1. Moving towards Authenticity
Working Portfolio - Rob Heinrichs
March 2012

2. Teaching like any truly human activity emerges from ones inwardness
for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul
onto my students my subject and our way of being together. The
entanglements I experience in the classroom are often no more or
less than the convolutions of my inner life. Viewed from this angle
teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that
mirror and not run from what I see I have a chance to gain self-
knowledge and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as
knowing my students and my subject. - Parker Palmer

3. I am learning how critically important knowing my students is to teaching them well.

4. I have always believed this, but I am only now truly understanding how I can
do this effectively. By trying to meet the different learning needs of my
students more effectively in math, what I realized is that to do that I need to
know where they are, how they learn and what motivates them. Once I got a
better handle on that, I was much more effective in guiding their learning.
Assessment and feedback where huge parts of this understanding. Moving
around the room, observing and interacting with them was the most
important strategy that I used. I moved from mostly standing at the front to
joining them in their learning.

5. Research educational theories and philosophies to inform your use of
technology in the classroom. I want to become much more grounded in
my understanding of differentiated instruction so that I can better meet
the learning needs of my students, particularly in mathematics. As well
I want to understand how I can better use digital tools to differentiate
effectively.

6. ISTE NETS 2C: To customize and personalize learning activities to
address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies and abilities
using digital tools and resources. I want to research digital tools that can
help me to better differentiate my math instruction.

7. Inquiry Project
1. Start with the learning outcomes.
2. Design my math lessons to incorporate two differentiation strategies: open questions
& parallel tasks. (Marian Small, Good Questions: Great Ways to Differentiate)
3. Assess frequently so that I know where all students are. This included using a variety
of different assessment strategies, but critically important was to circulate around the
room asking questions, and differentiating on the go.
4. Encourage students to try different ways to learn and explore.
5. Develop my class website so that it incorporates different activities and learning tools
to enhance what is done in class.

8. Evidence

10. manips

11. So what I am finding now is that I can design a lesson
that allows me much more time to circulate and
check in with students. I have a much better
understanding of where each student is at, as well as
being able to support those that need help and
challenge those that need it. I am able to “mirco-
differentiate” or differentiate on the fly.
I no longer stick to the textbook and work through
each lesson. I may use questions from the book, or
examples from it, but I don’t rely on it. I use open
questions that focus on the skill or concept that I
want the students to learn. An open question is one
that students at various levels can work on and be
challenged by. Coming up with these question is
perhaps the hardest part of teaching this way, but the
more questions I create, the easier it seems to be to
create them.
I hope that I am better meeting the needs of my
students. It seems to me that I am. It feels like I am. I
guess I need some data that supports the changes I
have made?

16. Where to now?
I want to take what I have learned in during this inquiry and apply it to
the rest of my practice. I want to have a clear idea of where I am
going. I want to design lessons so that all students can enter into them.
I want teaching and learning to be terms that apply to all members of
the learning community. I want it to start tomorrow.

17. The more I learn about teaching, the more I understand how complicate
it is & how purposeful I must be.

18. Working with this TPACK model highlighted the emphasis on the
different knowledges that I need to teach today's learner. Yet the
knowledges that I need are much more diverse than Technology,
Pedagogy and Content. I really need to have knowledge of myself
and what I believe, and that needs to be clear and well thought
out. I also need to know my students. Not just what they know, or
how they learn, but also to know who I am teaching. There are so
many different variables to teaching well, and I feel like I am just at
the tip of the iceberg.

19. Evidence

20. Teachers, like the conductor,
are trying to weave life into
their lessons. Encouraging
the student to care about
what they are learning.
Encouraging them to learn
with, not just to learn what.
Moving them to see beyond
them selves. We cannot do
this without teaching from
who we are and knowing
whom we teach.

21. If I were to redesign the TPACK
framework I would draw it within
two circles. The inner circle
would be self, the teacher’s
knowledge of themselves. The
outer circle would be knowledge
of the community of learners, the
teachers understanding of who
they are teaching. Perhaps that is
what Koehler and Mishra label
context?

23. In fact, the more I learn about
technology, teaching and learning, the
more I believe that we need to
ensure that technology is used in ways
that enhance our core beliefs, not
hinder them.

25. Where to now?
I want to be much more thoughtful in how I design my lessons, taking
TPACK into consideration. I need to be purposeful, remembering to
use the technology that best fits my content and pedagogy. I also need
to stay true to my core beliefs.

26. I am learning to be authentic in my teaching.

27. Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one’s
inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach, I project the
condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our
way of being together. The entanglements I experience in the
classroom are often no more or less than the convolutions of
my inner life. Viewed from this angle, teaching holds a mirror
to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror, and not run
from what I see, I have a chance to gain self-knowledge —
and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing
my students and my subject. - Parker Palmer

28. Evidence

29. I think there is a lot of value in struggle. In
fact, most of the time, I think it if it is easy to
learn something, it may not have been worth
learning. If it didn’t take a lot of effort or any
struggle, perhaps there wasn’t much learning
at all. At the very least the learning was not
very deep.
I want my students to see the struggle as a
challenge. I want to spend my time helping
them struggle. Providing the right amount of
support so that they don’t feel like they are
incapable of learning, but not so much that
they feel like the learning is easy.

30. With learning at the centre of
the environment, all are able to
make contributions. Both
students and teachers can shift
between many roles, including
coach, guide, learner, teacher,
partner and helper.

32. Where to now?
I want to teach in a way that clearly reflects who I am and my
beliefs. I want to be authentic. I want to continue to close the
“Knowing / Doing Gap.” I have begun to do this through inquiry. My
math instruction is clearly more in line with my beliefs than it was
prior to this inquiry project.
I have also entered into conversations with my administrator about
developing a team that does learning in different ways. A team that
encourages curiosity, that does not shy away from struggle, that
encourages deep learning and student independence and
interdependence.

33. Bright futures lie before you. There's the world's work to be done, and
there are never enough citizens with determined hearts, courageous
character, intelligent minds, and idealistic souls to do it. Yes, our world
already has quite enough guns, political platitudes, arrogance,
disingenuousness, self-interest, snobbishness, superficiality, war and the
certainty that God is on our side. But it never has enough conscience,
nor enough tolerance, idealism, justice, compassion, wisdom, humility,
self-sacrifice for the greater good, integrity, courtesy, poetry, laughter,
and generosity of substance and spirit. It is these elements that I urge
you to carry into your careers, and remember that the great game of
life is not about money; it is about doing your best to build the world
anew. - John Bogle