CLASSROOM PRACTICE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLTEACHERS IN KATHMANDU
By
Sarmila Pokhrel
This thesis is submitted to the Tribhuvan University
In the partial fulfillment of the requirements for
The Master of Philosophy in Education
Presented on 4th February 2013
i
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to explore teachers' approach to collegial learning and
reflective teaching. I applied auto ethnography research, self-inquiry, and self-reflection theory
for it. I triangulated data theoretically, experientially, and tool wise for their authenticity.
Exploring our diverse experiences of learning and teaching through individual and
collective narratives, I learnt the rooted cultural approach to learning and teaching. I understood
that my fellow teachers were not committed and dedicated to the self reflection in their
professional life. They were not found reflective to develop the habit of telling and retelling their
success and failures of their practices with self and others before the action and after the action. I
didn't find my fellow teachers motivated intrinsically for self-inquiry and self-reflection upon
their practice. It means, the real work of transferring learning skills in teaching had not come
from teachers own reflection.
In this study I found myself detached from the rooted culture of teacher's professional life.
Here I realized that a teacher can be professional by applying self-inquiry and self-reflection
practices: training and other exposures to the teachers might have additive value on it.
ii
LIBRARY RELEASE FORM
NAME OF AUTHOR:
Sarmila Pokhrel
TITLE:
Auto ethnography: A research method exploring my
learning and teaching skills collaborating with my fellow
teachers
DEGREE:
Master of Philosophy
YEAR THIS DEGREE GRANTED:
2013 A.D.
Permission is hereby granted to Tribhuvan University Library to reproduce copies of this
thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only.
The author reserves publication and other rights in association with the copy right in the
thesis, and except as herein before provided neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof
may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatever without the author's
permission.
……………………….
Sarmila Pokhrel
Sanothimi, Bhaktapur
Date:February 4 , 2013
iii
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation has not been submitted for the candidature for any other
degree.
………………………..
Sarmila Pokhrel, Degree Candidate
February 4, 2013
iv
ACCEPTANCE AND RECOMENDATION
Master of Philosophy in Education dissertation of Sarmila Pokhrel Presented on
February 4, 2013.
APPROVED
…………………………
February 4, 2013
Prof. Dr. Bidhya Nath Koirala
Thesis Supervisor
………………………..
February 4, 2013
Dr. BhojRaj Sharma Kafle
External Examiner
………………………………
February 4, 2013
Prof. Dr. Divya man Karmachary
External Examiner
……………………………
Dr. Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki
Member of research committee
February 4, 2013
v
DEDICATION
This Thesis is dedicated to my father Mr. Bishnu Prasad Pokhrel, mother Ms Mana Maya
Pokhrel and my husband Mr. Dinesh Prasad Devkota in honor of their contributions to achieve
this success and make me what I am now.
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my sincere thanks to my thesis supervisor Prof. Dr. Bidhya Nath
Koirala, Co-ordinator of M.Phil program in Education, Tribhuvan University for his scholarly
and continuous guidance. I am intrinsically motivated by his kind and sociable method of giving
suggestion to reflect and explore my own practice in teaching learning activities that led me all
the way throughout the development of this dissertation to this stage.
I wish to extend my special thanks to all the teachers who provided me their valuable
time for interview and class observation.
Similarly, I would like to provide sincere thanks to Dr. Lava Deo Awasthi, Dr. Ananda
Poudel, and Dr. Dil Prasad Shreatha for their valuable suggestions during this research study.
I would like to express sincere thanks to Mr. Jawahar Lal Hamal and Ms. Ramina Shrestha and
Mr. Rajendra Sing Saud who really inspired me toward this study. I would like to express sincere
thanks to M. phil. staffs for their valuable support during my study.
I would like to express my honor to my father and mother who show me the way of life.
Likewise, I would like to give heartfelt thanks to my husband Mr Dinesh Prasad Devkota who
has given me continuous inspiration to my study. At last I would like to give thanks to my two
daughters Dikshya and Sagun Devkota who always inspire me to go ahead in the way of my life.
Sarmila Pokhrel
vii
TABLE OF CONTENT
ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................... i
LIBRARY RELEASE FORM ........................................................................................................ ii
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................... iii
ACCEPTANCE AND RECOMENDATION ................................................................................ iv
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................. vi
TABLE OF CONTENT ................................................................................................................ vii
LIST OF TABLE ............................................................................................................................ x
CHAPTER-I.................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1
The Research Context ............................................................................................................................... 1
Exploring the learning skills ................................................................................................................. 5
Exploring of teaching skill .................................................................................................................... 9
Research questions .................................................................................................................................. 11
Need for study ......................................................................................................................................... 11
Epistemological/Theoretical bases .......................................................................................................... 15
Conceptual framework ............................................................................................................................ 17
CHAPTER-II ................................................................................................................................ 18
REFLECTING THE LITERATURE............................................................................................ 18
CHAPTER-III ............................................................................................................................... 21
METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 21
Multiple textual representations .............................................................................................................. 21
Triple crisis of auto ethnography ............................................................................................................ 21
Philosophy of my reflective understanding ............................................................................................ 23
Self-inquiry and self-reflection as the method of my study .................................................................... 24
Unit of analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 27
Ethical consideration ............................................................................................................................... 27
CHAPTER-IV ............................................................................................................................... 28
JOURNEY OF LEARNING ......................................................................................................... 28
viii
a) My brief journey of learning in the childhood .................................................................................... 28
b) My journey of learning in lower secondary level ............................................................................... 29
c) My journey of learning in secondary level ......................................................................................... 30
d) My journey of learning in PCL level .................................................................................................. 31
e) My journey of learning in Bachelor level ........................................................................................... 31
f) My journey of learning in master level ............................................................................................... 32
g) My journey of learning in M. Phil level ............................................................................................. 33
JOURNEY OF TEACHING ......................................................................................................... 34
a) My journey of teaching before the B. Ed degree ................................................................................ 34
b) My journey of teaching after B. Ed degree......................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER-V ................................................................................................................................ 37
ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................................... 37
Learning in professional life ................................................................................................................... 37
a) Passion and devotion for learning and teaching.............................................................................. 38
b) Knowledge generation from parents and grandparents .................................................................. 42
c) Knowledge generation from children ............................................................................................. 46
d) Knowledge generation from students ............................................................................................. 48
e) Knowledge generation through reflective practice ......................................................................... 52
f) Knowledge generation from other resources ................................................................................... 54
Teachers' practice to transfer learning skills to the classroom ................................................................ 56
a) Interaction and presentation ............................................................................................................ 57
Interaction and presentation practice in classroom ....................................................................... 57
b) Taking feedback and comments ..................................................................................................... 59
c) Cooperation and collaboration ........................................................................................................ 62
d) Creating real life situation .............................................................................................................. 64
e) Using technology ............................................................................................................................ 65
f) Selection of appropriate methods and techniques to teach differently ............................................ 67
g) Reflective journal ........................................................................................................................... 69
h) Adoption of counseling technique .................................................................................................. 70
a) Motivational gaps ........................................................................................................................... 72
b) Professional gaps ............................................................................................................................ 73
ix
C) Technological gaps ........................................................................................................................ 76
Plans to minimize these gaps .................................................................................................................. 78
a) Develop the professional competency through passion .................................................................. 78
b) Students involvement in policy making.......................................................................................... 80
c) Practice of self-reflection in profession .......................................................................................... 81
CHAPTER-VI............................................................................................................................... 84
FINDINGS, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ...................................................................... 84
Findings .................................................................................................................................................. 84
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 88
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 98
Reflection .............................................................................................................................................. 100
Implication for future professional life ................................................................................................. 101
Recommendation for further research................................................................................................... 102
References ................................................................................................................................... 104
Appendix-1 ........................................................................................................................................... 111
Appendix-2 ........................................................................................................................................... 112
Appendix-3 ........................................................................................................................................... 114
x
LIST OF TABLE
Table -1
49
Table-2
54
Table-3
58
Table-4
61
Table-5
68
Table- 6
71
Table-7
73
Table-8
75
Table-9
77
Table-10
78
Table-11
80
Table-12
82
1
CHAPTER-I
INTRODUCTION
"Reflection informs preparation"
- Digiulio C. Robert (2004:42)
The Research Context
The above quotation inspired me to be a reflective teacher for quality education.
Generally, reflection offers the information for preparation. Especially, reflection in teaching
learning activities proposes information to the teachers for improvement. So, I chose the auto
ethnography as the research method and self-inquiry and self-reflection as the theory of inquiry
to examine my past to prepare for the future by exploring my way of learning skills from the
child hood to date of the research and transformation of my learned skills to teaching for
seventeen years.
Auto ethnography is the research method for self-inquiry in my research. Before I selected
my research area, I read a book called 'Great Teaching' to be a reflective teacher. I thought, I
need to be professionalize myself (Koirala; 2008) and come up with new ideas to address the
issues of quality education. Once Koirala (2068:445) says either we stop the journey of learning
being satisfied or increase our learning to be curious. I thought, I should not stop the journey of
learning being satisfied but to continue it to be curious. I also raised the questions myself" when
to start if not now and who will start if not I?" For this issue, I needed to be reflective in learning
and teaching. We need to minimize the habit of saying what is not doing and maximize the habit
of doing what is saying for the professional development. The above saying of reflection also
enabled me to explore my own way of learning and teaching.
2
I was sincere to the research area from the beginning when I enrolled in M. Phil. At
first, I tried to go with the effectiveness of teachers' training to improve quality of public schools.
In second semester, I was little bit inspired by leadership and tried to develop my ideas towards
quality education which is the current issues of our country. Then I coined my research title
'teacher's leadership to quality education in public school where my area was the teacher's
leadership and quality education. I prepared research proposal and submitted to Dr. Lava Deo
Awasti. He suggested me that teachers don't have leadership role in quality education. Instead
teachers have the role of teaching and learning activities. Later I realized that application of
training required the teachers' reflection to their profession. Then I remembered the lecture of Dr.
Balchandra Luitel who had taught us about his praxis and suggested us to read Parker Palmer's
book 'The Courage to Teach.' I was influenced to be the reflective teacher for the better
performance in my profession.
Then I realized that I need to explore my own teaching learning activities being
reflective professional. To this issue, I read the book suggested by Bal Chandra Luitel 'The
Courage to Teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher's life' of Parker Palmer. According
to palmer (1998:2) "When I don't know myself, I can't know who my students are, I will see
them through a glass darkly, in the shadow of my unexamined life and when I can't see them
clearly, I can't teach them well. When I don't know myself, I can't know my subject-not at the
deepest levels of embodied, personal meaning".
Then I was curious to explore how is the current practice of teachers along with me to
apply the learning skills to teaching profession being reflective professional. Then I consulted it
to my supervisor with some curiosity to explore how do the teachers learn and how do they apply
these learnt skills in real class room situation. I also wanted to find the gap in my teaching and
3
learning skills. He suggested me to make the format of teaching and learning skills and prepare
research questions. When I started making the format, I reviewed so many literatures that
inspired me to explore my own method of learning and teaching skills along with others as a
reflective teacher.
For this investigation, I again consulted to my supervisor. He inspired me to read the
thesis of Balchandra Luitel and Shasidhar Belbase to get the knowledge about auto ethnography
and go ahead as my wish. At first, I prepared an essay about auto ethnography as my research
method. As I presented it through the power point, I got so many ideas about auto ethnography
from my teachers and colleagues. Then, I reviewed the literatures about auto ethnography for
exploring own learning and teaching skills in teaching learning activities. From the literature, I
learned that auto ethnography research method is very suitable to explore own teaching and
learning and its collaboration with other teachers which is the current issue for quality education.
Again I read Denzin and Lincoln (2005) and derived the ideas that self-reflection
research method covers a deep and wide area. From them, I understood that reflective elements
of auto ethnography can make more self-aware research. Along with the self-reflection, selfinquiry (Dhakal; 2011) is another form of research method to ask the questions (1) what have I
been learning and teaching? (2) How have I been learning and teaching? (3) Why have I been
learning and teaching (4) who am I that have been learning and teaching?
Then I searched in Google about auto ethnography as a research method used by English
teachers in Nepalese context, I found an article published in NELTA journal (2005) entitled Auto
ethnographic Research: An Emerging Methodology in Nepalese ELT Scenario by Koirala ,
Belbase, Sanjel, Pageni. From this article I learned that auto ethnography method can be used to
4
improve the educative and pedagogical practices in ELT which demands the use of personal
narratives for uncovering the self.
Etymologically, the word auto ethnography comprises of three different words: auto,
ethno and graphy which signify the textual representation of one's own personal experiences in
his/her social, political, economic and cultural context (Luitel; 2003).
Auto ethnography is
"….research, writing and method that connects the autobiographical and
personal to the cultural, political and social context. This form usually
features concrete action, emotion, embodiment, self-consciousness and
introspection…and claims the conventions of literary writing"(Ellis and
Bochner; 2000 in Belbase; 2006).
Further, Jones (2005:765) states that auto ethnography involves setting a scene, telling a
story, weaving intricate connections among life and art, experience and theory, evocation and
explanation….and then letting go hoping for readers who will bring the same careful attention to
our words in the context of their own lives. Auto ethnography writing can be depicted as the
metaphor of a camera (Ellis & Bochner; 2000 in Luitel; 2003) which focuses on rarely heard
stories.
In auto ethnography, the author of an evocative narrative writes in the first person,
making him or her object of research and thus breaching the conventional separation of
researcher and subject (Ellis & Bochner; 2000 in Belbase; 2006).
According to Denzin & Lincoln (2005:764) "Auto ethnography is a performance that
asks how our personal accounts count". Denzin & Lincoln (2005) further states that auto
ethnography is multiple reflections. It is a balancing act which works to hold self and culture
5
together. It writes a world in a state of flux and movement-between story and context, writer and
reader, crisis and denouement. It creates charged moments of clarity, connection, and change.
From the above definition, it can be understood that auto ethnography is a self-critical
reflective form of writing where the author uses his or her life experiences in some topics of
discussion and it should be understood as a mere autobiographical narration but it is to describe
significant points of life in definite political, social, economic and cultural context seeking
changes and improvement. I have tried to convince that my exploring on learning and teaching
skills through the auto ethnographical research method would coin the reflection of my
pedagogical practices.
Exploring the learning skills
"If we are not hungry, we are less likely to learn where the food is located then we are
striving".
-Tolman (in Klein 1996: 316)
Learning skills refer to the skills that make learning possible. In other words, learning
skills actually mean learning strategies or learning methods or learning techniques." In modern
English, learning skill refers to the ability that comes from knowledge, practice, aptitude to do
something well or to a competent excellence in performance" (http:// www; audiblox. com on
10th April-2012). So, learning is a special kind of ability which comes from knowledge for better
performance. It is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behavior, skill, values and
may involve synthesizing different types of information.
Learning is not compulsory but it is contextual. "Learning doesn't happen all at once, but builds
upon and is shaped by what we already know. To that end, learning may be viewed as a process,
rather than a collection of factual and procedural knowledge (http://en .wikipedia. org on 10th
April 20012).
6
Jean (1997) further elaborates the meaning of learning. For the author "Learning
could be considered a complex, transformational facet of everyday life". It may occur as a result
of habituation. For human beings, learning may occur as a part of education, personal
development, schooling etc. It may be goal oriented and may be aided by motivation. The study
of how learning occurs is part of neuropsychology, educational psychology, learning theory and
pedagogy (http://en.wikipedia.org on 10th April 20012).
According to the cognitive approach, learning involves the recognizing of when
important events are likely to occur and understanding of how to attain reward and avoid
punishment. According to constructivism, "Learners construct understanding that makes sense to
them, new learning depends on current understanding, social interaction facilitates learning, the
most meaningful learning occurs within real-world tasks" (Digiulio; 2004:54).
One of the most widely used models of learning styles is the 'Index of Learning
Styles' developed by Richard Felder and Linda Silverman in the late 1980s. According to this
model (which Felder revised in 2002) there are four dimensions of learning styles. These
dimensions are continuum with one learning preference on the far left and the other on the far
right (http://mindtools.com/mnemlsty.html/ on 15th April 2012).
Learning Styles Index:
Sensory
Sensory learners prefer
concrete, practical, and
procedural information. They
look for the facts.
Intuitive
Intuitive learners prefer
conceptual, innovative,
and theoretical
information. They look
for the meaning.
7
Visual
Verbal
Visual learners prefer
Verbal learners prefer to
graphs, pictures, and
hear or read information.
diagrams. They look for
They look for
visual representations of
explanations with words.
information.
Active
Reflective
Active learners prefer to
Reflective learners prefer
manipulate objects, do
to think things through, to
physical experiments, and
evaluate options, and learn
learn by trying. They
by analysis. They enjoy
enjoy working in groups
figuring out a problem on
to figure out problems.
their own.
Sequential
Sequential learners prefer
Global
Global learners prefer a
8
to have information
holistic and systematic
presented linearly and in
approach. They see the big
an orderly manner. They
picture first and then fill in
put together the details in
the details.
order to understand the
big picture emerges.
Source: "(http://mindtools.com on15th April 2012 AD)
If we know where the preferences lie on each of these dimensions, we can begin to
stretch beyond those preferences and develop a more balanced approach to learning. Not only we
improve our learning effectiveness, we will open up ourselves to many different ways of
perceiving the world.
Learners should be active and reflective to find own learning style. It is said;
"Once you know your own natural learning preference, you can work on
expanding the way you learn so that you can learn in other ways, not just in
your preferred style. And understanding learning style, you can learn to create
an environment in which everyone can learn from you, not just those who use
your preferred style"(http://mindtools.com on15th April 2012).
Along with the active and reflective learners, self-motivated learners can also be
creative to find own learning with vision, mission and goal with managing the time line.
According to Lane (1996:76-77)," Self-directed learners should stop following others blindly and
start leading with vision, achievable goals, acquire the habit of doing it on time, set realistic
9
goals and enjoy getting there". It means learners need to initiate the learning from the self with
own vision, mission, goals and objectives managing the time.
Teachers must learn the 'meta skills' to match specific information to a specific need
(http://braindance.com on 10th April 2012).Shifting the learning paradigm of teachers involves
changing the perceived role with the information. One way of shifting the learning paradigm is to
listen, read and observe and teach this materials to others who can benefit from it.
From the aforementioned discussion, it can be understood that learners should be active,
self-motivated and reflective according to the need and situation of life.
Exploring of teaching skill
"To know how to teach is the great art of teaching".
-http://www.currentnursing.com
Teaching skills mean a group of teaching acts or behaviors intended to facilitate
directly or indirectly to the student's learning. Teaching is an essential part of education. Its
special function is to generate knowledge, develop understanding and skills and apply them in
real life situation. "Teaching is usually associated with the imparting reading, writing and
arithmetic and teachers can play the vital role to generate the knowledge to the learners"
(http://www.currentnursing.com on 15th April 2012).
The objectives of teaching skills are to ensure competency in teaching, make the class
interesting, develop the confidence in teaching avoiding confusion and understand individual
differences of learners in learning. There are some steps of teaching skill. They are: analyzing
the student group, discussion and leading, questions and interruptions, dealing with difficult
participants, using owns voice, listening and so on.
A teacher needs to develop the competency of teaching skills to: who, whom, why,
where, what, how and when to teach. To play this role completely, a teacher is expected to
10
understand the significance of the reflection and collaboration. In today's huge and busy schools,
the idea of reflection and collaboration is most demanded teaching skill. In other words, teachers
must be reflective, both on their own and in collaboration with others.
According to Digiulio
(2004:43) "Reflection is like a circle that includes planning for instruction, carrying out the
instruction, and reflecting and assessing the instruction and student achievement. This leads
again to planning and the cycle continuous". Diguilio (2004:43) further says, "To stimulate
reflective conversation for student's teachers, new teachers and even experience teachers, there is
an excellent online resource".
According to Bandura (1977) "Human learning comes about through observing and
then imitating models of behavior ". In the context of social learning theory, these expectations
are themselves based upon our prior real-life experiences, as well as upon our vicarious
experiences. Bandura (1977) further links the term self-efficacy as a belief in one's capabilities
and said, "Teacher self-efficacy is a teacher's belief that he/she will be effective in teaching". A
teacher who can reach even difficult students to help them to learn is great teaching skill.
To the same issue of teacher's self-efficacy, Salvin (2003) says, "One of the most
powerful predicators of a teacher's impact on students is the belief that what he/she does make a
difference; teacher's efficacy is meant to be an intentional teacher". Teacher's efficacy grows
from real success with students, not just from the moral support. It is more than positive self-talk
of mind over matter.
"Every teacher has the personal theory of teaching and learning which he calls personal
'constructs'. They make their own sense of, and have understanding of, people and events based
on these constructs (Kally; 1995 in Gnawali; 2008)". After reviewing the given literature, I
realized that every teacher has the personal method to learn and teach. For instance, as a teacher I
11
used to teach textbooks and transfer my knowledge to students. I didn't use to do anything to
update me with additional practical knowledge of varies cultures of our country because there
was no compulsion for professional development after getting the basic qualification and
reflection for better performance. But my personal experience in my profession and desire to
learn more for professional development pushed me to explore the existing culture of my fellow
teachers along with me.
Research questions
I have coined the following research questions to explore my learning and teaching
skills, find the gaps in my profession and plan to overcome them.
Overarching question:
a)
To what extent do the learning skills incorporate teaching skills? What are the gaps
between them and how can we minimize the gaps in teaching learning activities?
Subsidiary questions:
i)
In what way, do we learn in professional life?
ii)
How do we transfer our learning skills to our profession?
iii)
What are the gaps to incorporate learning skills to teaching?
iv)
How should we minimize these gaps for effective teaching learning activities?
Need for study
The culture where I was brought up and my queries to learn from the beginning led me
to be introvert learners. Neither I felt exhausted in the critical situation of my life nor have I
compromised for learning even in the deadline of my life. Here I have presented a short poem to
represent my positive feelings in the negative situation.
"Flabby society"
I was brought up in a conformist society,
12
Being a submissive agent.
That the culture was the supreme,
And my family was the victim.
But I didn't follow them,
As they were not fit for me.
I became an introvert learner,
Acted as an obedient actor of that structure.
That the situation was opposed,
And the time was rating me.
So, I didn't follow them,
As they were not fit for me.
The critical situation that I mentioned above provided me the opportunity for learning
being the tougher against the Patriarchy based cultural society from the beginning of my life. I
tried to search my identity in the society in the pace of learning. From the beginning stage of my
life, I was conscious in learning for challenging the boundary of society getting education in my
family because I was not only the follower of my culture. I was trying to search my identity in
such culture going against it. To this I agree with Belbase (2005:216) that how a fish swims in
the river depends on how the water flows. The flow of water is a culture and it shapes the habit
of fish in swimming in the river. For me, the culture where I brought up didn't only shape the
way of my learning but also the way of exploring identity to exist in that society and go against it
in need. Sometimes I used to think "I am alive to do something for the society because God has
given me the second chance to live". It inspired me all the time. It is where I realized that
13
learning is considered as a special kind of individual mental exercise. It needs environment,
situation and intention of the learners. Learners can learn being insider or outsider. So, the way
of learning can be shaped by the culture of the learners.
I learned different skills from my family. By observation, I learned cooking, supporting the
elders, farming, taming, carrying water far from the village, etc. My first experience of cooking
at the age of 5 is still in my memory. In farming, I used to help my mother whatever I could. I
used to take buffalo, goats and sheep to graze in the afternoon. My nuclear family environment
got me to take part in any work from the early age. I learned the life skills from the family before
my enrollment in the school. As my childhood passed with the self consciousness and self
direction, it laid strong impression in the young mind about self-reflection and self-direction. I
think that was the foundation of learning in my life.
As a teacher, I learnt to read the textbook and ask students to read the same textbook
because I was trained to have readymade food by the tradition. I had the bulling nature in
teaching which made the weak students as the passive listener. It was not my fault for the first
time of teaching profession as I was the production of 'Guru culture' (Awasthi; 2004). My
academic gurus didn't provide me the knowledge of cooking which could help me to prepare
food according to my choice. What a poor thing I learned and used to do? But I was not happy
with what I had learnt. I could not see the perfection in learning from academic institutions. It
made me to continue for searching my lacking part in my professional life. As a result, I was
enrolled in M. Phil to achieve the professional competency. It helped me to analyze the self first
because I learnt to see the hidden philosophy in our life. If we try to analyze the self, we will be
good critic to blame own practices and change our perception to see others with the positive
feelings and attitudes.
14
I got enough knowledge about eastern and western philosophy from my professors. I
also learned to apply these philosophies in my real life situation along with my profession having
my own cosmology. "yaha nagare kaha garne? ahile nagare kahile garne? mahile nagare kasle
garne?" This above formula of knowing the self and started the changes from the self touched
me. So, I began to analyze my own practices being reflective teacher so that I can improve my
practiced skills by examining myself.
I began to explore what are the sources of my learning? Do I learn from reflection?
What are the teaching skills? How do I teach? Do I transform the learnt knowledge in teaching
learning activities? Do I evaluate my own practice as the reflective teacher? These questions
pushed me to explore my own practices as the initiator for my professional career and
collaborate it with other teachers. I have expressed my feelings in another poem given below:
'Self-reflection'
I developed the queries to learn the self,
That the teaching should be for learning,
And learning for teaching.
So, I thought to explore my practice,
For the reflective teaching.
Human nature is competitive,
Where there is no option but to compete.
And I need to run against own stopwatch,
As to know to be the faster and smarter.
Today then before for reflective teaching.
15
I need to compare the self-achievement,
Today with before.
For how long to run in the race,
whenever I ran and mislaid.
So I need to run a few seconds,
Faster today than yesterday,
Beating my own record for reflecting teaching.
I need to observe my own stopwatch honestly,
Which is the supreme method to win the battle.
That is the practiced of intrapersonal competition,
Setting the goals and evaluating the progress.
So is the attitude within the self,
Creating the awareness for reflective teaching.
So, I needed to explore my practiced value in my professional life, find the gaps and
overcome these gaps as the reflective professional.
Epistemological/Theoretical bases
Auto ethnography is a research method that embraces and foregrounds the researcher's
subjectivity rather than repressing it. Auto ethnographers are themselves the primary
participant/subject of the research in the process of writing personal stories and narratives.
"Narrative for us is the study of how humans make meaning of experience by
endlessly telling and retelling stories about themselves that both refigure the
16
past and create purpose in the future"(https://www. sensepublishers. com/files/
9789460916724PR.pdf on 26 august 2012).
In embracing personal thoughts, feelings, stories, and observations as a way of
understanding the social context they are studying, auto ethnographers are also shedding light on
their total interaction with that setting by making their every emotion and thought visible to the
reader. This is much the opposite of theory-driven, hypothesis-testing research methods that are
based on the epistemology.
In this sense, Ellis and Ellingson (2000) state,
"Auto ethnography as a social constructionist project that rejects the deep-rooted
binary oppositions between the researcher and the researched, objectivity and
subjectivity, process and product, self and others, art and science, and the personal
and the political".
Auto ethnographers, therefore, tends to reject the concept of social research as an
objective and neutral knowledge produced by scientific methods, which can be characterized and
achieved by detachment of the researcher from the research. Auto ethnography, in this regard, is
a critical “response to the alienating effects on both researchers and audiences of impersonal,
passionless, abstract claims of truth generated by such research practices and clothed in
exclusionary scientific discourse” (Ellis and Ellingson; 2000).
The concept of auto ethnography synthesizes both a postmodern ethnography, in which
the realist conventions and objective observer position of standard ethnography have been called
into question, and a postmodern autobiography, in which the notion of the coherent, individual
self has been similarly called into question. Also, doing auto ethnographic work, many
17
researchers attempt to more fully realize the idea of reflexivity by which the researcher can be
aware of his/her role in and relationship to the research.
Auto ethnography is a reflexive account of one's own experiences situated in culture. As
auto ethnography is the personal narrative, it can be used to explore the experience of
professional life too. As I used auto ethnography method of my research study and have tried to
explore my personal story of daily life collaborating with other teacher's professional life which
has the personal philosophy in it. It is also the self awareness to develop the professional career
and serve the students as being the professional teacher that made me to adopt the auto
ethnography as the research method in this study.
Conceptual framework
Teachers have the potential to transform the learning skills in teaching learning
activities being reflective professional. In this analysis, auto ethnographical reflection is an
exploring tool of the learning and teaching for the better improvement in teaching learning
activities.
I think the process of self-inquiry and self-reflection can be useful for teachers to make
their teaching learning activities more effective. I have presented the overlapping part of selfinquiry and self-reflection in learning and teaching activities as the conceptual framework of my
study:
18
Self-inquiry
and
Self-reflection
Learning
Teaching
CHAPTER-II
REFLECTING THE LITERATURE
I reviewed the literature about auto ethnography as the method of inquiry. As I got some
knowledge to auto ethnography and learning and teaching skills, I was in dilemma about what to
19
write first and how. For this, I again got instruction from my Guru and started from auto
ethnography as the method of my inquiry.
Then I read few chapters of hand book of Qualitative research edited by Denzin and
Lincoln (2005) and learnt that auto ethnography is research, writing and method that connect the
autobiographical and personal to cultural and social. I also learnt that auto ethnography is a selfnarrative that critics the situations of self with others in social context (Spay; 2001:710 in Denzin
& Lincoln; 2005:765).
Then I reviewed Luitel's (2003) Narrative explorations of Nepali mathematics curriculum
landscapes: An epic journey. I got some ideas on the practices of teaching and learning and how
the practices can be helpful for transforming from traditional approaches of teaching and
learning in constructivist approach. I wanted to dig out my own experience of learning from
early childhood to till now and teaching for sixteen years. I also learned that teachers need to
explore meaning of what to teach, how to teach, why to teach and who to teach to find own
landscape of teaching.
After then I reviewed Belbase's (2006) Auto ethnography: A method of research and
teaching for transformative education and got the ideas of linking auto ethnography as a model
of inquiry that catalyses the transformative pedagogy positively in education. I didn't let to
review the thesis of Joshi (2011) A lost love: The learning of the past for future. I knew that he
followed auto ethnography representation of his knowing to represent his lived experiences. In
search of practices of auto ethnography in Nepalese context, I found another thesis Dhakal
(2011) Examining myself from home to work place: from the leadership perspective. I learned
that self-reflection and auto ethnography offer a unique insight in to the behavior which gives
emphasis in interpreting and understanding the insiders' perspectives and experience. I also
20
learned that self-reflection is the cognitive examination of experience. It is an essential
component of continuous learning and updating the knowledge.
According to Gnawali (2008)"Reflection is a key for teachers to explore not only their
selves but also that of the others. When teachers carry out systematic inquiry into themselves,
they will understand themselves, their practices and their learners". In auto ethnography research,
the researcher is deeply self-identified through explicit and reflective self-observation (https:
//www.sensepublishers.com/files/9789460916724PR.pdf on august 31, 2012).
After reviewing the literature about auto ethnography, I came to learn that my personal
and practical knowledge laid in my past experience could generate the present knowledge to coin
and lead for future plans and actions. To bring these elements of past and present together to
clarify my practice, I needed to choose the method of auto ethnographic in this study. From the
above literature review, I also learnt that auto ethnography is the appropriate method to unveil
about what are the learning skills? How do I learn? Which is strong for learning either intuition
or environment? Do I learn as the self-directed learner? Do I learn from reflection? What are the
teaching skills? How do I teach? Do I transform the learnt knowledge in teaching learning
activities? Do I evaluate my own practice as the reflective teacher? These aforementioned issues
pushed me to explore my own practice as the initiator of reflective teacher for my professional
development and collaborate it with other teacher's practices to their professional life.
21
CHAPTER-III
METHODOLOGY
Multiple textual representations
Auto ethnography is method of my inquiry which demands legitimate ways of
representation. In this consideration, I have explained my lived experiences, grounded facts,
practiced methods, self composed poems and autobiography for self-reflection. Along with these
multiple representation, I have collected the information with six other English teachers by
interview and classroom observation methods who were teaching in public schools to legitimize
my learning and teaching skills collaborating with their skills.
Triple crisis of auto ethnography
There is multiple crisis of validity, reliability and collaborative. In auto ethnography,
multiple genres can be used to make the research valid such as poem, drama, dialogue, story etc.
Representation, legitimization and praxis correspond the interpretive, narrative and critical
inquiry in the human disciplines which is a part of an ongoing dialogue between self and world.
These are the questions of ontology, epistemology, method and praxis: what is the nature of
knowing, what is the relationship between knower and known, how do we share what we know
and with what effect, what makes this triple crisis feel urgent? In answering these questions, I
looked the personal, concrete, and detail experience as a window to understand the relationship
between me and my colleagues.
I used the contingent and skeptical language of post-structuralism and postmodernism to
tell and understand the 'self' and our world, hoping to confront questions of 'self place and
power'. Interpretative, qualitative, narrative and critical inquiry had many moments and all of
which led to shifts in genres and methods.
22
This is a challenge of auto ethnographers to create texts that unfold in the inter-subjective
space of individual and community (Denzin & Lincoln (2005). Responding this challenge means
asking questions about the following. How knowledge experience, meaning and resistance are
expressed by embodied, tacit, gesture, co-experiential and covert means? How emotions are
important to understanding and theorizing the relationship among self, power and culture? How
body and voice are inseparable from mind and thought? How selves are constructed, disclosed
and implicated in the telling of personal narratives and how these narratives move in and change
the contexts of their telling? How stories help us to create, interpret and change our social,
cultural, political and personal lives?
Responding these questions researcher and others have to turn to performance. In
making this turn, we must consider how the practices of auto ethnography are informed by a rich
history that needs to be written into accounts of auto ethnography theory and practices. Our
abiding interest in performance ethnography, performance writing and personal performance
narratives is telling. These endeavors point to how personal stories become a means for
interpreting the past, translating and transforming context, and envisioning a future.
The auto ethnographic is a scientific text interacting with own auto biography. I
articulate some of the potential dangers in this praxis of method. One of the key danger of this
praxis is the potential for becoming entrapped by ideology and there by produce/ reproduce
inequality and injustice (Roth; 2005). The dangers that come with looking inward to the
exclusion to looking around, not only oneself but especially across the borders can be silent on
the way of writing.
23
Philosophy of my reflective understanding
My epistemology for exploring my learning and teaching skills is my passion. In my
thinking, knowledge is subjective and there is objectivity in subjectivity. The sources of new
knowledge are; my Self, my family, colleagues, students, my teachers, in-service training,
educational institutions, and reflection in action.
My ontology exploring my learning and teaching skills is out of my self- inquiry and
reflective practices. My queries of exploring reflective practices in my profession after every
learning stage inspired me to explore my practices and find the gaps of learning and teaching
skills collaborating with others.
My axiology for the exploring of my learning and teaching skills is for professional
competency and quality education that I have to find the gaps in transferring my learning skills to
teaching skills and plan to overcome these gaps through self-inquiry and self-reflection.
I also gave value of exploring the practices of learning and teaching skills and selfreflection of other teachers collaborating with me for quality education of 21st century. It
required the habit of action –reflection-action and shared culture like pair, share and care which
are the basic components of self-reflection in effective teaching learning activities.
My cosmology was different like gain in pain from my childhood as I wanted to do
something for others being a good agent in a society. I have not given up my cosmology up to
now. So, I gave priority to self-inquiry and self-reflection of teachers for the good education
system of Nepal. I wanted to perform better than that from devotion and reflection in my
profession. I mostly gave priority to students' learning and helped them see the things differently.
24
I also wanted to see the prosperity and progress of teachers through self- inquiry and selfreflection to their profession which could be the source for quality education.
Self-inquiry and self-reflection as the method of my study
I have used self-inquiry and self-reflection as the theory of my study. Self-inquiry is to
understand what is happening in me before I can act differently. It is useful to break old habits of
mind. It also involves looking into what we sense, think and feel and why I am doing this in
which we can look beyond the thought. Self-reflection is the key to develop new ideas and act
differently because reflection informs preparation in teaching learning activities. Self-reflection
is thinking about own thought, feelings, impulses and reacts to them. It brings reality in our life
and helps to see the things differently into the feelings and process in this present moment
(http://summainstitute. org/blog/blog/ summer-days-and-personal-reflection/277/ retrieved on
16th Nov, 2012).
According to Denzin & Lincoln (2005) "Self-reflexivity means increasing kinds of
responsibility for such questions in social contexts that are always difficult to prefigure. It
involves making transparent the rhetorical and poetic work of researchers in representing the
objectives of their studies". We have the potential to transform our perspectives if we have been
enabled to explore schemas that have woven themselves into the fabric of our self-identity and to
consider the impact that brings to our life and learning (Bass; 1997 in Dhakal 2011:45). We see
personal and practical knowledge as in the person’s past experience, in the person’s present mind
and body and in the person’s future plans and action (https://www. sensepublishers. com/files/
97894 60 91 6724PR. pdf).
In reflection, there is a systematic core to mental management. So, self-reflection is a key
to value something specific, if we draw back from it. We can use reflective capacity more or less
25
to guide our thoughts and actions. To this, I agree with Bentley (1998:136) who says that we can
stand back from it, analyze its different components, think about past experiences which might
be helpful and consider the different angles to approach solution.
In educational process, there is hard to find the reflective professional who can contribute
being reflective to get the insights and asking questions to the self. Bartley (1998) further says,
"Building reflection into the educational process is to find time and space to do it, and being able
to respond appropriately to what reflection might produce responses, questions and insights.
In Gnawali's (2008) perception" The task of reflective practitioner is to make implicit
knowledge explicit by reflection on action, by constantly generating questions and checking
emerging theories with both personal past experience and with the reflection of others." For the
improvement of own teaching learning activities, one must reflect upon own practices which can
bring changes in outcomes. According to Belbase (2006) "When I started reflecting upon my
own pedagogical practices, I realized the lacking in my practice." It means, I can use multiple
methods if I find my lacking in the classroom practices. According to Bartlett (1990: 209) "There
are five steps reflective cycle: mapping, informing, contesting, appraising and acting". They are
presented as follow:
26
Mapping
-what do I do
as a teacher?
Acting
Informing
-what and
how shall I
teach?
-what is the
meaning of
my teaching?
Appraising
Contexting
-what might I
teach
differently?
-how did I
come this
way?
Source: Bartlett (1990: 209)
In the first reflective cycle, teachers need to reflect upon the contribution as a reflective
professional on what is happening to the profession. In the second reflective cycle, they need to
inquire the meaning of the learning to their life. In third cycle, they need to question why they
come to this way through the self reflection. In forth reflective cycle, they need to prepare them
to teach differently. In fifth cycle, they need to teach differently. Using the given reflective cycle,
teachers can explore themselves and others and prepare for the future.
According to Luitel
(2003)"Teachers need to explore meanings of what to teach, how to teach, why to teach and who
to teach to understand his/her landscapes of teaching". To this theme, once Koirala (2065 BS:
220) says that reflective teacher can teach according to the context and needs of students. About
the teachers and their reflection I agree with Day (2010:79) that the competence and high levels
of commitment, energy and enthusiasm are needed for the teachers to achieve success for their
pupils and teachers have to engage in sustained reflection and structured learning through a range
of development activities for the professional development. Modern technology also requires
27
reflective teachers with positive attitudes towards their profession. Along with the self-inquiry
and self-reflection method, I have used interview, observation, discussion, questionnaire,
observation forms as the method of inquiry. As the self- reflection and self-inquiry are integral
part to inform the professional teacher for the better preparation about the classroom teaching, I
have used them as the theory of my study.
Unit of analysis
In auto ethnography research approach, sample is the researcher as the subject to
analysis the self. In this study, I was a unit of analysis. I also included some teachers who were
teaching in public schools as the unit of analysis. I included some teachers who were teaching in
public schools along with me as the unit of analysis. Three teachers were teacher trainers from
Kathmandu and three were trained teachers from Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kathmandu. One of
the trainers was PhD holder in education with 23 years of teaching experience. Two of them had
the qualification of master degree in education and arts with 30 years of teaching experience.
Similarly, one of the teachers was M Phil holder with the 12 years of teaching experience. Two
of them had the qualification of master degree in education and arts who had more than 8 years
of teaching experience. All of them had the better exposure in learning as well as teaching.
Ethical consideration
In my research, I have considered the following ethics:
My queries is to explore my learning skill along with teaching skills being reflective
teacher and find the gaps and also explore few other teachers for triangulation of my research
but I don't claim that my experiences are common to all teachers and students in our country.
I have tried to mention the name of the institution of interviewer with their permission. It
is considered as the ethic of my research.
28
I have presented my learning and teaching skill being a critical from the beginning to the
date of the research to find the gaps and to overcome these gaps.
I don't claim objective realities in my experience. It will be subjective and fully subjective.
CHAPTER-IV
JOURNEY OF LEARNING
a) My brief journey of learning in the childhood
At the age of six, I was enrolled by my uncle who was the teacher of primary level of
the same school. When he was going to school, he saw me with my mother. He said that my
parents were work oriented and they didn't enroll me school up to that time. He took my hand
and went to school. He used to provide me copies and pencil only for school. I was generous in
study so I became first in grade one. My father wasn't only uneducated but also anti for daughter
29
education because he was following the then cultural structure. So my elder sisters didn't get the
opportunity for going to school however he didn't prevent me going to school.
In my time of learning, I didn't get opportunity to discus in groups and pairs. Sometimes I
used to listen to seniors out of the classes and on the way to school and internalized them in my
learning. I had an elder brother who was away from home for study. Thus, I didn't have anyone
to learn about course contents. I was the first girl of my class. We didn't have the culture of
sharing our learning to other friends in the class. Now I realize that it was my bad culture not to
share my ideas to other friends and juniors. I didn't get any chances to play with them and get
intimacy for learning their culture accept school time. My way of learning was introvert type.
Some of my friends used to complain about my way of learning trick. I used my own techniques
which is called the "internalization of external experience" in Vygotsky's way of knowledge
generation (Koirala; 2065:114). Hearing and memorization (Koirala, 2065) in school was my
way of learning. My process of learning was dependent to teachers in classroom teaching.
Dedication, eagerness and sacrifice for learning were the keys of my learning.
b) My journey of learning in lower secondary level
The situation of learning was critical for me getting education in lower secondary level
because I had to support my family most of the time except school time. Reading and writing in
school was not enough for me. So, I got second position because of my time bound for reading
and writing. My competitor was boy whose brothers were educated to support him in study. But
my background was different from his background. Being helpless and overloaded of household
work, I had to continue my study. At that time, learning English was too difficult for me because
I hadn't learned English except vowel and consonant letter till grade six. I used to walk an hour
for cutting grass before going to school. The importance of education was not calculated by my
30
child mind. I didn't know more but I had strong thirst of being educated daughter at that time. All
the teachers used to suggest my parents to provide time for the study. I was obedient daughter so
I used to help my parents more by reducing time to study thinking that they would not send me
school if they were over loaded. I was the model of hard working daughter for my villagers. In
grade seven, I stood first by securing the highest marks in school. But there was no secondary
school in this area that was the problem for me. My father wanted me not to send any where for
my study. So I spent about three months without going to school. Later, my teachers and elder
brother who was studying in Jhapa suggested my father for sending me to Jhapa for secondary
education.
c) My journey of learning in secondary level
My school was renowned which was established in 2012 BS. There were five sections in
my class. It was run in two sessions. Secondary level was run from 6am to 11.30 am. I knew
only the name of head teacher and my class teacher. They used lecture method for teaching. We
had to learn by heart. I had to walk about an hour from home to school. So, I didn't join in any
tuition class. In house, there was no one to teach me. I was enrolled late in grade eight from
remote village. All the students were sharp in study. I changed my aim from being first to pass
grade eight. Comparatively, I was good in grade nine than grade eight because I was enrolled late
in grade eight. I was selective in learning and used to ask question to my teacher being
conscious. My teachers did not teach me to practice my learning in group and pair works in the
classroom. In exam there was no chance of cheating and talking but vomiting what was learnt by
heart. When I was in grade ten, I bought bicycle from the beginning of the session for taking
tuition for better preparation in SLC exam. But it disturbed me. I become seriously ill by
stomach pain. I didn't go to school instead I had to take painkiller in every four hours. I went
31
different places for the treatment but I wasn't cured. My elder brother was informed about me
who was studying in Law campus in Kathmandu. I was taken to Kathmandu in Bhadra 2046 BS.
At last, it was noticed that I was suffered by ulcer. Then I returned to Jhapa before a week of the
send up examination-2046 BS. My brother suggested me to appear in the exam for the next year.
But my maternal uncle, Mama used to take me in bicycle to write in exam. The result, I passed
send up test in second division which amazed not only me but all my teachers and relatives. It
encouraged me to be better in SLC exam in 2046 BS. Then I didn't join in any tuition class as I
was not fully recovered and school was far for me. At last I appeared in SLC exam in 2046 BS.
Then I returned to my home Khangsang 9, Sindhuli. In Shrawan 2047 BS, the SLC result was
published but I knew it only after 22 days though I scored third division. It led me further study.
d) My journey of learning in PCL level
I was interested to study in law in Proficiency Certificate Level but it was not possible
for my parents because they had to support three children at the same time in Kathmandu. I went
to Jhapa again for further study. I admitted in arts majoring in Nepali. In this level, my way of
learning was rote again because all my teachers used to teach us by lecturing. There was not the
practice of group and pair work, discussion and project work. We were the passive listeners to
internalize teachers' saying.
e) My journey of learning in Bachelor level
I didn't see any difference between PCL and Bachelor degree's approach to teaching
because the trend of teaching was the same in both levels. My rote learning did not support me
for creative and analytical thinking and writing. After the examination of second year of bachelor
degree, I wanted to be a teacher in a privately run boarding school and applied there as English
and social study teacher for lower secondary level. At that time I realized that I had to learn
32
English better to teach in boarding school. As a Nepali in major subject and never experienced
before as a teacher I had not only difficulty but also challenge to teach in school however I
agreed to teach English there thinking that I need to learn how were the curriculum of boarding
school and how did they teach. From there too I learned to teach through lecture method. After
seven months of teaching experience, I had to migrate to Sindhuli because of my marriage where
I continued my teaching profession in public school. I started bachelor degree in education as inservice teacher under professional development program.
Really, I got some teaching skills from B. Ed degree in education. I realized the
importance of education degree for my teaching profession. It also helped me to persuade further
education. I passed three years B.A degree in major English as the additional paper to admit in
master degree. Next year, I admitted in master degree in Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tahachal in
2062 B.S. It was difficult to take the regular class in Kathmandu being a teacher of Sindhuli.
After three months I was able to transform my job in Kathmandu to continue my study. Then my
quest of further learning for my professional development was quenched after three months of
my admission in master degree.
f) My journey of learning in master level
I used to go to college daily after the school. I had a small baby of three months at
that time. But I was determined to accomplish my aim of getting master degree being a regular
student. I learned theoretical knowledge of various methods and techniques from the college and
applied them in my real classroom situation. When I started to practice these learning skills in
my teaching learning activities, I started to analyze my own teaching learning activities. At that
time I didn't know about reflective practice which I learned now. After the completion of my
33
thesis of master degree, I consulted to my thesis guide ' Dr. Jaya Raj Awasthi and Dr. Tirtha Raj
Khaniya for the further education because I wanted to learn more for my professional
development. So, I enrolled in M. Phil after one year of my master degree.
g) My journey of learning in M. Phil level
As I was enrolled in M. Phil in T.U in 2067 BS, I didn't have good knowledge of
philosophy of education. Once I studied in M. Phil. it helped me to analyze the self first because
there is hidden philosophy in our life. If we try to analyze the self, we will be a reflective person
to change our perception to see other with the positive eye. I got enough knowledge about
eastern and western philosophy from my professors. I also learned to apply these philosophies in
my real life situation and in my profession too. "yaha nagare kaha garne? ahile nagare kahile
garne? mahile nagare kasle garne?" This formula of knowing the self and starting to change
from the self touched me. So, I began to analyze my own practices being a reflective teacher. In
fact I learnt examine myself. I learned to write article, do research, present the article in seminar
and think critically whatever comes around me.
I enrolled in 10 months distance mode in-service training at the same time. I also
completed the first module of Teacher's Professional Development training. I got opportunity to
take part in Teacher's Orientation Training program for 12 days.
Not only this, I conducted Teacher's Professional Development training in Resource
Center preparing the modules based on teachers' demand for two years. All of these attainments
were the outcomes of M Phil program. Not only this, it also encouraged me to continue my
further study.
34
JOURNEY OF TEACHING
a) My journey of teaching before the B. Ed degree
When I enrolled in public school as an English teacher in 2053-2-13, I had passed
only Bachelor degree in arts. I didn't have any idea to use different methods and techniques to
make the teaching effective. I didn't have any knowledge of making lesson plan. But I used to
think that I was a competent teacher. Later, I thought to do Bachelor degree in education for
professional development. When I passed B. Ed degree I realized that I was worse teacher
because I had not any plan what to teach, when to teach, why to teach and who to teach which is
presented in a poetic verse.
'Reflection of the past'
Rote learning and teaching was my culture,
Discipline was my method.
Those students were treated as the passive listener,
And compelled them as the copier.
So, I didn't practice constructive method,
as they were not practiced by others.
No practice of group and pair work,
not reflective teaching as the learning source.
Let alone the collaborative learning,
that was my base for taking turning,
So, I try to continue my further learning,
as B.A degree was not enough for me.
35
b) My journey of teaching after B. Ed degree
I felt vast gap in pedagogy in arts degree and in education degree. So was my pedagogical
practice of teaching learning activities. I have presented a poem about my pedagogical changes
due to bachelor degree in education.
'My gurus'
I began to treat them source of learning
who were with me dawn to dusk,
that they learnt with me
and I learnt with them
So, I began to treat them as my guru.
They began to co-operate with me for learning
I began to motivate them for taking turning,
that we both became the learner
as I planned to be the dynamic teacher
So, I began to treat them as my guru.
They used to provide me the feedback
to change my teaching methods,
as they began to enjoy in group and pair work,
I began to create new knowledge,
So, I began to treat them as my guru.
36
They learnt the skills from me,
as I facilitated them in class work,
that it motivated me to analyze the practice,
and I learned the outcomes from their work,
So, I began to treat them as my guru.
They developed the habit of sharing knowledge,
as they engaged in team work,
that they learnt from me and I learnt from them,
we developed the habit of coordination,
So, I began to treat them as my guru.
From the aforementioned learning and teaching background, it can be understood that
learning and teaching go simultaneously in professional life. To this view I agree with (Beedle
and Burkill (2008:72) that learning is a process of trial and error, and learning to teach is no
exception. They have the two way relationship for the reflective professional. As I entered into
this profession, I used to think that I had sufficient knowledge for teaching and abundance of
enthusiasm. Now I realized that it was not sufficient for me while teaching. Every professional
job demands a special skill of subject matter to perform it so is the teaching. I started the job with
degree in arts; I didn't stop my learning skills from academic institutions. So, I did acquire the
degree in education for my professional growth. Most of my skills I acquired on the job guided
by my intuition. I learnt from a variety of classroom and slowly built up a repertoire of classroom
skills which seemed to work well for me and for my students.
37
The significant episode changed my perspectives on teaching and learning was M. Phil
program and TPD training at the same period in which I got the opportunity to merge the
theoretical knowledge of M. Phil by the practical skills in my real field collaborating with my
colleague's class observation. M. Phil program also inspired me into professional reading and
writing as well as created awareness on current educational research. It helped me to emerge the
solid and reliable knowledge which enhanced quality learning and teaching. Watching my own
learning and teaching being reflective, I came to learn that learning is inevitable and continuous
process throughout life. That's why M. Phil was the real eye-opener for me to be the reflective
teacher by analyzing the self and find the gaps in my professional life by collaborating with other
teachers.
CHAPTER-V
ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY
Learning in professional life
I realized that professional life of the teachers is related to their attitude towards
competency. I also hold the belief that competent teacher reflect his/her delivery skills and
makes changes to address the growing needs of the children. They also think that everything can
be the source of learning such as their past experience, parents, children, students, their
surroundings, their passion for learning, etc. Let me share these sources of learning that I
possessed:
38
a) Passion and devotion for learning and teaching
Passion and devotion motivated me to learn from everything that I encountered. To share the
learning that I obtained I was in need of a forum and I found school the best place for it. So I
started my new journey of teaching after passing Bachelor Degree in Arts. Then I continued my
further study because of my passion and devotion to learning as a result I am here which
encouraged me to go ahead for further study. My own passion led me to study Paulo Freire
(1970) who opposes the banking concept where teacher's primary role isn't to transmit
knowledge to learners, depositing information into students as people would deposit money into
banks.
His book aggravated my passion and dedication to be a true teacher who is to facilitate
educational changes, enable students to do progress at his/her own level and help them generate
meaningful learning as their discovery. My reading over Freire (1970) enabled me to have a
close look of my fellow teachers' approach to teaching, passion for learning and dedication to the
profession. But how my fellow teachers were motivated to be teachers? The table below shows
the passion of learning of my fellow teachers:
Table-1
Passion in teachers towards learning
Teachers
Reason to be a teacher
passion for learning
Faced problem
A
by chance
interest to deposit
deposited
different knowledge on
knowledge up
others
to his level
interest to be a reflective
hesitant to be
B
by family exposure
39
learner
reflective
teacher
C
D
E
F
by the suggestion of the
dedicate to be energetic
less reflection in
seniors and of the society
and reflective teacher
practice
unknowingly
interest to explore new
inadequate
knowledge and enhance
reflection in
academic qualification
teaching
engage in reflective
difficult in
learning for self and his
applying praxis
learners
in teaching
commitment for learning
less committed
from others
in teaching
deliberately
to do social service
I found my fellow teacher 'A' different from me. As I found him, he read different books.
Especially, he preferred to get knowledge about conflict management which helped him to
manage his personal and professional conflict. But he didn't show his passion for professional
development and go for advanced learning. He preferred to continue the reading habit and get
new knowledge throughout his profession. Here I found him a different person who preferred to
deposit different knowledge on him but hold it up to his level. He did not relate his reading to
the teaching. He treated the students as the blank sheet of paper and served them the rules first
without anticipation from the students. He used the communicative approach of the reflective
teacher however he could provide less chances to discuss the problems in the floor and get the
conclusion from them.
40
Teacher 'B' has different story to share. He told me that his family motivated him to
come to teaching profession. So he did not study different books like my fellow teacher A. What
he did is reflective teaching. Because of his reflective approach to teaching I found him very
active in knowledge generation. So, he was busy to publish a book called teaching license. He
also organized training sessions for fellow teachers. In order to be a good trainer he explored
resource materials from the internet, gets co-operation from peer and so on. Now he has realized
that he should go for further study and hence he has joined M. Phil. program in education this
year. He has used communicative approach in teaching being a reflective teacher however he is
unable to motivate student for active participation.
Teacher 'C' has a passion to do further learning. So he too has enrolled in M. Phil in
Education for his professional development. Like my fellow teacher B, he is an experienced
trainer teacher of TPD program. He is doing M. Phil from T.U. He preferred to acquire new
knowledge from his family, friends, students, society, reading books, exploring internet and so
on. He has used the communicative approach in teaching as a reflective practitioner however his
additional knowledge transformation is like resembles to that of practice but not of the praxis.
Teacher 'D' was a computer teacher who preferred to explore more references from internet
which was essential for his professional life. He is trainer of TPD program who has and acquired
new knowledge from trainee teachers. He has also used communicative approach however his
students were like passive listener. Teacher 'E' is also a trainer of TPD program who is going to
complete Ph D from India. He told me that his passion to learning helped him to acquire the
qualification of PhD. Being a reflective teacher and learner; he used to transfer his learning skills
to his profession and also learn from students too. He used reflective approach and hence become
able to transfer his additional knowledge for student's better performance as the praxis.
41
Teacher 'F' is a female teacher who had different story to share. She told me that her
family motivated her to get the higher education to be the competent daughter. After getting
education, she had chosen the teaching profession as a social service. Her story was really
different from me in getting education. Her grandfather's appreciation and motivation for the
study helped her to be the active learner from the beginning of her life. She had a passion to do
further learning. So she too was planning to enroll in M. Phil in Education for coming year. She
was interested in taking part in seminar, conference, and workshop so that she could cope with
the changing concept of education around the globe world and made her students competitive in
global markets. She had also the inner desire to become a professional teacher. She had tried to
use communicative approach in teaching however she didn't provide the chances to her students
for real communication.
Like my fellow teachers I used anything as a source of learning whatever was available
in front of me and in my life. I used to treat the students as my 'Guru' who 'think and do'
differently. I surfed internet, visited fellow teacher's class and invited them to observe my class,
took part in workshops and conferences as well as seminars for additional knowledge to prolong
my profession.
As teachers experience shows that experience sharing, cooperation, collaboration,
discovering and self-exploring approach can help prolong teacher's professional life. But I found
that my fellow teachers had some limitations. They weren't able to use the skill of exploring the
self so they are running away for new knowledge. Even the training that they received didn't help
them explore their own hidden knowledge and the skills to see things differently. That's why
they never tried to give the value for their 'Self'. But in my case I learnt to give value to my work
and learnt to be reflective, critical, creative, and accommodative simultaneously. Paradoxically
42
some of my fellow teachers didn't take teaching profession according to their interest. Others
were intrinsically motivated for reflective learning but extrinsically motivated for reflective
teaching. Every success of the learners depends on teacher's passion. Behind every successful
learner there is a compassionate teacher (Wadekar in Beedle & Burkill; 2008:62). But they had
not given value for the learner's excellence in learning. Some of them feel easy in vomiting the
deposited knowledge even if students don't like it. They preferred to enter into the class without
preparation and start the lesson without motivating the students. Some of my fellow teachers
were best in providing training but not in teaching because showing the way to others was easier
than leading in the real field all by him /her. To this issue, I agree with Barker (2010) who said
that advice is easy to give and hard to take.
The teachers who are the trainer of Teacher's Professional Development gave advice
to others but they were not able to apply such advices in their own practice even in formal
observation. There is lacking of intrinsic motivation to their practice. This proves the old maxim
that words are louder than action in transforming to teachers' profession.
b) Knowledge generation from parents and grandparents
One of the distinctive characteristics of humans is the ability of one generation to
communicate its learning to the next (Roy; 2008:58). The success of cooperative learning teams
as well as the success of their member throughout life is a function of their skills of
communication. I realized that I learnt many things from my parents and grandparents by
observing their work, and listening their instruction that they give to the small children of the
home and neighbors. This made me realize that it was a good method to hand over the
knowledge from generation to generation (Koikala; 2065 BS: 154). I also realized the importance
of indigenous knowledge and knowledge delivery technique in my teaching. I also felt that I
43
obtained the knowledge of my parents and grandparents through observation of their team work,
discussion, mentoring, and appraisal of their work and so on. These process taught me morality,
problem solving skills, creative skills etc. As I found,
"Indigenous knowledge may be integrated into education and bring the
benefits of helping to sustain indigenous knowledge and societies to
all. It also encourages teachers and students to gain enhanced respect
for local culture, its wisdom and its ethics, and provides ways of
teaching and learning locally relevant knowledge and skills"
(http://www. unesco. org/ education/tlsf/mods/theme c/mod11.html on
10th august,2012).
The quote of the above paragraph encouraged me to unveil indigenous knowledge and skill to
teach and learn. Especially, the implication of indigenous knowledge is essential for the
student's life. The above literature pushed me to explore the practices of my fellow teachers in
the transformation of indigenous knowledge. The table below shows the process of knowledge
transformation from grandparents to their children as my fellow teachers observed:
Table-2
Grandparents approach to transfer knowledge
Teachers
A
Indigenous knowledge that the
indigenous pedagogy that my
grandparents taught
fellow-teachers captured
to be self-conscious in working,
social and moral does and, don'ts
and reflection on what they did
over a day
learn from experience and deposit it
on others
44
B
Observe a thing from different
reflective learning
perspectives
C
mentoring at work,
High level of motivation to what one
is supposed to learn
D
E
F
value to the ethic, culture and
reflection on what one did right from
morality
morning to evening
belief that you are the boss of
Observe the children at work and give
yourself
instant feedback
appraise the children at hand
knowledge sharing to all regardless
of the listeners' interest
I found my fellow teacher 'A' different from me. He told me that his father used to inspire
him to be a teacher. He also motivated him to be a good person in the society. His mother was
like a friend so he used to share his feelings to her. Showing the importance of parents and
grandparents for knowledge generation, teacher 'B' also highlighted his role to get parental
approach to teaching and learning. For instance, they taught the basic knowledge without stress.
They also motivated him to observe the work and learn to do. So, he learnt the technique of
reflective learning by doing from his parents which he got by actively participating with them.
For the teacher 'C', his parents were uneducated but they used to motivate him to get good
education showing him the bright future of the educated person. They used to give their own
example of hard-working despite the lack of formal education. As the teacher 'C' found his
parents were the perfect masters for him to motivate and find the right track in life. Teacher 'D'
also valued the knowledge generation and transmission process of his parents and grandparents.
45
But he used to be selective and self-directed in getting new knowledge. For example, out of
many once he heard a quotation from his grandparents who said, "A man can be a good person if
he is doing the work". This quotation encouraged him to give importance to work. Teacher 'E'
shared his learning experience with his parents and grandparents. He learnt to be the boss for the
self and explore own activities to improve the drawbacks. So was the case for teacher 'F' who got
exposures from her parents and grandparents. But she could not ensure that type of exposure to
her children because she lived in a nucleus family. So she felt sorry to her children because they
were not getting parents' and grandparents' knowledge. The only reason with her was that she
does not have time to take her children to the grandparents. Her husband is also busy as she is.
But she remembers the grandparents and parents' method to teaching. They used inspiration
method, observation method, and active participation to their children's success. But my case
was really different from my fellow-teachers because my parents and grandparents didn't show
the interest in their daughters and granddaughters' education. Despite their negligence to my
education, I turned out to be laborious from the beginning of my life being self-directed learner
and enjoyed in learning new things every moment. The environment and culture in which I
brought up made me consider from the early age of my life. I became tougher to further study in
any critical situation. Observing the culture of my grandparents and parents, I learned good
practice of participatory and observation method who used to participate with workers in real
field for the better performance. For this, I also focused on participatory approach in various
activities in teaching learning activities that was learnt from parents and grandparents. So, I
encouraged my students to bring indigenous knowledge and skill of their family. I also actively
participated with my student in real field. For instance, I took the students to Khopasi power
house to show the process of generating electricity and bee keeping. Then I informed them to get
46
the knowledge of generating the electricity and bee keeping on the basis of process, substances
and implication. After the observation, I encouraged them to prepare the report in groups. I
actively participated with each group's work. I believed that if the teacher worked, students also
learned to work. So, I also practiced participatory approach in various classroom activities so that
fast learners can also be the student teacher for the slow learners. Similarly I also became
optimistic that if they practiced to apply indigenous knowledge and skills in their real life, they
could learn faster and better. Grandparents always transferred their indigenous knowledge and
pedagogy to their children and the grandchildren. But the paradox is that only one of my fellow
teachers has indigenous knowledge provided by the old generation, and he too was not able to
use them in the classroom. The reason is that it was the "old idea" for him. And yet my fellow
teacher has become a reflective teacher. But I also found that some of my fellow teachers
devalued them by saying that they are "the old ideas".
c) Knowledge generation from children
I got the technical knowledge of computer from my daughter who is the student of grade
nine. I treated her as a friend so she shared me every success and failure in her life too. It is the
good source of getting knowledge about new generation and coin the new knowledge accepting
the changes to go ahead. Sometimes she used to go to my school in vacation and take my class.
She appreciates my teaching methods. I feel happy when I share my feelings about my methods
of learning and teaching. I share my teaching experience, my everyday practices and outcomes of
my practices which makes her to share her everyday's learning in her class. I suggested her to
correct the drawbacks and move further. This culture of sharing has brought good result in her
study because her position is second in her class. She is trying to obtain 90 percent in her exam.
It also helped me find the perception of new generation and create the learning environment for
47
better performance. That's why she is one of my sources of learning. After gaining such
experience in my professional life, I was really interested to explore the practices of my fellow
teachers. Below is the practice of my fellow teachers' approach to knowledge generation from
the children. :
Table-3
Practice of the fellow teachers on knowledge generation from their children
Teachers New knowledge that my
Reflection of their experience in
fellow teachers captured
teaching
A
technical knowledge
less reflection in practice
B
no such practice
no reflection of such experience
C
technical knowledge
theoretical suggestion
D
no such practice
theoretical suggestion only
E
technical knowledge
reflection in practices
F
no such practice
no reflection of such experience
I found my fellow teacher 'A' similar to me. He also told me that he prefers to use his
sons for getting computer skill. He also treated them as the source of new knowledge of new
generation. But teacher 'B' didn't have such practice of learning as he was an unmarried teacher.
Teacher 'C' had also the similar practice like the fellow teacher 'A'. He told me that he used to
provide exposures to the children and motivate them to find new thing every day and apply this
knowledge to the real-life situation. He also told me that he always tried to get technical
48
knowledge from them though they were small kids. Similarly, my fellow teacher 'D' and 'E' used
the support of their children's knowledge like my fellow teacher 'A' and 'C'.
But I found my fellow teacher 'F' different from me as well my other fellow teachers. She told
me that she didn't have much time to share the knowledge to them and get their perception. She
realized it as her great fault because she had learned so much from her grandparents and parents
but provide less time to her children and she had no practice of knowledge generation from them
as well. She realized that knowledge can be generated from different sources.
Only the reflective teachers can activate these sources. They treat the seniors and
juniors equally for new knowledge. They get the current knowledge from their own children
easily and reflect in own practice. As the above table shows some of my fellow teachers are alert
in using their own children to get new knowledge especially in technical field. But the interesting
thing is that none of the teachers were reporting me their learning from the students and using
these knowledge and skills in classroom. This shows that we feel comfortable to learn from our
own children but not with the students, they are the outsiders for us. It also gives a room that
teachers should learn new things from the students and teach them the old things. This
reciprocal approach to learning can be useful for both the teachers and students to create know
knowledge and skills.
d) Knowledge generation from students
Though students are juniors to teachers, they can be senior in exploring current affairs
and quick to generate new knowledge. To this theme, I agree with Koirala (2068 BS) that for the
reflective teacher, learners are the curriculum. If learners are the curriculum for teachers, they
can learn from them. Each teacher teaches only one subject in a day but they learn various
49
subjects along with current dealings throughout the world. I prefer to use the students as the
source of learning and implement new techniques in teaching learning activities such as in
computer skill, critical thinking in speech and debate program, creative writing, etc and asks
them to teach as the student teacher. From the observation of students, I also learn to teach
accordingly being closer to the students as their friends. Here are some statements about learning
by teaching in the Sudbury Schools:
"Kids love to learn from other kids. First of all, it's often easier. The
child teacher is closer than the adult to the students' difficulties,
having gone through them somewhat more recently. The explanations
are usually simpler, better. There's less pressure, less judgment. And
there's a huge incentive to learn fast and well, to catch up with the
mentor. Kids also love to teach. It gives them a sense of value, of
accomplishment. More important, it helps them get a better handle on
the material as they teach; they have to sort it out, get it straight. So
they struggle with the material until it's crystal clear in their own
heads, until it's clear enough for their pupils to understand." http://en.
wikipedia. org/wiki/ Learning _by_teaching retrieved on 12th august
2012.
Along with the given literature, I also believe in the implication of Vygotsky's
observations for learning by teaching would appear that students learn by teaching their peers
(http:// en. wikipedia.org /wiki/Learning _by teaching). So is the way of learning for the teachers
treating the students as their peers if teachers apply this method in the real field. It is where I
prefer to apply the pedagogy of questions of Freire (1970) which involves posing the questions
50
to learners and listening to learner's questions. Such practices can force and challenges the
learners to think critically and adopt the critical attitude towards the world. I also realized that,
teachers can develop the critical attitude to see the things differently.
According to Day
(2010:93) teachers can make a difference to learning by choosing the right approach and having
right relationship with pupils. Passionate teachers are expert facilitators with students taking
more proactive and active roles in their own learning and are likely to change over time
according to circumstance and interest. All the aforementioned literature pushed me to find the
real practices of generation from the students of my fellow teachers. The knowledge generation
from students of my fellow teachers is given under the table:
Table-4
Process of generating knowledge from the students
Teachers New knowledge that the
A
Reflective practice of my fellow
fellow teachers gained
teachers
creative writings
encourage students to practice in
creative writings
B
no practice
encourage students to take part in
activities
C
listen to them
encourage students to continue their
learning
D
no practice
E
new information about current encourage to continue to get new
F
motivation to take part in activities
affairs
information
no such practice
just moral suggestion
51
I found my fellow teacher 'A' similar to me. He told me that he also uses the students as
the source of learning. He prefers to implement new techniques in teaching learning activities
such as in computer skill, critical thinking in speech and debate program, creative writing, etc.
But in practice, I didn't find his students to play the role as the student-teacher.
I found the fellow teacher 'B' similar to 'A'. He told me that he also treated the students as his
friends so were other for his fellow teachers. But in real practice it was lacking. Similarly,
teacher 'C' and 'D' told me that they also prefer to treat the students as the friends inside and
outside the class but I didn't find any signal being who was using them as the source of learning.
Like me, I found my fellow teacher 'E'. He told me that he treats his students as the source of
learning because they have the skills of different subjects which are useful in his subject too. But
my fellow teacher 'F' told me that she doesn't have such experience of treating the students as the
source of learning. I also treat the students as the source of my learning as my fellow teacher 'E'
because students have the current knowledge of various subjects which I can link to my learning
and suggest them to transfer their learning to other subjects and to their real life situation. But I
found that my fellow teachers were not able to treat the students as the source of knowledge. But
I found that my fellow teacher 'E' used to treat the students as the supreme of learning. They did
not hold the knowledge that different students have different skills, attitudes, perceptions which
make their learning difference. Especially students are the curriculum for the reflective teachers.
They have unique talents to see the things differently. But some of my fellow teachers were
unaware to such sources of learning. They didn't realize that different students had different
skills, attitudes, perceptions which made the learning different. If teachers motivated the students
for the active participation in activities, they could learn by experimentation, observation and
52
reflection, problem solving and so on. For instance in the action research and case study, teachers
can gain their uniqueness in learning which is different from their earlier learning. In project
work, they go to real field and collect the data with different vision which helps them to be
creative and critical. Sometimes they ask some questions which are not in mind before. For this
teachers need to study and get the new knowledge. If students are energetic and curious, they can
raise any questions and teachers need to be alert to answer them which requires extra
competency to the teachers. In practice, teachers were not found motivating students to think
from different angles and see the things differently. But students can be alert themselves to see
the things differently. Such awareness of the students can create awareness to the teachers who
didn't prefer to respond student's queries. That's why students can be the 'Gurus' and source of
learning for teacher's professional life.
e) Knowledge generation through reflective practice
Observations and experiences gained in professional life have enabled the teachers to
assess their own action and skills attend to feelings relate to the new skills to their previous
experiences, and learn from others. These are the skills required and highly valued in the
working life. Once Koirala (2068 BS) says that for the reflective teacher, learners are the
curriculum, experience is the training, policy is the discipline and parents are the supporting
environment, and community is the working field. A reflective practice model would enable
learners and novices within a discipline to compare their own practices with those of experienced
practitioners, thus leading to development and improvement (www. brain boxx.co.uk/a3
aspects/pages/Reflective.htm retrieved on 10th august 2012). Through the discussion, interaction,
interpretation and habit formation, teachers can improve their reflective practices. Critical
thinking and creative writing also play the vital role to be the reflective teacher. Action comes to
53
be seen in the field then words in reflective method which can be the solution of a problem. The
more reflection, the better is the profession. To this issue, I agree with Pandey (2012) that
teachers who engage in reflective practice can develop a deeper understanding of their
professional growth, develop informal decision-making skills and became confidence in their
teaching. This is where I realized that all teachers need to be reflective to their teaching learning
activities and step ahead (Koirala; 2065:157).
Quality of teaching can also be enhanced, if the teachers are reflective to their
profession. I also realized that it is the best practice for new generation. It helps to generate new
knowledge and go ahead after finding the drawbacks to own practices. Looking at past, teacher
can plan for future. I found that my fellow teacher 'A' was not conscious about reflective practice
because he didn't share anything about it. To be the professional teacher, everybody needs to be
the reflective practitioner. But he didn't give priority for the reflection. My fellow teacher 'B' told
me that he was conscious on reflective practice in learning but I didn't find the reflection in
teaching. He told me that he developed knowledge by reading books, being selective and
interested to implement his learning to the professional life according to the needs of students,
nature of content and context. He also calculates the drawbacks of the teachers by being
reflective learner and step-followers. Like my fellow teacher 'B' I also found my fellow teacher
'C'. He told me that he was also reflective and self-motivated teacher who preferred to be
changed according to situation. He further told me that all the teachers need to be self-motivated
either in lower level or in higher level for the professional development. But I didn't see the
reflection of my fellow teachers in real classroom situation. I also found my fellow teacher 'D'
who preferred to reflect. He told me that he didn't have time to reflect after each periods but he
thought the strong and weak part of his activities whenever he got free time even in tea break to
54
evaluate through reflection. Like my fellow teacher 'A', I found my fellow teacher 'F' who was
also not conscious about reflective practice. But I found that my fellow teacher 'E' was conscious
on the self-reflection. He told me that he usually practiced self-reflection in profession to correct
the previous action and mode of the action. But I found only my fellow teachers 'E' in reflective
practice in real classroom situation. He used to practice reflection after the evaluation and
provide them to express their feelings according to their learning and its implication. He also
asked them to dictate their feelings in classroom within fix time by discussing their feelings
either personal or interpersonal problems joining the content with social events and share in
class. In my practice, I prefer to share their feelings each day and teach differently to the same
text which requires think, plan, implement, reflect and act as it is called praxis (Freire; 1972).
That's why we need to be reflective teachers to develop the quality and brush our weakness with
our inner capacity and open up them. To open up own fault and weakness in our profession,
reflection to the profession is the key component.
f) Knowledge generation from other resources
For professional development one needs to handle multimedia program. Because the
students at this age need a different set of skills and competencies than their parents or
grandparents did and it is the responsibility of teacher to enable students for the acquisition of
21st century skills by offering them relevant learning experiences and authentic learning
environment (http://tamk. academia. edu/Hanna Ter%C3%A4s/ Papers/652118/Educating
Teachers for the Knowledge Society Social Media_ Authentic_Learning_ and_Communities_
of_Practice on 10th august 2012.
Vaidya (1994) views that teachers should exercise their own professional judgment and
see if there is academic and physical difficulty in the profession to be a reflective learner/
55
teacher. I also realized that teachers need to coach each other. To do so, one requires teaching
teams, familiarity with new skills, access to other teachers in their classrooms, habit of going for
peer class observation, feedback and conferences and openness to experimentation and
willingness to persist and refine skills involved in a continuous learning process in peer and team
(http://ecampus.matc. edu / coaching /pdf/teachers coaching _teachers_km.pdf on 12th
august 2012). But I found that my fellow teacher 'A' has not the practice of exploring additional
resources except reading books. Teacher 'B' has the experience of doing action research and case
study along with exploring new knowledge through e-mail and internet. I found that another
fellow teacher 'C' has the habit of taking help of colleagues along with the discussion in
academic institution. Teacher 'D' also has the habit of using the peers, seniors, juniors, reading
books and magazine, films as the sources of learning. He also uses students as the field of
learning theory. Teacher 'E' has also similar experience like other fellow teachers to use the
resources of learning. He has also the ability to do action research and case study. But teacher 'F'
uses only the media, reference and professional books and journal as the additional resources.
But some of my fellow teachers were not able to use additional resources because they did not
have access to computer and they have little understanding of collaboration, networking,
and self-directed learning, and shared expertise. They also needed combined skills
for media applications with authentic, inquiry-based learning as a tool to generate
knowledge as additional resources. All the fellow teachers have habit of reading but they
didn't have practices of sharing the difficulties of professional life and consulting to seniors,
colleagues, and experts and exploring in internet. As I found them, they are motivated
intrinsically to learning from various resources along with academic qualification but not in
teaching.
56
In my case, I got the knowledge from different resources such as reading books, taking part in
seminar, workshop, conferences, serving in internet, etc. My hobby is reading book which is the
source of my learning. I am a self-directed learner. I plan with goal setting, self monitoring, self
evaluating, select structure, invent sceneries and environment to maximize learning. I get new
knowledge from internet and experience of seniors and so are other teachers.
From the aforementioned discussion, I understood that teachers can learn better if they
chose teaching profession deliberately and be motivated intrinsically in their profession. If they
have learnt indigenous knowledge from ancestors, they can fell easy to develop and implement
different theories according to the context. They don't feel hesitation in using children and
students as their sources of knowledge. In my case, I used to be attached to the structure and used
to be in confusion while selecting resources but now I am selective in choosing the suitable
resources for learning. After the enrollment in M. Phil, I got the knowledge of self-reflection
through the self-inquiry method and began to be detached to the structure. I also began to see the
things differently and try finding the strong and weak areas of my practices by comparing my
own previous doing or the doing of the other fellows.
Teachers' practice to transfer learning skills to the classroom
"Where you go, employ all your heart".
-The Shu king
My second question was related to the process of transferring learning skills for
professional competency. The answer of this question has been presented in the succeeding
paragraphs thematically:
57
a) Interaction and presentation
To maintain participant interest, teachers require dynamic delivery, and variety of
instructional methods. If students don't enjoy, teachers find difficulty to practice interaction in
the classroom. In the words of Vygotsky, interaction works at two levels: first through
interaction with others, and then integrating that knowledge into personal mental structure. But
for Piaget it is internalized through adaptation with the environment (http:// en.wikipedia.
org/wiki /Learning by teaching ). This shows that interaction and presentation are the key
components to accommodate various issues and display new information of learning. This
realization enabled me to have a close look over my fellow teachers' practices of interaction and
presentation. I also analyzed the gaps that I observed in the teaching profession. The table shows
the practices of interaction and presentation of my fellow teachers:
Table-5
Interaction and presentation practice in classroom
Teachers interaction and presentation
the gaps between interaction and
presentation
A
discussion, questions,
interaction, work together, display the action
B
questions,
discussion and interaction, work together, use
of delivery instruments
C
discussion, question
work together, interaction, use of delivery
instruments
58
D
discussion,
work together, interaction, display
information
E
discussion, work together,
interaction, display information
questions,
F
discussion, question,
interaction, work together, use of delivery
instruments
I found my fellow teacher 'A' different from me. As I found him, he preferred to interact
with students and asked students to present what they knew. But for him I found the time
constraint in interaction and presentation. He also realized that culture of dictation in the class
discouraged interaction and presentation. My experience showed that when the teacher started
interaction, the students remained silence. Some talkative students tried to interact for few
minutes but they too fall behind because they lacked enough content to discuss. So the teacher 'B
added contextual teaching method i.e. he applied the discussion method with the already known
topics. This time students took part actively in interaction but in presentation phase they were
hesitated to speak in front of their colleagues. Teacher 'C' did not use interactive approach to
teaching. So was the case with teacher 'D'. He said that the students didn't have the culture of
interaction at home. So the effect was seen in higher grades as well. Teacher 'E' also seemed
similar to my other fellow teachers to use the interaction approach. So the effect was seen in
student's interaction and presentation of their work. But he encouraged to practice in pairs and
groups before presentation in class and taking decision. He also encouraged other colleagues to
follow the interaction and presentation techniques which helped them to take part in activities
effectively. I found teacher 'F' similar to other fellow teachers. She also tried to implement
59
discussion and interaction between students and teachers but students didn't enjoy in interaction
and show their performance. Due to the lack of practice in interaction and discussion in class,
students felt bore to present whatever they learnt. It was problematic case for her. But I feel
happy in challenge because meaningful learning is in challenging work (TRM; 2064). So, I have
applied interaction with students and presentation by them. For this I put separate for listening
and speaking in classroom activities of each terminal exam. I also found that five minutes
interview with students in oral test and 10 minutes for listening was inadequate to evaluate
students listening and speaking skills. These realization encountered teachers to divide score in
different activities. I also provided the best performing students the prize like copy, pencil,
books. I also provided them project work in groups according to their score. For classroom
interaction, I simply gave them freedom to choose the theme whatever they liked. I realized that
when my students broke the silence first, they didn't like to stop. Later on they enjoyed it without
hesitation. Sometimes science teacher also applied the method of interaction and presentation
which supported the students to develop the interaction for better performance. From the
discussion above, I understood that interaction and presentation are the key elements for learning
but my fellow teachers were not able to apply it in real classroom.
b) Taking feedback and comments
Feedback and comments of students to teacher and from teacher to students is
important for effective teaching learning activities. Reflective teacher can be ready to take
feedback for the improvement of the next lesson (Ghosal in Beedle Burkill; 2008:82). It is
also considered that "The feedback from the students through their performances in the class
and in tests will help alert the conscientious teacher to reorganize the methods of teaching to
60
achieve desired responses and bring the expected changes in their learning" (Goswami cited in
Beedles Burkill; 2008:40).
Teachers are such personalities, who need to be alert in taking feed front, feed in and
feed back to their profession. Only the feedback is not sufficient for them. But how my fellow
teachers were doing? It was the query for me. The table below shows the practices of getting
feedback and comments of my fellow teachers, the answer of my query:
Table: 6
Teachers' approach to take feedback and comments
Teachers
feedback and comments
A
less feedback and comment by others
B
feed back by trainers in training hubs
C
feed back by students
D
feedback by self
E
feedback by self-reflection, students and
colleagues
F
feedback by trainers in training hubs
I found my fellow teacher 'A' different from me and others because he didn't have the
habit of getting feedback from students. Feed front and feed in were the things out of
imagination for him. Teacher 'B' preferred to receive feedback from his students. But the
students never complained about his teaching. So the suggestions of trainers in training hubs
were the only feedback for him. It means he didn't receive complain of the fellow teachers, the
head teacher, resource person, and school supervisor. He remained away from feedback and let
61
alone the feed front and feed in for the professional competency. Similar case was found for the
teacher 'C' and 'D'. They were interested to receive feedback but students felt hesitation. But
teacher 'E' said that students didn't take courage to complain and give feedback to the teachers
because they didn't have such culture however he tried to get feedback from students, colleagues
and evaluated his own work by himself. For him feed front and feed in were the outcomes of self
reflection but not by others. For the teacher 'F' taking the feedback from students was rare case in
her school. So, she got feedback from training by trainers when she took part in training and she
didn't get feed front and feed in like other fellow teachers. I am also the outcomes of the same
society but I am trying my best to break the "default culture" in my profession. I got the feed
front from the trainers and colleagues while I attained teacher's training, workshops, seminars,
and conferences. Similarly, I got feed in by the self reflection and feedback from colleague,
students and by self reflection. Actually I got feedback from my students at the end of each
lesson. For this, I requested them to suggest me if they had confusion and I needed to change the
teaching methods. I also encouraged them to share the objectives of my teaching, lesson learnt
and its implication as the reflection. It helped them to be alert in learning and giving positive and
negative feedback to me without hesitation. If teachers acquired such skills, it would help them
to get feedback, feed in and feed front to their professional life. For this, I also tried to be
cooperative, friendly, active, creative and ready to take feedback and comments inside and
outside the class from students. Once students of grade six said that I was called DSP Miss
(Danger Sharmila Pokhrel) by the students of grade nine and ten while they were in toilets. I
realized that students' this might be my nick name. So I tried to reconfirm with the students of
grade nine and ten. They told me that I was strict in discipline but friendly in other activities. So
they named me as danger because of my personal trait. I found that my colleagues who teach
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English were avoiding interaction with teachers and students. Because of their personal habit
students were not involved in classroom interaction. This gave me insight that teachers like me
should get feedback, feed front and feed in from the students, colleagues and concerned
personalities.
From aforementioned discussion, I realized that my fellow teachers were not seemed
dedicated to their student's better achievement that's why they have less access in getting the
feedback, feed front and feed in from the students as well as colleagues and concerned
personalities.
c) Cooperation and collaboration
Cooperation and collaboration are supportive theories for reflective practice. It helps
the teachers to be highly imaginative, innovative and communicative. Really teacher should
share their practice or knowledge to others for their own improvement (Pandey; 2012:155).
Passionate teachers will be aware that learning from their own experience of teaching will be
limiting and they wish to learn from others (Day; 2010:2). Pandey (2012:157) further says that
cooperation and collaboration cultivate a good culture for learning. It also helps teachers to get
the grounded knowledge to be the reflective professional for quality education. This
understanding encouraged me to find out the practices of my fellow teachers. The table below
shows the practices of cooperation and collaboration of my fellow teachers:
Table: 7
Practice of cooperation and collaboration
Teachers practices of cooperation and
gaps in cooperation and collaboration
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collaboration
A
lack of practices of
absence of new information
cooperation and collaboration
B
no culture of cooperation with
lack of new knowledge
colleagues and students for
new information
C
D
occasional collaboration with
lack of cooperation with students and
students' new ideas
colleagues
one sided presentation of
lack of cooperation and collaboration
contents
E
cooperation with students and
difficult to continue such practice
assimilation of their ideas
F
one sided presentation
lack of cooperation and collaboration
I found that my fellow teachers 'A' didn't have the culture of collaboration and
cooperation with colleagues and students as well. He didn't exchange the classroom experience
and observe colleagues' practices. Teacher 'B' also had the similar experience. He said that he
didn't give priority to cooperation and collaboration of ideas with others. Similarly teacher 'C'
had also bitter feelings about it because he also preferred to practice it but it wouldn't be possible
without cooperation. In this situation I invited him to observe my class. He was very happy
because of student's participation in pair and group work. But teacher 'D' said that there is no
culture of collaboration and cooperation in his class. If he tries to make class participatory
students would name him as a joker. Teacher 'E' was also the outcomes of the same culture but
64
he formed subject teachers committee for shared learning. Teacher 'F' also preferred
collaboration and cooperation with staffs but it was not possible for her because of the
hierarchical culture that she found in school.
d) Creating real life situation
Teacher should create real life situation in teaching learning activities as far as possible. It
helps the learners to cope the content and apply the knowledge in real life situation. According to
Anwar (2011:22) teachers have to find ways of helping students to make connection between
what they are learning and how that knowledge will be used for opening doors of opportunity
throughout their lives. Teachers need to help the students to develop the skills and connect the
learnt skills to their lives so that they can use such skills to different sphere of life. After
reviewing the aforesaid literature, I became interested in my fellow teacher's practices to
teaching. The table given below shows the practices of my fellow teachers:
Table:8
Teachers' practices of creating real life situation
Teachers practices of creating real life situation
gaps in practices
A
tell story, news, report
absence of local example
B
absence of local example
artificial example
C
suggest students to learn from whatever
absence of real objects as example
they see and do accordingly
D
encourage students to learn from family,
friends
lack of environment to put the
learnt things into practice
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E
create environment to learn by
no examples
themselves
F
provide model and let students ask to do
absence of real example
the same
As I found that teacher 'A' did not create real life situation in his classroom. He did not
give importance to help students observe real things and apply their learning in real life situation.
So was the teacher 'B' who had the skill of seeing the things but not to show the way to others. It
means he never created real life situation according to the content and context so that learners
could take benefit to this process and apply in real life situation. Teacher 'C' taught in theory but
not in practice. Teacher 'D' and 'F' were in fever of creating the real life situation for perfect
learning but they too did not take students to the real field. But teacher 'E' had created real life
situation in the classroom. I was also similar to my fellow teachers before joining M. Phil
program. But now I have changed my teaching culture. Now I create situations and give
examples to the students so that they can situate there. From aforementioned practices of my
fellow teachers, I understood that my fellow teachers had not skill of observing the real things,
and applying them in real life situation.
e) Using technology
Technologies are merely the tools for delivering instruction for learning (http://www.iiisci.
org/journal /CV$/sci/ pdfs/ ZG910YJ.pdf retrieved on 12th august 2012). It is an invention to
understand the world with a click within few seconds sitting in a room. Modernization has
developed such technology and teachers can be a good agent to its use and popularize it. If they
have access to such technology, they can transfer learning skills effectively in teaching through
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these devices. Capturing the importance of technology in education from the given literature, I
was interested to explore the practices of using modern technology in my fellow teacher's
classroom. The table given below shows the practices of my fellow teachers:
Table: 9
Teachers' practices of using modern technology in classroom
Teachers Practices of using technology in
gaps in real field
learning
A
rare use of technology in classroom
no use of technology in teaching
B
frequent use of technology in classroom no use of technology in teaching
C
use of technology for personal learning
no use of technology in teaching
D
often used technology in classroom
no use in teaching
E
mostly used technology in learning
no practices in teaching
F
rare use of technology in learning
no practices in teaching
I found my fellow teacher 'A' unwilling to use cassette player for listening while teaching
English. But teacher 'B' said that he used computer, laptop and multimedia for his personal
learning but did not use them for teaching. The same case was found to teacher 'C', 'D', 'E', and
'F'. They could not use multi-media for presentation. They didn't use audio-video recording and
other technology to evaluate student's performance and prefer reflective professionals. Student's
learning would be faster and easier through such devices. But in real practices, there was lack of
such technology for effective transfer of learning skills to teaching. In my case, I sometimes used
tape recorder for listening and speaking in the class. I also used my laptop to give the important
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information. Other technology was not practiced in my school too. I haven't used video record to
find my strength and weakness yet which is the gaps in my profession. Self-reflection and the
comment of colleagues, trainers, supervisors and student's feedback and self-reflection in my
learning and teaching skills are the practiced process. For the advanced use of such technology
by teachers and students, I am planning to use these devices now. From the discussion above, I
realized that there were the professional, technological and organizational factors to apply
modern technology in teaching. It was the major gaps in school education.
f) Selection of appropriate methods and techniques to teach differently
Teachers need to encourage the students to do the work themselves so that they can
apply this skill in real life situation. They should apply various methods and techniques to make
the students self-directed learners, inventor, and creator to solve the problems themselves.
According to Anwar (2011) teachers must lower the student's affective filter by selecting
appropriate methods and techniques which will make the students creative and logical. It means
teachers must be capable of selecting different methods and techniques properly and use them
differently according to the situation and context. I have presented the practices of my fellow
teachers and the gaps in succeeding table:
Table: 10
Teachers' practices of using methods and techniques differently in classroom
Teachers
practices of my teachers
the gaps
A
traditional method
lack of communication
B
traditional method
no communication
C
communicative method
gaps in real communication
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D
communicative
gaps in communication
E
communicative
less gaps in communication
F
communicative
gaps in communication
I didn't find my fellow teachers active in selecting the appropriate methods and techniques
and apply them differently according to the level of students. I found my fellow teacher 'A'
different from me. As I found him, he wanted to learn new methods and techniques for his
professional life. But he was unable to apply his learnt skills in real classroom because of time
line and accomplishment of course on time. Therefore application of his learnt skills in effective
teaching was based on theory but not in practice. Teacher 'B', 'C', 'D' and 'F' also had mentioned
the same concept as that of teacher 'A'. But teacher 'E' tried to be selective to choose the content
and apply the effective techniques in each topics. He didn't like to be attached with the structure.
But I preferred to teach differently by selecting different methods and techniques. I mostly used
students in various activities. For example, they could read the text, find the meaning of difficult
words using glossary and dictionary, use these words in making meaningful sentences, organize
the question answer drill, make the questions, answer these questions in pairs and groups, do
other activities and prepare themselves for question answer drill and word meaning context with
the teacher. I supported them in each activity. Then I summarized the text if necessary. It took
time and also found difficult for slow learners but my praise, motivation and cooperation with
fast learners in activities made them complete their work within fix time as active learners. It was
my practice in which students enjoyed in their work and learnt a lot. From the aforementioned
discussion, it can be understood that selection of appropriate methods and use of different
69
approach to teach was challenging job to the teachers due to their personal and motivational
factors which created the gaps in their profession.
g) Reflective journal
Writing professional journal or diary is very useful. According to Day (2010) teacher
can reclaim, reconstruct and recapture events and accomplishments and reach into issues through
diary or journal keeping. He asserts that teachers must maintain daily-journal for reflective
practice which can also help them improve their teaching. The above literature pushed me to
explore the practices of my fellow teachers. I have presented the practices of my fellow teachers
and the gaps in succeeding table:
Table: 11
Teachers' practices of using reflective journal in their profession
Teachers practices of reflective journal
the gaps
A
no practice
self-inquiry and self-reflection
B
less practice in learning but not in
self-inquiry and self-reflection
teaching
C
aware in learning but not in teaching
self-reflection in professional life
D
aware in learning
self-reflection in professional life
E
less practice in teaching
self-reflection in professional life
D
no practice in learning and teaching
self-inquiry, self-reflection in
professional life
I found my fellow teachers different from me. I found that teacher 'A' didn't have practices
of writing reflective journal. He was not aware of its importance in teaching learning activities.
70
Teacher 'B' also had the interest of reflectivity however he didn't maintain reflective journal. So
were the teacher C' and teacher 'F'. But teacher D said that he didn't dictate daily journal but he
used to reflect on it in free time during the day and improve his teaching in next session. Teacher
'E' also prepared reflective journal that helped him to make plan for future on the basis of past
action. So, I didn't find the practices of reflection in my fellow teachers for students' better
learning. But I tried to maintain reflective journal to judge the past action by reflection for
further action. I questioned to my own practice and planed to remove the weakness in the next
time. I also encouraged the students to prepare reflective journal of each subject everyday
including the teaching objectives, evaluation and their learning as well as the areas of implication
in real-life situation. From the aforementioned discussion, I realized that reflective journal is the
key component to improve own practices however it was rarely practiced by my fellow teachers
in public school.
h) Adoption of counseling technique
Counseling technique helps to find out the problems by themselves and improve the
poor performance. According to Moores (1993) When the poor performance occurs we need to
adopt counseling techniques that involves helping people to find out the problems for
themselves. I also agree with Banerjee (2011:25) who said that a teacher is a counselor and
manager of learning and let the learners solve the problems for themselves which needs careful
treatment from teacher's part. In fact, the teacher as a counselor has a powerful role. It has been
difficult for many teachers to assume because there is little training given in the subject
(jan.ucc.nale.edu/~jde 7/.ese425/eco/optional/counselor.html). After reviewing the above
literature, I was curious to find how were the practices of my fellow teachers to counseling? The
table shows the practices of my fellow teacher's counseling and the gaps:
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Table:12
Teacher's practices of adoption of counseling in classroom
Teachers
adoption of counseling
the gaps
A
no practice
incompetent to use it
B
no practice
incompetent to apply in life
C
no practice
absence of practical performance
D
no practice
inadequate performance
E
practiced in teaching
no gaps in performance
F
no practice
incompetent to yield result
I found my fellow teachers different from me. I found that teacher 'A', did not have use
the counseling technique. If students asked for help, he simply helped them to find the right
track. Teacher 'B' had also similar feeling to that of teacher 'A'. He said that he generally helped
the students for solving their problems but he didn't have such responsibility of counseling in his
school. Similarly teacher 'C', teacher 'D' and teacher 'F' also said that they were not good
counselor but they had to counsel the weak students for active participation in teaching learning
activities. But teacher 'E' had the different experience about counseling than other fellow
teachers. He said that he was a good counselor for the students in his school. Students believed
him and he also listened to his student's difficulties and helped them find the way out. From this,
I came to know that my fellow teacher 'E' was a good counselor but other fellow teachers didn't
show the interest in counseling the students and solve their problems, develop the intimacy with
them and keep their privacy. But I mostly used counseling method to find the student's problems
and help them find the solution themselves. They believed me and expressed their problems
72
without hesitation and fear which helped them to solve the problems by themselves. I also
applied counseling methods for teachers in teaching learning activities. Herein are the observed
gaps.
a) Motivational gaps
Motivation is a vital component for teachers and learners. In the lack of motivation,
learner's progress remains slow. An innovative and learner friendly teacher has to find the
affecting factors that affect the student's learning. To this issue, I agree with Paul and Bob (2008)
who said that a teacher has to dig deep to find out what affects the student's interesting in study.
In Banerjee's (2011:26) word teachers can help raise the motivational degree of learners by using
suitable authentic reading materials and real objects. He also asserted that teachers need to be
motivated to the effective learning and teaching activities. If they are motivated intrinsically in
learning and teaching they can do better for the student's performance. He further said that
unmotivated teachers can be the hindrance for the quality education. In my study context,
extrinsic motivation was working to teachers so they had been giving emphasis on money and
ignoring the importance of own professional competency.
Once Potier, a professor of Regent collage of London shared us about the importance of
extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in a professional training which was held in july 7th 2012
organized by NELTA. According to her, intrinsic motivation is the key component for
professional competency. In other words intrinsic motivation is needed for teachers that can be
increased when feelings of competence and learning autonomy are nurtured for professional
competency. I agree with Joshi (2011:24) that teachers' role is an important component of
students learning as a facilitator and the role of teacher for autonomous learning which can be
much clear from what Einstein said, "I never teach my students, I simply provide the situations
73
in which they can learn."It means teachers have to create learning situation so that students can
learn themselves. As I was interested to explore the classroom practices of my fellow teachers, I
found them different from me. In real classroom practices of my fellow teachers, I found the
motivational gaps. My fellow teachers 'A' had the positive thinking for motivation however he
was unable to motivate students for better performance. So were my fellow teachers B', 'C', 'D'
and 'F' who also shared me the importance of motivation for better transformation of learning
skills in real classroom situation. But teacher 'E' was motivated in comparison with others. In
my case, M.Phil program motivated me intrinsically in my profession. It helped me to ask the
questions myself and find the gaps in my own profession collaborating with other teachers.
So, I found motivational gaps in interaction and presentation, feedback, cooperation
and collaboration, creating the real life situation, selection of different methods and techniques to
teach differently, in reflective journal and counseling in real practices of my fellow teachers. It is
said unmotivated teachers would not be able to motivate students. Unmotivated students are also
like passive listeners who don't take part in doing activities. There are several factors involving
the teachers in which student's interest depends on teacher's behaviors inside and outside the
classroom, their style of teaching, sensitivity for the learner's self-respect and belief in the
equality of students. When these common needs of students are often become valueless and
teachers refuse to grant them, it can block the interest of students in motivation for learning. My
experience as teacher says that students rely on teachers. I also did the same while I was
students. But at present teachers need to seek to change the students first with the aim of making
them to learn instead of teaching. We need to make them stand on their own and train them how
to learn.
b) Professional gaps
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Professional development is key component of learning and teaching skills. To
accelerate the change process and successfully close the achievement gap, teachers might begin
the process by ensuring a thought understanding of the assumptions and beliefs underlying
professional development programs. According to Sparks (2003) effective professional
development will deepen participant understanding, transfer beliefs and assumption and create a
stream of continuous actions that change habits and affect practice (find
articles.com/p/articles/mi-MONQM/is-1-44/ai-n).
To this theme, I agree with Day (2010:120) that professional growth is enhanced when
teachers analyze events from everyday teaching, make explicit the implicit assumptions that
guide their practice. Day (2010:127) has developed a descriptive multi-dimensional model of
teacher's professional development over their working life which takes into account the interplay
of organizational, personal and professional factors.
Dynamics of the teacher career cycle
organizational
factor
professional
factor
personal
factor
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Source: Day (2010:127)
Closing the professional gaps in learning and teaching activities with high level of
performance is the primary goal and the professional need to struggle to find the means to
achieve these goals. The teaching gaps I described above refers to the differences between the
kinds of teaching needed to achieve the educational dreams and real practices of teaching found
in selected school teachers. In this study, my fellow teachers were highly competitive in learning
and professional development but their application was limited. The gaps become more
significance when teachers realize the improvement in implication of learning method to
teaching and develop the new mechanism to fill the teaching gaps (Stigler & Hiebert; 2009:
xviii).
I found that all my fellow teachers were not able to equip with professional
competency. They didn't prepare themselves to meet the need of today's students which required
the strategies to assist them for quality teaching and close the professional gaps. I found that
teacher 'A' didn't show the importance for professional development. Teacher 'B' was conscious
in professional development but he was not able to follow the contextual teaching in real
classroom activities. Similarly Teacher' C', teacher 'D' and teacher 'E' and teacher 'F' had
acquired sufficient academic qualification but in practice there were gaps of transferring the
learned skills in real class situation. They neither used students in activities nor encouraged them
to the active participation. They were not seen as the reflective professional in teaching learning
activities.
In my case, the M Phil program has given me a new vision for professional life. It has
equipped me to handle my professional life better. So I have tried to keep my students in a more
76
comfortable learning environment with high level of confidence. Even within the existing norms
of my school, I motivated and helped them more. They seem to be more confident and the
learning inside and outside the classroom has improved significantly. I feel easier to plan and
implement according to the learner's needs. My vision and angles of observation have been
changed. In spite of limitations and difficulties, I have implemented various methods in teaching
learning activities. It has opened my eyes to be flexible and reflective in my profession and see
the things differently with positive attitude. I have learnt to think unconventionally for my
student's better performance and they have learned to share and explore. Regular reflection as a
reflective journal and self-criticism are the outcomes of M. Phil program for my professional
development and student's better performance
C) Technological gaps
Teachers need to be equipped with the competency to technology to their profession
and students better performance because it has tremendous potential for effective teaching and
learning. Technology as of today has been playing an increasing role in transferring learning
skills in effective teaching process as well as better performance of students. Students can use
computer to explore additional knowledge easily if they are taught through technology. It is an
important part of today's teachers and students. By incorporating it into the classroom, students
will be equipped to transition from classroom to real life situation and teachers learn and acquire
new skills and imply to their profession. To this issue, I agree with Thamban (2011:139) that
computers and language teaching have walked hand to hand for a long time and contributed as
the teaching tools, and proved the positive effects of integrating computer in language teaching.
Teachers are in dilemma to transfer the learning skills in real classroom situation due to the lack
of technology. In Jahan and Rahaman's (2011:71) words language learning and teaching are
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moving toward a technology oriented life and the biggest achievement of technology is that
today's net generation students can get access the materials at any time from any place. But
teachers are a step back than the students of using such technology. According to Thamban
(2011:139) computers can contribute as teaching tools in the language classroom. The challenges
to their initiative are vast and complicated however it can affect their own professional
development if they don't start its application. If they are motivated intrinsically to teach being
competent teachers in using technology, they can be success. Thamban (2011:141) further says
that technology can enhance the traditional method of teaching and learning. The latest trends in
language teaching are to familiarize with authentic and useful language learning sites and
software. Similarly, the advanced tools should be introduced to teacher's learning and teaching as
well which would be the crucial change in their profession. After reviewing the literature, I
wanted to learn the practices of my fellow teachers. What I found that some of my fellow
teachers felt hesitation to use student's knowledge of using advanced technology and some
teachers paid attention to learning but not in teaching. I found that teacher 'A' used some
technology in learning however he didn't use such technology in teaching. So are the teachers B,
C, D, E and F. In my perception, teacher's knowledge level of using technology is not only the
cause of poor transformation of learning skills to teaching in public school which can cooperate
and support for master in learning. It requires teachers highly plan for effective implication. But
there is gap in using technology for the learner's perception level and teachers' highly plan.
Ideally teachers are expected to develop their technological skills and knowledge and use
them in classroom situation. I also had such gaps in learning because I didn't use it in learning
before. Now I am using computer in learning but not in teaching so far. The case is similar to
other teachers as well. In this study, my intention was to find the gaps exploring my learning and
78
teaching skills collaborating with my fellow teachers. If my fellow teachers show their interest in
sharing the findings and the gaps I will share it otherwise not.
Plans to minimize these gaps
"Good teachers are not born, nor are they made by tutors. They make themselves"
-Petty (2009)
My last question is related to the plan to overcome the gaps of transferring learning
skills for professional competency. The answer of this question has been presented in the
succeeding paragraphs thematically:
a) Develop the professional competency through passion
"Learning never takes place in vacuum"
-William and Burden (1997 in Richards 2010:41)
A teacher is the competent who has the knowledge of subject matter and methodology.
Such teacher is trained, qualified, experience, committed, co-operative, honest and regular.
Development on the other hand refers to the growth or change in own profession. It is a
continuous process in which there is change of perception and interpretation of the self and own
experiences. As professional development is a continuous process, teachers develop themselves
locally through establishing teachers development forum by holding the meeting to discuss the
issues related to teaching and learning activities (masumbillah65@gmail.com). According to Ur
(1999) the first and most important basis for professional progress is simply the teachers own
reflection on daily classroom events. Learning for him/her is an ingredient for professional
development (Khanal; 2012).
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Teachers need to be alert on how to learn-teach-and learn to support the student's learning
as well as own professional development. According to Beedle and Burkill (2008) many factors
affect the learner's involvement in the class today, posing a formidable challenge to the teacher.
What should the teachers do? Should the teachers sprung off all the responsibility putting the
whole blame to the students and the system? Beedle and Burkill (2008) further say that it is
entirely true that no method is necessary if the teacher has no will to teach. But if a teacher
approaches his/her job with total commitment, s/he will surely find his/her methods situated to
the situation s/he is in and get his/her students as involved in the job as s/he her/himself is.
They need to acquire the professional competency and management skill to own learning
and teaching to implement in real classroom situation according to the level of students and
contents. Keeping in mind, the words of Einstein in Selvam (2011:131) "I don't teach my
children. I create conditions for them to learn", the teacher must implement innovative strategies
in teaching and act as a facilitator for learning. Learning itself isn't directly visible and teaching
aims should be congruent to learning and learning should be congruent to teaching.
To this, I agree with the golden words of Philip Riley in Selvam (2011:131) who says
that the most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. So,
ascertain this and teach the child accordingly. These words are worth to be carved not in the
stones but in the minds of the teacher. The paradox of learning is really new competence that a
student can't at first understand what s/he needs to learn it only by educating himself/herself, and
can educate himself/herself only by beginning to do what he does not yet understood (Schon as
retrieved from jan.ucc.nale.edu /`jde7/.ese425 /eco/optional /counselor .html on 23rd Shrwan).
Development of teaching competence is our professional responsibility and we can
undertake a wide range of activities in fulfillment of this obligation. According to Crandall (1996
80
in Richard & Renandya; 2010: 374)there are courses to take, journal to read, colleagues to talk
and observe, classroom research to conduct, textbook to review and workshop to attend. This
range of professional development opportunities allows teachers to be comprehensive and
develop personal professional competency.
Passionate teachers are committed, enthusiastic and energetic to their work. They are
aware of the challenge, have clear sense of identity and can a make difference to the learning and
achievement of the learners. They care about how and what they teach, curious to learn more to
become more competent. They are committed to working collaboratively, co-operatively with
colleagues in their own and other schools and seek and take opportunities for practices. The
relationship between teaching and learning is complex process and facilitating one, generating
ironies as well as beauty and reward.
Teaching doesn't equal learning. It means what a teacher goes into classroom to teach
doesn't match what he/she has planned to teach and learners perceive the lesson differently
because the construction of meaning is essentially personal experience for each individual.
Teaching is a creative profession for them. So, passion is essential for professional development
and quality teaching.
b) Students involvement in policy making
Government isn't able to develop the effective policy for professional competency and to
create teachable environment for teachers. Really policy makers should involve the students to
make the policy to develop the teachers' professional competency (Potier; 2012). The
government should also be positive to adapt the changing perspective of language use of new
generation .Government should develop the policy to enroll the rigorous teachers in public
sector. Educators should ensure that all teachers have the knowledge and skill essential to
81
produce high level of student's learning and better performance for quality teaching and learning
activities.
c) Practice of self-reflection in profession
Self-reflective practice is one of the crucial methods to overcome the gaps between
teacher's learning and teaching skills for quality education. It requires the reflective practitioners
with continuous self-inquiry and self-reflection for the effective improvement. A reflective
practitioner is someone who is thoughtful about the work and constantly seeks to improve its
quality.
Ramsay (1993) mentions, "I am reflecting all the time, even as I drive home from
school. I spend at least an hour a day at different times reflecting". For her, self-reflection and
self -monitoring provides an opportunity for teachers to reflect critically on their teaching.
It enables them to move from a level where they may be guided by impulse, intuition or routine
to a level where their actions are guided by reflection. Reflection is thus acknowledged to be a
key component of many model of teacher development.
The skills of self-inquiry and critical thinking are seen as central for continued professional
growth (Zeichner; 1982 as cited in masumbillah65@gmail.com). It is not an isolated practice
instead it asks the practitioners to stop, to slow down to notice, analyze and inquire on what has
been going on. Reflective practitioners give the self knock on the back and a continuous path of
self-improvement and plans for self-reflection both during and after learning sessions. They
relate the theory and practice to evaluate both old and new teaching experience and make
interpretation on what they have encountered.
I agree with Beedle and Burkill (2008:8) who say that teacher's qualifications seek to reestablish the importance of reflection and evaluation. A simple step such as keeping a regular
82
professional journal can record the success and difficulties, ideas and possible developments
which spring from teaching and learning session.
According to Barker (2010) teacher has planned to reflect on work afterschool over a
cope of coffee, and to fill in a daily log. Some may find this open-ended, unstructured approach
to self-reflection difficult to sustain over a long period. In such case, teachers may choose to
design a simple questionnaire and return to further reflection later for them which may complete
immediately after each session. Teachers who are discovering more their own teaching by
seeking to understand the process of teaching and learning in their own and other's classroom are
reflective practioners (Schon;1983, Richards and Nunan;1990, Bartlett; 1990 in Wajnryb
2010:11). Wajnryb (2010:11) further says that teachers don't learn only by acquiring new
information or knowledge about teaching but through thinking about new ideas in the light of
past experience, fitting new ideas into thinking and reappraising old assumptions in the light of
new information. After the observation, reflective practioners need to compare the intended aim
of the lesson with their own and match-up between teaching and learning (Hassan, A faculty
member at the language center of Sultal Quaboos University, in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, in
training workshop organized by NELTA on July 15-16th 1012) with them to find the gaps in
learning and teaching skill for quality education. In my study, I also realized that learning of
teachers needs to be implemented in teaching. Unfortunately after the analysis of classroom
observation of my fellow teacher's, I found that there was gap in teachers' saying and doing.
They need to talk what they have practiced in real field. To this theme, I agree with Krishanan
cited in Beedle & Burkill; 2008) that teaching was something that I did, but not something I
talked about. They need to talk what they have discovered as the gaps and which ones are
reflected to own teaching and learning activities giving factual evidence from self-inquiry.
83
According to Ghimire (2011:59) active learning has powerful impact upon students' learning in
which experience in doing and observing and dialogue with self and others are key elements in
it. Learning itself isn't visible in the case of teachers as they learn in different situation in the
process of learning but they should implement their learning being reflective teacher according
to the content and context. If teachers have changed themselves from the concept of 'Lord of the
class' and accept the process of changing, it is the rebirth of a teacher (Mitra in Beedle & Burkill;
2008:125). To this I agree with Day (2010) that the exploration of personal and professional life
and work histories can act as a window through which teachers can track the origins of belief and
practices. To me, it is the self reflection that I set off a trip of such exploration whose potential
are immense. It is the M.Phil program and ten months distance mode training which has given
me new lenses for self-reflection. From the training, I learnt to teach in pleasant and friendly
environment keeping the students and their requirement in mind. I had the feeling of perfection
in teaching learning activities before joining M Phil and ten months long distance mode inservice training program but after the completion, I realized that self-reflection in my profession
is essential for the professional teachers and that was lacking with me.
From the aforementioned discussion, I understood that reflective teachers need to raise the
question to the self if they learn anything through the observation to pursue further in own
teaching. If teachers begin to practice of self-reflection in teaching learning activities, they can
find the drawbacks themselves to improve and go ahead. I also understood that learning and
teaching in harmonious way is a complex process but only the reflective practioners can take
step towards its practice for professional competency and ensure quality education.
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CHAPTER-VI
FINDINGS, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
I have drawn the following findings taking considerations of the purpose of the study and
research questions in mind. The findings are based on the sources of teacher's learning skills,
process of transferring learning skills in teaching learning activities, the gaps of teachers learning
skills and teaching skills and plans to overcome them.
Findings
Exploring the research questions based on the sources of learning to their professional
life on the basis of passion and devotion, parents and grand-parents, own children and students
and reflective practices, I found that one of my fellow teachers had the passion in learning that
made him to enroll for PhD in his professional life. He was also found keen in learning using
technology. He used his students and own children as the source of new knowledge. He had
started the practice of collaboration and cooperation with colleagues for the better learning
environment in school. He was found positive to get feedback from students and apply the
counseling to the students. So, he was found more committed than other fellow teachers in the
process of knowledge generation and transformation in teaching learning activities.
I found that rest of my fellow teachers had less practice of exploring the self that's why
they were running away for gaining new knowledge. Even the training that they received didn't
help them explore their own hidden knowledge and the skills to see things differently. They
didn't give value to the indigenous knowledge transformed by the grandparents and the
knowledge of new generation. They had less passion and devotion for the profession and they
were found less committed to the reflection in action.
85
After exploring the research question based on the process of knowledge transformation on
the basis of interaction and presentation, taking feedback and comments, collaboration and
cooperation, creating the real life situation, using technology, reflective journal, selecting
appropriate methods and techniques to teach differently and counseling, my fellow teachers were
found less committed to the reflection in the process of knowledge transformation on action.
They need to renew and refresh themselves and go on recharging in which their role need to be
redefined with the technology and scientific advancement (Pandey; 2012). They need to update
themselves to meet the learning needs and aspirations of students. Kelchtermans and
Vandenberghe (1994) also believe on the knowledge of self for teachers to construct and
construct the nature of their works (Ball and Goodson 1985; Goodson and Hargreves 1996 in
Day; 2010). But I didn't find the knowledge of exploring self and construct the nature of own
practice of my fellow teachers. To this I want to relate it with Tagore (2007) who says that whom
did they blame and why their head was lowered in shame? It was a sin of theirs and his as well
(cited in Goswami; 2008). It can be related to the culture of teachers who never tried to explore
the self and passed the valuable professional life lowering their heads and blaming others. They
were unable to show their dignity in teaching profession. They never tried to give the value for
their 'Self'. Self-reflection and self-inquiry theory are the inevitable for the reflective
professional. Self-inquiry refers to the reflection on what is happening before action. It is useful
to break old habits of mind. It also involves looking into what we sense, think and feel and why
we are doing this in which we can look beyond the thought. Self-reflection refers to the thinking
about own thought and reacts to them to bring reality in our life and see the things differently
(http://summa institute.org/blog/blog/summer-days-and-personal-reflection/277/). It requires
86
mapping, informing, contesting, appraising and acting (Bartlett; 1990:209) to generate new
knowledge apply in teaching learning activities.
I found the different situation in field findings with theoretical assumption. Herein I
have presented the comparison of theoretical assumptions and field findings thematically in the
following table:
Comparison of theoretical assumptions and field findings
Theories
Theoretical assumptions
Field findings
Learning skills
teaching skills
Learning skills
teaching skills
Self-
-raise questions to the
-raise the
-interest in
-less practice
inquiry
self about what to
questions to the
getting new
of self –
learn, how to learn,
self about what to
information
inquiry for
what is learning
teach and how,
but no practice
what to teach,
before action
research on what
of self-inquiry
how to teach,
-raise questions to
is missing,
in learning to
-lack of
break old habits of
-record own
explore the
practice on
mind and look
practice and go
lacking part for
action-
beyond the thought
ahead,
professional
reflection –
(Source: http://
-reflect before
competency
action
summainstitute.org/bl
action, research to
and don't give
-no research
og/blog/summer-
own
value in
for own
days-and-personal-
practice(source:
learning by
practice
reflection/277/)
(http:// summa
doing
87
institute. org/ blog
/blog /summerdays-andpersonalreflection/277/.)
self-
-thinking about own
-application of
-interested in
-less practice
reflectio
thought and reacts to
reflection from
learning and
of self-
n
them to bring reality
own practice and
practice of
reflection in
in practice,
reacts to them to
getting degree
teaching about
(http: //summa
bring reality in
to be equal
what to teach,
institute. org/ blog
practice
with others to
what is
/blog/summer-days-
-ready to improve
learn but no
teaching, how
and-personal-
and use the
practice of
is teaching,
reflection/277/)
practice of
learning from
what to
-bring reflection in
reflection on
self-reflection
improve and
action using
action,
in profession,
follow the
mapping, informing,
-free from routine
always route
traditional way
contesting, appraising
behavior, act as
learning
of teaching
and acting to learn
intentional
(Bartlett ; 1990)
manner (http://
-It is cognitive
summa institute.
examination of
org/blog/blog/sum
88
experience, and
mer-days-and-
continuous learning
personal-
and updating the
reflection/277/)
knowledge (Dhakal;
2011)
The above table clearly illustrates that self-inquiry theory assumes teachers to raise the
questions to the initiation of the work to be equipped with new knowledge. They explore the
sources of my learning, process of learning, way and process of the teaching, self-inquiry to
transform the learnt knowledge in teaching learning activities, evaluate own practice as the
praxis. They raise questions to improve the self-practice before the action. The theory also
assumes that teachers can explore own practices by self-inquiry and develop the similar practice
to the students. But in my observation, I found different than these theoretical assumptions of
self-inquiry theory. I found that my fellow teachers had no strategies in teaching skills as
assumed by self-inquiry theory.
Similarly, self-reflective theory assumes the teachers can be free from routine
behavior, act in an intentional manner, turn back in the process and get ideas to move further as
the praxis. It has also assumes that teachers would treat the student as the reflective professional
by using the model of action-reflection-action. But the situation in the field was different from
these theoretical assumptions. My fellow teachers were found reflective in learning but not in
teaching. Even the teacher who used to be reflective in saying was not confident in doing.
Discussion
These findings based on the sources of learning skills and process of transferring
learning skills for effective teaching learning activities are supported by literature, theory of self-
89
inquiry and self-reflection along with my personal reflection to the study. According to the
literature, self-reflection is the cognitive examination of experience. Dhakal (2011) believes that
self-reflection is an essential component of continuous learning and updating the knowledge.
According to theoretical bases, building reflection into the educational process is to find time and
space to do it (Bartley; 1998) and to respond what reflection might produce responses, questions
and insights. So, the theory of self- reflection and self-inquiry are integral part to inform the
professional teacher for the better preparation about the classroom teaching. Day (2010:111)
believes that reflection is an essential means of re-examination and renewal of passion by those
who care about their work. But exploring the findings based on the sources of learning to their
profession on the basis of passion and devotion, parents and grand-parents, own children and
students and reflective practices, I found that my fellow teachers didn't have passion for teaching
and they are not committed to learning and teaching. They were not using the sources of
indigenous knowledge. Grandparents always transferred their indigenous knowledge and
pedagogy to their children and the grandchildren. But the paradox is that only one of my fellow
teachers had continued the indigenous knowledge of the old generation, and he too was not using
them in the classroom. So, I also found that some of my fellow teachers devalued them by saying
that they are the old ideas.
Students and own children are also the sources of learning. They can help teachers to
learn new things from them and teachers teach them the old things. This reciprocal approach to
learning can be useful for both the teachers and students to create know knowledge and skills.
But none of the teachers were reporting me their learning from the students and using these
knowledge and skills in classroom. This shows that we feel comfortable to learn from our own
90
children but not with the outsiders. In practice, teachers were not found motivating students to
think from different angles and see the things differently.
Motivation is a vital need in most learners who are found to have learning gaps. It is
the lack of motivation that stands in the way of learner's progress. A teacher has to dig down to
the roots to find out what affects the student's motivation (Ghosal; 2008).It is said that every
success of the learners depends on teacher's passion. Behind every successful learner there is a
compassionate teacher and identification of learner's needs is thus the beginning of the teaching
and learning process (Wadekar; 2008). But my fellow teachers had not given value for the
learner's excellence in learning. It was lacking part for reflective teacher. It is a common practice
among teachers to pin the blame on learners for all the failures in the process of teaching
learning.
I also found that only one of my fellow teachers had practiced of self- reflection in real
classroom situation. He used to practice reflection after the evaluation and provide them to
express their feelings according to their learning and its implication. When I explored the
additional resources to gain new information, all my fellow teachers had habit of reading but
they didn't have practices of sharing the difficulties of professional life and consulting to seniors,
colleagues, and experts and exploring in internet. As I found them, they were motivated
intrinsically to learning from various resources along with academic qualification but not in
teaching. In my case, I learned from the given sources being introvert and reflective learner.
Intrinsic motivation made me join in workshop, training, conference being active participants. I
had desire to learn from students and got students to share their reflective journal each day and
learn from them. I motivated them for learning from their family, friends, seniors, social life or
whatever they saw around them as the sources of learning. It was found that we didn't have the
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culture of using the learners as the good sources for knowledge generation accept reading books.
Teacher's didn't have the culture of professional learning network, cross-school networks, peer
teaching, school exchange, intervention of external people to support teaching learning activities.
Michael (1995 as cited in Day; 2010:147) also proposes collegial school cultures and school
learning network to support teaching learning activities. They must be reflective, positive to
accept junior's knowledge, competent, innovative, interactive, informative and independent with
sufficient knowledge from various resources to lead the students to be the independent in their
learning. But the sources for learning of my fellow teachers were limited for the professional
competency. This proves the old maxim that words are louder than action in transforming to
teachers' profession. My fellow teachers were not motivated intrinsically to transfer learning
skills in classroom. So, it has created the gaps in learning and teaching too.
Findings based on process of knowledge transformation to their profession on the
basis of interaction and presentation, taking feedback and comments, collaboration and
cooperation, creating the real life situation, using technology, reflective journal, selecting
appropriate methods and techniques to teach differently and counseling, my fellow teachers were
not found reflective to practice them in teaching learning activities. Interaction and presentation
are key component for transferring learnt skills in real classroom but my fellow teachers didn't
feel easy to apply them in teaching learning activities. After the discussion about taking feedback
and comments, it was found that my fellow teachers were not dedicated to their profession. I
believed that feedback from the majority in the class can testify to a teacher's success in getting
his point across but the teacher is accustomed to gauging the effectiveness of their performance
from the responses of a handful of prominent students in the classroom (Ghosal; 2008). They felt
themselves as the supreme source of knowledge that's why they had less access in getting the
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feedback, feed front and feed in from the students, colleagues and concerned personalities. My
fellow teachers were not able to develop the culture of cooperation and collaboration to their
profession. It was also found that teachers' motivational, personal and environmental factors
created the gaps in such practices. They had not skill of observing the real things, its importance
and application in real life situation because they were not able to explore own practice being
motivated and dedicated professional. My fellow teachers didn't have the skill of using
technology in teaching however they had such knowledge in learning. So, there were
professional, technological and organizational factors to apply the learnt skills of technology in
teaching. It was the major gaps in school education. It was found that the selection of appropriate
methods and used them differently was challenging job to my fellow teachers.
Joneja (2008) suggests that teachers should not to be addicted to a single approach. They
should realize that their personal favorite style is not always the best way. They need to suit the
growing needs and demands of their students. But my fellow teachers were not reflective to such
practice due to the personal and motivational factors. That's why it has created the gaps to their
profession. My fellow teachers didn't pay attention for the reflective journal. To this, Beedle and
Burkill (2008) show the importance of reflective journal and said that keeping a regular
professional journal can record the success and difficulties, ideas and possible development
which spring from teaching learning session. It is good practice to gain feedback from learners
and use it to shape future learning experience. It was the key component to improve own
practices however it was rarely practiced by my fellow teachers in public school.
I found gaps in saying and doing of my fellow teachers in which Phuyal (2008) had also
found a very deplorable condition after the comparison of saying and doing. In this study I also
found that only one of my fellow teachers ('E') showed the interest in counseling the students for
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the good performance. Joneja (2008) also suggests that teachers should communicate with
students and establish a good rapport with their problems. They should counsel students to help
them cope with their problems. My other fellow teachers were not positive for counseling the
students to establish the good relation and solve the problem developing the intimacy with them
and maintain privacy in their saying. My fellow teachers had no practice of sharing experience,
cooperation, collaboration, discovering and self-exploring method in use. Connelly and
Clandinin (1995:13) aptly fitted to my fellow teachers who were missing in the classroom to tell
and retell their stories of teaching. The classroom can become a place for endless, repetitive for
awakenings and transformations but the possibilities for reflective awakenings and
transformations are limited when one is alone. Teachers need others in order to engage in
conversation where stories can be told, related back, heard in different ways, retold and relived in
new ways. But my fellow teachers didn't feel comfortable in telling and retelling their success
and failures of their practices with me and others as well. In classroom, they didn't initiate
teaching by motivation for excellence in student's learning. They felt easy in vomiting without
well preparation. They were not seemed reflective in transferring learning skills in teaching
profession. They didn't follow the participatory activities, any project works, and rare use of
discovery method in real classroom situation. I didn't find peer and group work, reflection in
evaluation by the students and self-reflection. They were motivated intrinsically in learning but
not in teaching. They were also willing for learning from academic institutions, training
institutions, family, seniors, even with children but they didn't give value to these skills in
application in their profession. So, they couldn't claim that they were trained teacher and they
had done various researches for professional development and to solve the problem of classroom
teaching learning activities. They didn't show interest for professional development. They were
94
not motivated intrinsically to implement their learned skills in real classroom situation being
reflective teacher to get expected outcomes. They didn't give value for the practical knowledge.
When they got theoretical knowledge they thought of finishing the duty of learning but they
didn’t think it was the beginning of the learning.
Teachers don't learn only by acquiring new information or knowledge about teaching
but through thinking about new ideas in the light of past experience, fitting new ideas into
thinking and reappraising old assumptions in the light of new information (Wajnryb; 2010:11).
But we didn't fell the requirement of reflective culture for the professional competency which
was the bondage for learning to the Nepalese teachers. Joneja (2010) believes that today's
teachers have wonderful opportunities to foster endless growth in students. They have the power
to make the children achieve their dream. They hold the key to a more powerful and sustainable
future. They are the force that shapes the future for the better. They are the 'world manager' who
simply needs to recognize their power. But my fellow teachers never tried to explore the self and
their hidden power for the student's behave and own professional competency that's why they
didn't believe themselves and couldn't claim that they were qualified professional.
In my case, I gave value to the interaction and presentation as the core elements for
transferring learning skills to teaching. I focused on intrinsic motivation and provide sufficient
exposure for learning. I applied pair-share-care technique, group work, project work which
brings perfection in learning by doing. I preferred to apply learners autonomy based teaching
method in which teacher's role is just facilitator and students are the supreme in performing
activities. It helped me to get feedback from them. I also preferred to teach creating the real life
situation so that they could learn without pressure and their learning will be permanent. I also
preferred counseling in some cases but I was not able to use technology in teaching that is the
95
gap in my profession. From the above discussion, I understood that words are louder than action
in transferring learning skills to their profession.
I found that my fellow teachers were not entered in teaching profession with natural preference
and an abundance of enthusiasm though they have completed the degree in education and arts.
So, they never thought on what they did and what they were doing which were previously
unaware in the practice of learning and teaching. They tried to develop the professional
competency and additional qualification by the enrollment in academic institution such as M Phil
and PhD. They used to take part in seminar, conference, and workshop. They were also
motivated to self-study, exploring the internet, library use, self-motivation and reflection for
learning and for their own academic development however they had less practice of reflection of
learning in teaching. It created the motivational, professional, technological gaps in their
profession and not using learning skills to teaching profession being a reflective professional.
My fellow teachers were extrinsically motivated to their profession. Their activities
were like money minded but not for social welfare. In my perception, teachers are the primary
factors who can fill the gaps of learning and teaching. So, my fellow teachers need to be
motivated intrinsically to the implication of learnt skills to the classroom being reflective
professional that can help to minimize the gaps in teaching learning activities. They must be
ready to equip with sufficient skills to their profession.
According to Pandey (2012) teachers must be competent and confidence with their
knowledge to pass the students. This means teachers need the habit of reflection to transfer
learning skills to teaching who can develop deeper understanding of their teaching. The more
they explore teaching and the more they are able to see our teaching differently, the more they
gain in their abilities to reflection-in-action and reflect-on-action (Schon, 1983, 1987 in Pandey;
96
2012). So, self-reflection is essential to see our teaching differently. It is also a hallmark of
intelligent action which enables to assert professional identities as change agents and it is
essential to self-knowledge (Day; 2010).
I found that teaching method of my fellow teachers was like private activity. But I
don't believe that teaching is private activity. There might be the lack of shared language to
describe it. It is complex process and no dimensions of it are universal. It is hard to see and
change. Teachers themselves think they are doing one things, such as changing their practice, but
their actions are very different from their mental picture (www.nrich.maths.org/2548 retrieved on
27th June/2012). So, the real work of transferring learning in teaching must come from teachers
own reflection on learning and teaching. They need to be self-directed and reflective to improve
own teaching and maximize student's learning. It is said that people who have nothing to do,
stray into the field of teaching. But I valued it differently because I loved my profession. I have
given my whole heart to my work and profession. To this theme, Mitra (2008)has also proposed
to attaché emotionally to the work and to the learners being professional. All teachers do good
things some of the time, and all good teachers do bad things some of the time. The differences
among teachers lie not only in the proportions of the good and the bad, but also in their
awareness of the effects of what they are doing and their readiness to share this awareness with
their students(http: //www. teachers work.ac.nz/ journa /volume4 _issue2/ gurney. pdf).
My fellow teachers tried to establish themselves as the supreme source of knowledge
and wisdom but they were unable to pass the divine knowledge to the students due to the lack of
reflective practice. Their ways were similar to the old tradition of the Guru. Giving an account of
'Gurukul' Jamanda (2000) says that people have full faith in Gurus which help to provide a
ground for the rote learning in school system. This faith system has affected on the formation of
97
attitudes towards academic guru. It indicates that we need to be reflective towards the profession
for positive outcomes.
These academic guru's habit formations for not to be reflective upon their profession
become the question. In teaching learning profession, they should involve themselves how they
act professionally and define their own values and those of others (Grenfell &James; 1998 as
cited in Awasthi; 2004). Koirala (2069 BS) has also pointed that teachers have the capacity of
doing the work but the problem is that they don't have the culture of joining the curiosity to the
information. Self transformation, transformation in self and transformation from the self of the
teachers is required for the educational transformation. The professional literature also answers
the self transformation, transformation in self and transformation from the self is possible for
teachers through reflection (Gnawali; 2008, Deway 1938, Schan 1991 & Wallace 1991) who
explain that teachers can explore themselves and others through reflection. If they carry out
systematic inquiry into themselves, they will understand themselves, their practices and their
learners. Day (2010) has also pointed out the importance of the 'Self ' for the teachers to
construct and reconstruct the nature of their work. But my fellow teachers were not found
conscious for self-inquiry and self-reflection.
Teachers are one of the key components in an educational organization. If we link
them in an education system, they will be the input of that system. They are qualified when they
are enrolled to their profession but they don't change themselves in the process with selfreflection as a result gaps remain in process of the system and affect for high quality in output.
Day (2010) also says that high quality input doesn't always result in high quality output.
Similarly, our education system is not able to congruent in input, process and output. As the
input, teachers are qualified to their field when they are enrolled in teaching but they are not
98
dedicated and reflective in process of the system so that output of the system is not positive. In
this study, I found that my fellow teachers didn't realize the importance of self-reflection in
professional life. They didn't seem to give emphasis on self-inquiry and self-reflection to know
about them. Parmer's (1998) also mentions if teachers don't know the self, they don't know the
learners and If they don’t know the learners, they don't teach them well that effect the good
performance in classroom. This implies that teachers have the hidden capacity but they might not
have idea of exploring them and they might be wandering throughout their life. That's why the
theory of self-inquiry and self-reflection remained unanswered in the professional life of my
fellow teachers. It is where as my fellow teachers continued the culture of blaming others
without blaming the 'Self' to improve own practices in teaching learning activities. After the
study, I realized that I need to be equipped with a wider range of methods and a different
methodology to help me grow professionally and transfer in teaching learning activities. To
overcome the gaps of learning and teaching, I need to continue the reflective practice in my
profession because I have learnt that reflection does not offer solution instead it gives
information for improvement. Therefore reflective attitude has helped me keeping me on my toes
and present me as a model of a reflective teacher, explore my own professional identity and also
of my fellow teachers. It was formed and represented the narratives of experience and presented
through auto-ethnographical writing about the reflective practice by sharing and gathering
responses from fellow teachers.
Conclusion
Auto ethnography is a self-critical reflective form of writing where I expressed my life
experiences in some topics of discussion as a mere autobiographical narration. In this study, a
99
reflective element of auto ethnography has made more self-aware research along with the selfreflection and self-inquiry method. I also used auto ethnography method to explore own teaching
and learning and its collaboration with fellow teacher's practices which would contribute for
quality education.
The real work of transferring learning skills in teaching was not come from my fellow
teacher's own reflection on learning and teaching. I realized that the more we explore and the
more we are able to see our teaching differently. But my fellow teachers were not seemed selfdirected and reflective to improve own teaching and maximize student's learning. They were not
seemed reflective to develop the habit of telling and retelling their success and failures of their
practices with self and others as well. Teachers need to establish themselves as the supreme
source of knowledge and wisdom and give the value for the learner's excellence in learning.
Teachers must be the true learner and explore the self for the professional competency. But I was
not able to find their ownership over a rule that is expressed in their own words. Exploring my
fellow teacher's diverse experiences of learning and teaching through individual and collective
narratives, I realized the rooted cultural of learning and teaching of my fellow teachers. My
fellow teachers were not seemed motivated intrinsically for self-inquiry and self-reflection upon
own practice. The teachers who are committed don't stop wanting to learn and transfer the
knowledge in teaching learning activities. But I didn't find them committed and reflective to their
profession. This helped me realize that teachers need to be reflective in our profession and
develop the habit of sharing culture of self reflection in educational organization for better
teaching learning activities that can help to minimize the gaps of learning and teaching skill in
professional life.
100
Reflection
After the analysis of the findings and self-reflection it was found that transformation of
learning skills to teaching is challenging job which requires long-term commitment and selfreflection to the profession. In my perception, learning skills can incorporate teaching skills if
teachers are reflective. Reflective teachers can predict the way of application of learning skills in
the real field at the time of teaching being reflective learner. They can use self-inquiry and selfreflection in learning and teaching. Learning skills can incorporate teaching skills if teachers are
intrinsically motivated to the profession and if they develop reflective approach to learn. They
can give value to their profession. They can match their hobby with the required quality of their
profession, treat their students as the source of learning, and treat their family, friends, society
and surroundings as the sources of learning. If teachers are reflective, they can be flexible to
accept the changing perspectives of modern methodology and technology and accept them to
their profession.
I also realized that if teachers are reflective, they can learn by observation of peer
class and permit others to observe own class and get feedback. It means teachers prefer to follow
the inter-school visiting for observation if it is not possible to observe in own school. They can
give high priority on learners' autonomy in teaching learning activities and apply the student's
assessment relating to their daily life. They can be passionate not only in learning and but also in
teaching process, examine the practice of others and reflect upon their own practice and consider
the possible alternatives to improve. For this, teachers must be the true learner and they must
have ownership over a rule that is expressed in their own words and reflect upon the saying in
doing. If these reflective practices can be implemented in real classroom situation, there will be
quality in teaching learning activities. Otherwise there will be gaps in quality of teachers and
101
students which affect the whole education system. I have written a poem to synthesize my
understanding that grew out of this study.
Self-reflection
Learning can be perfect in teaching
That can incorporate the learning
And it requires the passion
But we never explore them through self-reflection.
Our learning is through intrinsic motivation
And teaching is through extrinsic motivation
It has created the gaps in profession
But we never explore through self-reflection
The key in teaching is self-reflection
That can be multiply by dedication
So, it's the time of selection
to keep the self aware or indifference
But let's not to be know-nothing
As it's too late to bring professional perfection.
Implication for future professional life
This study has been applicable for me to forecast my future career and develop the
plan accordingly based on the context. The study also helped me to see the action performed by
102
me as well as others from different angles being reflective professional. I learnt that rigorous
practice of self reflection can support to reach the destination for each professional. I also learnt
that every professionals need to be motivated intrinsically to serve the quality education and
transcend the knowledge to the students in the form of substance which requires self-reflection.
My personal reflexivity has motivated me explore own values, experience, beliefs,
interests, social identities and my way of professional life. It also encouraged me to go further in
search of self –inquiry with the intent of devotion and passion to the profession with different
angles. The reflection over the finding presents the clues for different implications. They are:
career
development
professional
development
Reflection
on
teaching &
learning
organizational
development
reflective
culture
development
Recommendation for further research
This study has been verified as the research exploring my autobiography and practices of
my fellow teachers as a sample using the auto ethnography research method. The reflective
practice that I have derived in this study may not be sufficient but it is my initiation of searching
the real practices. After the reflection to the analysis, findings and implication, it can be
103
recommended that self-inquiry and self-reflection are the best methods for the teachers to
transfer the learnt skills in real classroom situation. It can help to minimize the gaps of learning
and teaching skills for quality education. In my perception, learners' autonomy, collaboration and
intrinsic motivation can be the area for further research.
104
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Appendix-1
Research questions
Overarching question:
To what extent do the learning skills incorporate teaching skills? What are the gaps in learning
and teaching skills and how do they influence in teaching learning activities?
Subsidiary questions:
i. In what way, do the teachers learn to their professional life?
ii. How do they transfer their learning skills to their profession?
iii. How do they minimize the gap between learning and teaching skills for effective teaching
learning activities?
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Appendix-2
Observation checklist
S.N
1.
Titles
Teachers professional quality
Presentation strategies
2.
Initiation of the class
Motivation and exposures to
students for problem based learning
Passion on learning and teaching
Intimacy with students
Good
Better
Best
Feedback
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Competent in contents
-self-reflection in post teaching
-Way of counseling inside and
outside the classroom
-Positive attitudes of receiving
feedback
3.
Teaching learning activities
Anticipation
Building knowledge
Consolidation
4.
Way of transferring learning skills
5.
-Students participation in group
and pair work
-Interaction with teachers and
friends
-Chances for students asking
questions to teachers in classroom
teaching
-Formal and informal talking to
teachers
-Passion to learning
6.
Use of teaching materials
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(Teacher made or ready-made)
7.
Evaluation of students learning
8.
Time for reflection
Appendix-3
'Inteview questions'
What is your hobby? How do you acquire new knowledge? Do you
share your way of learning to your children and students?
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Why did you choose this profession? Does it match with your hobby?
How did you learn from your parents and how do you teach your
children?
Do you feel any gaps of your time of learning and present learning
situation based on motivation and exposure? How are you facing to
such situation?
How would you define teacher's learning? In what way, do the
teachers learn in their profession?
How do you apply your learned skills in your profession? To what
extent does your learning helps the student?
What are the affecting factors to apply these skills in your profession?
How do you plan to overcome these issues?
What can be the sources of learning?
What are you learning from your family, school administration, Headteacher and training institution?
How would you plan for further learning?
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117
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