester

of the HEEL program. I was drawn to this perspective of pedagogy particularly for its roots in


the authentic connections students could make with content in a personal sense – from teasing

out taken-for-granted assumptions to reshaping perspectives and conceptions. Similarly, Cranton

and Carusetta (2004) suggest that unexpected experiences such as the ones I have outlined in

chapters three to five may “lead to a revision of perspectives and can be transformative” (p.288).

As much as I have studied my own transformative journey in this paper, I also see its

contributions to authentic learning on the part of my students. Reading deeper into

transformative learning, I believed this revision of perspectives to be a part of my craft as a

beginning teacher. To fully understand transformative learning, I set out to find other home

economics educators who were experimenting with curriculum in transformative ways that were

in line with my interests, particularly authentic teaching practices. I wanted to experience

transformative learning rather than read about it. I was particularly interested in any educator’s

focus on the “process and outcomes of consciousness raising, critical reflection or perspective

changing, developmental growth, or an individuation…approach to learning” (Byrnes, 2012,

p.25). I wanted to see a student and teacher’s collaborative work show a process of taking factual

knowledge to create new ways of knowing that could authentically impact the self and

community. I was also interested in how educators would be able to facilitate shifts in

consciousness, what they might look like, and what kind of classroom conditions could make

these shifts possible (Dencev & Collister, 2010). It was all abstract – how could I see what a shift

in consciousness looked like in the classroom? Upon explaining my topic of inquiry and

implications, I received more confused stares, dubious statements, and comments on my

educational upbringing than I thought I would. Some colleagues accused me of bastardizing the

tradition of home economics education and the way it had been taught for a handful of decades.

Some attributed this inquiry to be a result of lack of content knowledge, and few offered


encouragement to dig deeper into scrutinizing the priorities of home economics in secondary

schools. This caused me to, rather defensively, embark on a journey towards authentic learning

with my students.

Mezirow defines transformative learning as “learning that transforms problematic frames

of reference – sets of fixed assumptions and expectations (habits of mind, meaning perspectives,

mindsets) – to make them more inclusive, discriminatory, open, reflective, and emotionally able

to change” (2003, p.58). Cranton and Roy suggest there are three concepts that educators need to

understand in order to tackle transformative learning: transformation, individuation, and

authenticity (2003). Transformation is simply the challenging and changing of frames of

reference through critical reflection. Individuation includes “the process by which we become

aware of who we are as different from others” (p.91). It also includes our break away from the

“collective by critically questioning the habits of mind by which we have been unaware.” I

believe that this concept was one of the most challenging in my journey – realizing that I was

different than others and to be different was more of a gift than a curse. I believe that simply

replicating someone else’s content lesson may evoke a superficial perspective that students are

working and learning but in the process this removes the educator’s heart from the lesson.

Authenticity refers to the genuine self, the act of critically participating in our lives rather than

“run[ning] with the unconscious herd” (Cranton & Roy, 2003, p.94). Just as our students are

individuals that come from a range of backgrounds, thus engaging in class content differently, so

are we.

It is important to realize that, like learning, the process of transformative learning “is not

about one’s mind from one thing to another or adopting the “right” point of view but rather about

becoming more open (Cranton & Roy, 2003, p.87). Ultimately, to transform teaching we need to


transform our frames of reference through critical reflection of our own and other’s assumptions

and beliefs about authentic teaching (Cranton & Carusetta, 2004).

Contemplative Teaching

Byrnes describes contemplative teaching as a “framework that enables transformative

experiences for teachers, students, and education communities” (2012, p.25). It is a process that

begins within oneself, one’s own mind, body, and heart, and expands to include the outside

world (Byrnes, 2012). This teaching perspective connected with my goal for students to reflect

deeply into their practice as students while I reflected on mine as an educator. I believe that

mutual reflection propels learning to a personal and authentic level.

Currently, my students and I set up our classes in a way that places the process of

reflection in the centre. It is important to clarify that this does not mean constant written

reflections in the form of journals, but rather setting up a culture of reflective and contemplative

thinking, where attention is given to consider our awareness of our learning at each step of a

learning process which could include anything from discussions and interviews to journal entries

and exit slips. We establish at the beginning of the semester that reflecting and criticizing the

way the classroom runs is encouraged and welcomed. We establish that these comments are

usually a product of contemplation, and are helpful and essential to form the overall climate of

the class. We want to establish a safe environment where students and teachers are free to share

ideas and speak candidly to provide opportunities for authentic learning. This practice of sharing,

particularly in professional development, has become an essential aspect of my transformative

journey that I covered in chapter five. In the classroom, we have frequent conversations about

the way we study the topics we choose, taking time to sift through layers of meaning and expand

our breadth of study where necessary. Taking time to have these conversations rather than


speeding from topic to topic emphasizes the value of contemplation in the classroom. During

these conversations we contemplate how these topics have appeared in past classes, what kind of

learning is important, and how we can make topics meaningful in our personal lives and our

community.

I believe that part of setting up a contemplative classroom is to discuss what

documentation of learning looks like and how the types of questions we ask can affect the level

of understanding we create. For example, guiding questions in our foods and nutrition classes

have shifted from a content-based “what is healthy eating” to an inquiry-based “what leads to

healthy eating?” In the latter question the small change in semantics opens opportunities for

students to consider facts and variables of healthy eating and personally reform current

knowledge rather than search for existing content and regurgitate facts in the form of a poster,

brochure, or written report with little personal connection.

Altobello (2007) believes that in order to learn, in the penetrative or contemplative sense,

students must be attentive and develop effective concentration on the content at hand. In order to

expect students to develop a connection with course content, we must be transparent about the

role of contemplation in the classroom and allow them the opportunity to do so. I believe that the

ability to inspire a deep contemplative connection with course content is a crucial part of an

authentic teaching practice. At the same time, we must take time to discuss the learning process

with our students. In the end, Altobello (2007) emphasizes that concentration and contemplation

are not skills that should be expected, but rather learned and developed. Unlike the perspectives

of transmission teaching, higher learning and its objectives are not easily absorbed through

osmosis (Altobello, 2007). Taking time to contemplate how our students learn is just as

important as reviewing course content. In general, the aim in our classes is to look for ways to


disassemble taken-for-granted assumptions and create new forms and representations of learning.

Byrnes (2012) suggests contemplative teaching as a recent interest in education where an

emphasis in wholeness and potential for transformation guides learning activities rather than

knowledge transmission. Attempting to bring this concept into the way I frame inquiry in the

classroom, I seek to focus on the way transformative learning and contemplative teaching can

lead to an authentic practice.


Chapter Seven: Reflections on becoming an authentic educator

“None will transform education if we fail to cherish…the human heart that is the source of good

teaching.” (Palmer, 1998, p.3)

My transformative journey towards an authentic practice in the last few years has comprised of

deep expectations, heartache, challenges, and triumphs. My quest to answer what it means to be

an authentic educator has taken me from challenging the status quo to challenging myself as a

contemplative human. Attempting to define and purpose an authentic classroom has come with

many challenges, especially when it came to teasing out the dimensions to a perspective of

pedagogy that is deeply personal on the part of both student and teacher. In an attempt to study

authentic learning I suggested that taking personal observations and experiences were essential in

questioning, defining, and inferring an understanding of this topic. The observations that have

guided the shifts in my practice have challenged my notions of good pedagogy and ultimately

authentic learning.

I have outlined three of the most influential critical points in my career thus far to

illustrate my attempts at understanding teachers as humans and authentic learning companions. I

took the form of a self-study to reflect on the perspectives that guided my practice, teased out the

tensions that existed in those scenarios, and inferred concepts that directed me towards teaching

authentically. Vaines (1997) states that the reflective practice journey involves moving into new

territories and considering yourself as a pilgrim on a journey that is complex, uncertain, unstable,

unique, and rich in value conflicts. The stories I have chosen to depict in this study are indicative

of a reflective practice journey – I pay close attention to the transitions and shifts in perspectives

as well as the complicated nature of uncertainty in an authentic teaching practice. At the same

time, I apply Vaines’ assertion that this journey leads to an examined life that exists in relation to


others, a disposition that is actively caring and participatory, and a motivation in creating new

stories that are guided by moral visions of what is in the common good (1997). To examine my

practice, I deconstructed my short vignettes, asking questions related to the position of role,

belief, culture, and so forth to see more deeply or from multiple perspectives (Hart, 2004). By

exercising my contemplative mind in the form of deconstructing narratives I hoped to understand

the transformative nature of my experiences and interactions with other educators and the

contributions my shifts in perspective had on my conceptualization of authentic practice. “A

teacher who is able to explain his or her own contemplative mind is better able to help his or her

students to do the same” (Hart, 2004, p.35). Essentially, one of my many goals includes

encouraging the same culture of contemplation, inquiry, and conversation in my classroom in

order to create authentic learning situations for students.

Cranton and Carusetta studied the act of becoming authentic as a transformative learning

practice (2004). They found five interrelated categories to define authenticity that have helped

me to frame and understand my journey towards an authentic practice so far: self, other,

relationship, context, and critical reflection (Cranton & Carusetta, 2004). The first category, self,

describes the awareness of an educator of him- or herself as people and teachers. This also

includes a reflection of how an educator came to be a teacher and what this meant for them. Most

often, we see teachers consider teaching as their passion, calling, or vocation (Cranton &

Carusetta, 2004). I acknowledge the teaching profession as my calling – from the beginning of

my undergraduate career I knew that I wanted to offer opportunities to others – to expand minds,

even transform them, to become more open. In essence, the goal of transformation is not about

shifting a student or teacher’s mind to some sort of prescribed “right” point of view (for

example, shifting from a transmission to inquiry method of teaching), but rather about becoming


more transparent (Cranton & Carusetta, 2004). The second category, other, recognizes those

around us, particularly our students. Tuning into students’ characteristics, needs, and learning

styles shows an interest in them as people (Cranton & Carusetta, 2004). Getting to know students

is a priority in the classroom. Simply knowing, deeply, who is in one’s class is hugely beneficial

to reaching individuals in attempts to scaffold authentic learning. Helping students realize that

there are others outside and inside their learning network is also important. The realization that

students can learn about themselves by getting to know others and their experiences can shift

mindsets. Ultimately, “this awareness makes it possible for students to make the choice to focus

on other experiences that evoke feelings of competence and readiness” (Brady, 2007, p.377).

The third category, relationship, has to do with the student-teacher boundary and how open

educators are in their interactions with their students. The maintenance of a student-teaching

relationship allows for the integration of teaching, an educator’s personal life, and the rest of his

or her professional life (Cranton & Carusetta, 2004). I have seen this shift in myself as well as

other educators I encounter on Twitter. Some of my colleagues balance their Twitter accounts to

include a mixture of tweets from professional development and research to sharing personal

anecdotes about their day. As a lifeskills educator, I attend many events on my personal time

that relate to my professional endeavours. It is, essentially, my inspiration for how I keep excited

about and style my classes. For example, if I am attending a food-tasting or non-profit event, I

will tweet and send pictures of where I am to my followers. That being said I believe there is a

misconception that when one shares personal anecdotes a professional boundary is broken. I

believe that educators who participate in a deep contemplative practice exercise professional

judgment that will determine what is appropriate and what is not appropriate to share on a

platform that will be seen by minors, colleagues, and the general public. The fourth category,


context, includes the content, physical classroom, psychological environment, department

expectations, general community, culture, and ideas (Cranton & Carusetta, 2004). Setting up the

classroom for a culture of inquiry is not an easy task. With openness to unexpected ways of

knowing also come situations that educators may not feel fully prepared for. Creating a physical

space and environment for authentic learning is just as important as creating interior space

(learning to be aware of feelings of anxiety and tension that may come from unexpected

situations) (Brady, 2007). The final category, critical reflection, includes the act of questioning

oneself, others, and social norms. Students who engage in intuitive inquiry are no strangers to

critical reflection – this is often what drives inquiry. The process of planning a project, working

with research, and creating meaning and documenting learning requires a level of critical

reflection in order for students to personally, and authentically, connect with course questions.

The understanding of an authentic teaching practice is a journey I am continually

navigating – it is a journey that will come with more twists, turns, and roadblocks. I do not

expect that the process of searching for authenticity in teaching will ever end. I believe that as

our stories change, as our students change, and as our world changes, so will the definition of

authenticity in education. I believe that many exciting changes are coming to education – three

changes that I am looking forward to at the moment are the changes that are occurring in

reporting, assessment, and curriculum at the district level. At the time of this study, I am working

on three projects with the Surrey School District (British Columbia, Canada):

(1) For the second year, I am developing, with a colleague, an alternative remedial

summer school program for students in Grade 8 and 9. Students who fail two or more core

subjects (Science, Social Studies, English, and Math) in their grade 8 or 9 years are eligible to be

referred to this pilot program, which blends four core subjects into one program. All the


coursework in this program is inquiry-based and part of the focus of the program is in

experiential learning and, most recently, outdoor education.

(2) I am participating in the design of a new inquiry-based-learning school in Surrey

School District. I, with another colleague, am providing feedback on the creation of the “lifestyle

lab” in the school, formerly known as the “home economics classroom.” The purpose of this

space is for home economics educators to have physical spaces that will promote innovation,

creativity, and “tinkering.”

(3) I am working with a team of teachers in Surrey School District to pilot alternatives in

communicating student learning. The premise of the project is to remove letter grades and

percentages from report cards for Grade 8 and 9 students and provide only anecdotal feedback.

The hope is that the focus for students, parents, and educators will be on the connections that can

be made in learning rather than test scores as a record of progress.

As these types of developments occur, I believe that the focuses of research, particularly

in authentic learning and teaching practices, will also advance. For the sake of this study, what

exactly is authentic learning? In brief, three aspects that have formed a platform for my

exploration of an authentic teaching practice include inquiry, contemplative teaching, and

transformative learning. First, I believe that inquiry seeks students to set personal learning

journeys for themselves, as I have done in this study. Student-directed inquiry holds students

accountable to ask questions and create paths that are essential and authentic to their learning.

Second, contemplative teaching opens students and teachers to reflecting, in a safe and open

environment, to develop themselves holistically in the classroom. Third, a focus on shifting

perspectives in transformative learning lends itself to delving deeply into the understanding of

curriculum from challenging existing assumptions and reevaluating one’s praxis to making a


difference in a learner’s community.

Palmer asserts that “good teaching requires self-knowledge: it is a secret hidden in plain

sight” (1998, p.3). I believe that the secret of good teaching is that there can be few secrets. We

must distance ourselves from “quick fixes” and focus on creating relationships with students in

order to create authentic learning environments. The themes I have woven through this self-study

include humanity, flexibility, and authenticity, as well as holistic education, contemplation and

transformation. As we embark on journeys towards authentic practices for the sake of our

students, scaffold connections that respect student autonomy, and respect the background of

educators as individuals with unique backgrounds, our minds must be open to the sense of trust

and possibility that is needed in order to allow students to understand and discover their self and

others. (Cranton & Wright, 2008). Only then can we teach for the whole student. Only then can

we transform minds. Only then can we practice authentically.


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