It is a joy to be on this educational journey with you. When a course keeps me awake at night thinking very positively about what happened in class, I take that to be a very good sign. The discussion first up on Saturday morning reminded me vividly that our course and this HEAL MEd takes life amidst the lives we each lead. Thank you for sharing those larger existential frames of meaning. Let's continue to ensure that what we read, study and discuss does not become too far removed from how our lives, in all their complexities, are lived.
I want to follow up with some suggestions and recommendations of readings, writings, and plans for when we next meet that will keep us attentive to the lived meanings of the "current issues in curriculum and pedagogy" that we have raised so far in EDUC 820.
1. First, I shall forward to you a PDF of Max van Manen's translation and interpretation of "the pedagogical atmosphere" in a subsequent email. When I spoke about this fundamental pedagogical concept, I saw quite a few heads nodding affirmatively. And when examples were given of what "the pedagogical atmosphere" means to us, I could see Max van Manen (and Otto Bollnow whose work van Manen translated) smiling in the background as we arrived at the very characteristics of "the pedagogical atmosphere" which define it. Well done!
2. Second, I recommend you look at Max's website and download for your own use a few of the articles he has posted there that delve, beyond "the pedagogical atmosphere," into the lived, bodily dynamics of pedagogical relationality.
Go to:
http://www.maxvanmanen.com/category/articles/
The three key articles, in terms of connections to health care practitioners and teachers, are:
(i) "Modalities of experience in illness and health" (1998)
(ii) "The pathic nature of inquiry and learning" (1999)
(iii) "Pedagogical sensitivity and teachers' practical knowing-in-action" (2008)
These articles provide a phenomenological rendition of "pedagogy" as a relational practice that takes particular form in school teaching, nursing and health care, recreation services, health promotion, and so on.
3. Make no mistake, we are doing some intellectually and somatically creative work in this course. Jacqueline has sent the link for Ken Robinson's TED talk on "creativity." This is a fine talk that has become 'viral' amongst school educators. Notice the rhetorical skill, and particularly the use of humor. Robinson makes the point, although being a tad harsh on university professors!, that we educate ourselves and others, for the most part, in ways that are disembodied and that turn us into talking heads. Supplement this viewing with another TED talk which is not so humorously engaging but delves more deeply into the somatics of creativity. It is a demo-talk by one of the most creative kinesthetic thinkers I know. Look for Michael Moschen:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/michael_moschen_juggles_rhythm_and_motion.html
As you watch it, don't get too bothered by what Micheal is trying to say, because he doesn't speak anywhere near as clearly and entertainingly as Ken Robinson, but look at what he is demonstrating. Hopefully you will see some connections to what we have done in our 'activity breaks' in exploring a few movement practices that remind us how we can be kinesthetically creative. Michael Moschen does, as a life pursuit, what we, too, are doing in our 'active living' practices that help us create the kinesthetic sense of vitality, health, wellness and quality of life.
4. All of the above is really preparatory to our exploration of the somatics of curriculum and pedagogy. (Read 'somatics' as referring to physicality, emotionality and relationality.) We'll use our observations at the "Mane Event" on the 22nd as reference points for this exploration. We'll also use this field trip as a point of departure for our consideration of the interspecies and natural environment aspects of health, vitality, well-being and ecological flourishing. I will send you an email early next week that deals more specifically with this part of our course. We'll venture a little ways into "natural history" (Diane Ackerman) and "deep ecology" (David Abram) for the sake of seeing how we cannot separate our interests in healthy living and our concerns for the social determinants of health from the relational dynamics of the wider, more-than-human world in which we live.
5. Each of us needs to find our own somatic grounding, preferably through some enriching practice (or set of practices) of healthy and active living. Use your blogs to record, present or otherwise explore the personal and wider meanings of such practice/s. You have posted something of what revitalizes you, whether that be running, yoga, gardening, walking the dog, etc. The purpose of the first assignment, based on a log of active living, is to 'walk the talk' as well as provide a very practical base for considering how active living can be promoted, while taking into account the enabling and determining conditions that make certain active living 'choices' possible.
Here are the prompts for the further development of this assignment:
(i) Consider the purposes of what you are pursuing, practicing and being revitalized by, whether it be fitness, relaxation, interacting with others, being part of a community, communing with the natural world, developing particular dispositions, skills and knowledge, and so on.
(ii) Consider applications to other practices and pursuits. Ultimately I suggest (in a very Zen-like way) that all sustaining practices of healthy and active living converge. Along the way it is worth considering how your practice or pursuit finds wider purpose and meaning. For instance, running, swimming, and going to the gym can be done simply for physical fitness, but those who run, swim, lift weights or otherwise 'get fit' invariably find their daily practice seeping into the thoughts, metaphors, dispositions towards other, related or even contrasting activities.
(iii) Consider the enabling conditions that make this practice or pursuit possible for you. Are there 'enablers' who do it with you? Are there financial means, and temporal and spatial resources that make it possible? What is the accessibility?
(iv) And consider the 'life course' factors and 'social determinants' that make the 'choice' of the practice or pursuit possible. How does age and maturation play a part? And what is it about engaging in the practice or pursuit that may need to be addressed socially, culturally and politically when encouraging others to participate similarly?
Use the blog for any or all of the above. This assignment is really about representing your own practical exploration of health and active living as a kind of 'case study' for others. The blog is suitable for presenting a 'public view' which excludes any particularly 'personal' mention of "purposes, applications, enabling conditions and limiting factors. But you could create such a view on your blog, satisfying the assignment requirement of a 5-8 page submission that would otherwise be written up in a more traditional way and submitted at the end of this course. You might also do a hybrid assignment, referencing your write-up to material on your blog.
6. We now have our groups and "social determinants' topics for the class presentations. Those presentations will take place November 5 and November 19. For the individual write-ups, provide (i) a precis of the chapter, (ii) a critique, and (iii) an application to your work or life situation. Since the seminars and presentations will be done in groups, you'll need to draw out some common concepts from the readings and engage the HEAL class in some discussions and activities that help all of us see the significance of these concepts. The presentations will be roughly an hour long, however we'll vary this time, depending upon the size of the group. We'll go over the details of the presentation when next we meet, since some further division of the 'education' presentation group seems necessary. The best thing to do, in the meantime, is to become familiar with the chapters that are relevant to your write-up and presentation and maybe connect (via email or other means) with the other members of the presentation. I've attached the presentation sign-up sheet to this email.
6. Finally, please send me your 'starts' on the large assignment. Email just what you have in the way of the opening scenario and a sentence or two on where you see the paper headed. My address is:
Phew, that's quite enough to think about and do for a while, especially amidst your other work and life responsibilities.
Cheers,
Stephen.
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