The Importance of Teacher Self-Knowledge in Teacher–Pupil Planning

• In Event: Teacher–Pupil Planning in Middle-Grades Schools: Research and Evaluation Methodologies for Examining the Intentions and Outcomes of This Process

Abstract

Experts in middle level education recognize that teachers of young adolescents need specialized professional preparation and continuous professional development as they pursue their careers as middle grades educators (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989; Jackson & Davis, 2000; Association for Middle Level Education, 2010). Yet we know that gaps exist in our pre-service and in-service education programs. Of importance to us in our emphasis on teacher-pupil (TP) planning is the fact that most teachers have not been taught and/or allowed to practice skills or refine the attitudes necessary to conduct this type of planning. Yet, when TP planning is adopted, it possesses all of the advantages cited by Beane and Lipka (1986):

1. It provides a model of democratic living based on cooperative and participatory decision making.
2. It supports mental health by providing opportunities to have a feeling of belonging.
3. It enhances teacher-student relations by the suggestion that learning is a mutual adventure.
4. It offers a chance for teachers to know what is important and interesting to learners.
5. It enhances social competence by offering opportunities to participate.
6. It offers learners a chance to express their own ideas and interests.

Wormeli (2014) recently mentioned that teachers will take risks and do new things if they feel emotionally supported by other members of the staff. Preparing emotionally intelligent teachers has been given little to no attention in pre-service teacher preparation. It becomes one of the challenges for practicing teachers when you introduce a model such as TP planning. The other obstacle to employing TP planning is the pressure on teachers to get their students to perform on standardized tests—many feel there is little time to do anything in a new way because what if it's unsuccessful and you have "wasted" a week!
In this paper I return to the point Hamachek (1999) made about teacher self-knowledge. Utilizing Gardner’s (1983) theory, Hamachek noted that an intelligent teacher is one who is more than expert in content knowledge or dexterous in ability. Rather, intelligent teachers possess both an interpersonal component (understanding what works in dealing with others) and an intrapersonal component (understanding one’s behaviors and feelings) of self-knowledge.
A mixed methods approach to research design provides profitable and rich data. Quantitatively researchers could employ one or more of the Emotional Intelligence (EI) assessments available (see http://www.eiconsortium.org/measures/measures.html) to help teachers gauge their EI. Qualitative data would include (a) observations of classrooms, students, and/or teachers, (b) student achievement data linked to specific teacher practices, (c) case studies.
Questions to start this discussion come from Hamachek (1999): How does one go about finding out about the kind of person he or she is? What can teacher educators do to encourage this kind of self-exploration?
Selected reference
Hamachek, D. (1999). Effective teachers: What they do, how they do it, and the importance of self-knowledge. In R. Lipka & T. Brinthaupt (Eds.), The role of self in teacher development (pp. 189-224). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Author

• Kathleen Roney, University of North Carolina - Wilmington