Much of who I am as a person and an educator is influenced by past experiences, both positive and negative. I shared a very personal story in a blog post written in March 2014. This personal story has played a significant role in shaping who I am as a teacher. You can read the story by clicking on this link.
Although I feel as though I have always been passionate about teaching, I have struggled with identifying exactly what good teaching is and to narrow down what it is that has made me successful as an educator. The lessons I have learned and the reflection I have done have resulted in me coming up with what I believe is the heart and essence of good teaching. It is how I make sense of things and what I truly believe to be the 4 cornerstones of success in teaching.
Take a look at the model below and think about your own teaching career. Go through each of the letters in the L.I.F.E model and reflect on what has made you the teacher you are today. How have your mistakes, failures, and life experiences shaped you as a teacher and a person? How have you taken initiative to learn more about yourself? What inspires and motivates you? What makes you tick? How have you taken initiative to educate yourself? I believe that constant reflection about these areas is needed in order to become better teachers. Thanks for reading. Want to share your answers? I would love to include them on this page for other educators to see.
Although I feel as though I have always been passionate about teaching, I have struggled with identifying exactly what good teaching is and to narrow down what it is that has made me successful as an educator. The lessons I have learned and the reflection I have done have resulted in me coming up with what I believe is the heart and essence of good teaching. It is how I make sense of things and what I truly believe to be the 4 cornerstones of success in teaching.
Take a look at the model below and think about your own teaching career. Go through each of the letters in the L.I.F.E model and reflect on what has made you the teacher you are today. How have your mistakes, failures, and life experiences shaped you as a teacher and a person? How have you taken initiative to learn more about yourself? What inspires and motivates you? What makes you tick? How have you taken initiative to educate yourself? I believe that constant reflection about these areas is needed in order to become better teachers. Thanks for reading. Want to share your answers? I would love to include them on this page for other educators to see.
I am so lucky and fortunate to be connected with so many great educators around the globe. I am constantly feeling inspired to be better and want to continually inspire other teachers to be the best that they can be. I have asked many teachers to submit their own personal reflections based on the 4 areas of the L.I.F.E model in an effort to show how we are all very unique, but all strive for one commonality which is personal excellence within our practice. Thanks to all those who are contributing to the Good Teaching is L.I.F.E webpage I have set up. Looking forward to see how it develops over time. Care to share your reflections? If so, please send me an email. Thanks for reading!!
A Reflection by Jason Graham
Jason Graham is an international educator with over 17 years experience. He is currently the Learning Technologies Coordinator at an international school in Indonesia. Jason is an IBPYP Workshop Leader and an IB Online Lead Facilitator and has a keen interest in connecting and collaborating with educators from around the globe. Jason enjoys presenting at conferences and learning from others whenever he can. He is in his second year of a Doctor of Education programme at an Australian University. Furthermore, Jason is involved in twitter chats, #pypchat mainly for PYP educators and also #satchatoc, a twitter chat for educational leaders. He also enjoys using technology to enhance student learning and is now dabbling in Design Thinking. Jason’s work can be found in many online spaces. He blogs at The Learning Journey and tweets at @jasongraham99.
Jason Graham is an international educator with over 17 years experience. He is currently the Learning Technologies Coordinator at an international school in Indonesia. Jason is an IBPYP Workshop Leader and an IB Online Lead Facilitator and has a keen interest in connecting and collaborating with educators from around the globe. Jason enjoys presenting at conferences and learning from others whenever he can. He is in his second year of a Doctor of Education programme at an Australian University. Furthermore, Jason is involved in twitter chats, #pypchat mainly for PYP educators and also #satchatoc, a twitter chat for educational leaders. He also enjoys using technology to enhance student learning and is now dabbling in Design Thinking. Jason’s work can be found in many online spaces. He blogs at The Learning Journey and tweets at @jasongraham99.
A Reflection by Scott Langston
Scott Langston has been teaching since 1991, with the vast majority of that time being spent in International Schools in Greece, Vietnam, Belgium, Thailand and China. He is currently at Nanjing International School in Jiangsu Province, China. He is the High School Counsellor from the academic year 2014-15, and has previously been an MYP Humanities teacher and a DP Geography and TOK teacher. His TOK teaching and blogging has moved to another site, TOK Talk, HERE.
He blogs on this site HERE on issues in education and learning as well as some specific aspects of High School Counselling. Scott tweets from @scottasaigon on all manner of education-related themes and from @NISCounsellor for NIS school-specific counselling themes. His LinkedIn profile is HERE. He also curates three Scoop-It sites:
Geography is my World,TOK Talk and Learning to learn
Scott Langston has been teaching since 1991, with the vast majority of that time being spent in International Schools in Greece, Vietnam, Belgium, Thailand and China. He is currently at Nanjing International School in Jiangsu Province, China. He is the High School Counsellor from the academic year 2014-15, and has previously been an MYP Humanities teacher and a DP Geography and TOK teacher. His TOK teaching and blogging has moved to another site, TOK Talk, HERE.
He blogs on this site HERE on issues in education and learning as well as some specific aspects of High School Counselling. Scott tweets from @scottasaigon on all manner of education-related themes and from @NISCounsellor for NIS school-specific counselling themes. His LinkedIn profile is HERE. He also curates three Scoop-It sites:
Geography is my World,TOK Talk and Learning to learn
A Reflection by Ross Halliday
Ross is the Head of PE and Sport at an independent school in Melbourne, Australia. He blogs regularly at Making PE Fizz. As the title suggests, he is on an endless pursuit to explore all of the wonderful things that happen before, during and after our PE lessons that really allow learning to “FIZZ”.
Ross constantly challenges teachers to take charge of their own learning and to not only rely on schools to provide the professional development needed to become a better educator. He tweets at https://twitter.com/FizzicalEd.
Ross is the Head of PE and Sport at an independent school in Melbourne, Australia. He blogs regularly at Making PE Fizz. As the title suggests, he is on an endless pursuit to explore all of the wonderful things that happen before, during and after our PE lessons that really allow learning to “FIZZ”.
Ross constantly challenges teachers to take charge of their own learning and to not only rely on schools to provide the professional development needed to become a better educator. He tweets at https://twitter.com/FizzicalEd.
A Reflection by Naomi Hartl
Naomi Hartl has a passion for Physical Education and all things tech infused. She is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Bachelor of Education. She currently teaches Phys.Ed, Math and Career Health Guidance to the youth of Star City, Saskatchewan.
In her pursuit to push the profession forward and to advocate for Physical Education she has joined the Saskatchewan Physical Education Association (S.P.E.A.) Board of Directors as the Central Regional Director. She loves that her passion aligns with her career choice!
You can connect with her on twitter @MissHartl
Naomi Hartl has a passion for Physical Education and all things tech infused. She is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Bachelor of Education. She currently teaches Phys.Ed, Math and Career Health Guidance to the youth of Star City, Saskatchewan.
In her pursuit to push the profession forward and to advocate for Physical Education she has joined the Saskatchewan Physical Education Association (S.P.E.A.) Board of Directors as the Central Regional Director. She loves that her passion aligns with her career choice!
You can connect with her on twitter @MissHartl
A Reflection by Brendan Jones
Brendan Jones works as Head Teacher PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) in a 7-12 comprehensive government school on the Central Coast of NSW (just north of Sydney).
He has worked in public education his whole career. He likes looking at the big picture, and backward mapping to the minutiae, not the other way round. He dislikes the stereotypes that PE teachers have been attributed (and sometimes perpetuate). Brendan sees HPE (Health and Physical Education) as having an easily acquired holistic role in developing many of the skills modern students need by being working smarter as educators, not necessarily just working harder. He considers himself a DIY educator and an “Edu-communist” - see his blog post about it here http://goo.gl/IJJWp. Currently Brendan’s time is spent on examining bigger picture pedagogical approaches and working out how to bring them down to his practical PE classes. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jonesytheteachr
Brendan Jones works as Head Teacher PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) in a 7-12 comprehensive government school on the Central Coast of NSW (just north of Sydney).
He has worked in public education his whole career. He likes looking at the big picture, and backward mapping to the minutiae, not the other way round. He dislikes the stereotypes that PE teachers have been attributed (and sometimes perpetuate). Brendan sees HPE (Health and Physical Education) as having an easily acquired holistic role in developing many of the skills modern students need by being working smarter as educators, not necessarily just working harder. He considers himself a DIY educator and an “Edu-communist” - see his blog post about it here http://goo.gl/IJJWp. Currently Brendan’s time is spent on examining bigger picture pedagogical approaches and working out how to bring them down to his practical PE classes. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jonesytheteachr
A Reflection by Dr. Ashley Casey
Ashley Casey completed a BSc in Sport Studies at West London Institute of Higher Education (1990-1993) before completing a Graduate Certificate in Education in Physical Education at Brunel University College (1995 -1996). On graduating he taught in a secondary school in Yorkshire for thirteen years and took up his post-graduate again in 2002 when he started a part-time MSc in Physical Education at Loughborough University while working at a teacher.
Ashley graduated from his MSc in late 2004 and started a PhD in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy at Leeds Metropolitan University in early 2005. Maintaining his dual role as teacher-as-researcher, Ashley’s PhD explored his transformation as a teacher of physical education from a teacher-led to a student-centred practitioner through the use of the pedagogical models Cooperative Learning, Teaching Games for Understanding and Sport Education.
Ashley took up his first lecturing post at the University of Bedfordshire (2009-2014) and completed his PhD in January 2010. Having served as course leader for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees Ashley joined the department in March 2014. Ashley has a vibrant social media presence on Twitter (@DrAshCasey) and writes and presents a weekly blog (www.peprn.com) and podcast (peprn.podomatic.com) focused on “major themes in physical education research”.
Ashley Casey completed a BSc in Sport Studies at West London Institute of Higher Education (1990-1993) before completing a Graduate Certificate in Education in Physical Education at Brunel University College (1995 -1996). On graduating he taught in a secondary school in Yorkshire for thirteen years and took up his post-graduate again in 2002 when he started a part-time MSc in Physical Education at Loughborough University while working at a teacher.
Ashley graduated from his MSc in late 2004 and started a PhD in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy at Leeds Metropolitan University in early 2005. Maintaining his dual role as teacher-as-researcher, Ashley’s PhD explored his transformation as a teacher of physical education from a teacher-led to a student-centred practitioner through the use of the pedagogical models Cooperative Learning, Teaching Games for Understanding and Sport Education.
Ashley took up his first lecturing post at the University of Bedfordshire (2009-2014) and completed his PhD in January 2010. Having served as course leader for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees Ashley joined the department in March 2014. Ashley has a vibrant social media presence on Twitter (@DrAshCasey) and writes and presents a weekly blog (www.peprn.com) and podcast (peprn.podomatic.com) focused on “major themes in physical education research”.
A Reflection by Jo Bailey
Jo is an excellent educator who was named NASPE High School Teacher of the Year in 2013. She has been the Wisconsin Health and Physical Education president since 2012 is a Google Certified teacher (#GTACHI 2013). She is originally from the UK, but taught in Hong Kong before going to the US to continue her distinguished teaching career.
Jo is a national board certified teacher and tweets regularly at https://twitter.com/LovePhyEd. She shares her wonderful ideas and great teaching practice on her blog which can be found at http://lovephyed.blogspot.hk/.
Jo is an excellent educator who was named NASPE High School Teacher of the Year in 2013. She has been the Wisconsin Health and Physical Education president since 2012 is a Google Certified teacher (#GTACHI 2013). She is originally from the UK, but taught in Hong Kong before going to the US to continue her distinguished teaching career.
Jo is a national board certified teacher and tweets regularly at https://twitter.com/LovePhyEd. She shares her wonderful ideas and great teaching practice on her blog which can be found at http://lovephyed.blogspot.hk/.
A Reflection by Warren Bowers
This is Warren's third and final year as Vice Principal and the head of elementary at Hanoi International School in Vietnam. He trained at Hamilton Teachers College in New Zealand and has taught in NZ, UK, Cambodia and Singapore prior to going to Vietnam. His partner is also a teacher and in July they will be moving to live and work in an international school in Bali, Indonesia where he will have a similar role in a larger school.
Warren finished a Master of Educational Leadership and Administration by correspondence through Deakin University in 2011. He has recently started using Twitter and can be found as @warrenbowers3. He also uses LinkedIn as a way of staying connected with others in the educational world.
This is Warren's third and final year as Vice Principal and the head of elementary at Hanoi International School in Vietnam. He trained at Hamilton Teachers College in New Zealand and has taught in NZ, UK, Cambodia and Singapore prior to going to Vietnam. His partner is also a teacher and in July they will be moving to live and work in an international school in Bali, Indonesia where he will have a similar role in a larger school.
Warren finished a Master of Educational Leadership and Administration by correspondence through Deakin University in 2011. He has recently started using Twitter and can be found as @warrenbowers3. He also uses LinkedIn as a way of staying connected with others in the educational world.
