Curiosity
Leadership takes many forms. In the case of Dawoud, leadership emerges from his curiosity. The way that this dynamic works is that Dawoud’s internal sense of curiosity creates opportunities for him to engage with his students, to probe their minds and to draw important questions and insights from them. Thus, their own curiosity is awakened and the process of discovery, learning and development continues. Dawoud’s story resonated with me. I felt that there was considerable inspiration to be drawn both from his methods and from his perspective. In the following sections; a brief summary of my curiosity experience, the story of Dawoud in detail, and a reflection from my own professional and personal development.
Brief Summary
When I …show more content…
Instead of merely setting up confrontations with Reginald in which the boy’s truancy becomes a wedge between them, Dawoud approaches them as opportunities to have genuine conversations. Where a punitive approach would very likely cause Reginald to shut down and oppose any attempts to make him learn and participate, by being open to listening to Reginald, and by truly allowing him to speak, or to express himself visually, Dawoud makes contact with him in a way a less open teacher might not.
Direct Engagement
The nature of Dawoud’s approach to art is considered more directly. Dawoud incorporates a highly direct approach in handling his students. Dawoud’s depth of engagement with his students allows him to truly probe their perspectives and his deep curiosity means that he expresses a genuine interest in the responses.
The narrative of this piece concentrates more on the way in which Dawoud developed his specific artistic language. Dawoud is concerned with the presence of people but he examines this presence in indirect ways, for example, in his photograph of the four shirts, no people appear but the shirts speak of the traces of human activity. Dawoud’s interest in Rembrandt’s use of light in his paintings is also a central feature of understanding Dawoud’s own …show more content…
In my own case, it was an outgrowth of the desperation. I was feeling in the classroom, but I had to take the bold move of contacting the disruptive boy’s mother, and facing whatever challenges, or anger they might express. I did not know what to expect but by taking a curious and open attitude, it gave his mother the space she needed to open up about his learning difficulties.
Conclusion
In conclusion, role and expression of curiosity in a teaching context is a highly personal and individualized experience. It requires a deep interest in and respect for the personhood and identity of one’s students. Dawoud’s story demonstrates the ways in which a teacher’s curiosity can open up the curiosity of his or her students.
A good teacher must employ strategies. For example, the kind of direct engagement Dawoud uses, and the deep respect that Lawrence speaks of. The goals are to create a context where students are not only not afraid to express themselves, but a context where they actively seek to do, and create a learning space that is as unique as they are
Leadership takes many forms. In the case of Dawoud, leadership emerges from his curiosity. The way that this dynamic works is that Dawoud’s internal sense of curiosity creates opportunities for him to engage with his students, to probe their minds and to draw important questions and insights from them. Thus, their own curiosity is awakened and the process of discovery, learning and development continues. Dawoud’s story resonated with me. I felt that there was considerable inspiration to be drawn both from his methods and from his perspective. In the following sections; a brief summary of my curiosity experience, the story of Dawoud in detail, and a reflection from my own professional and personal development.
Brief Summary
When I …show more content…
Instead of merely setting up confrontations with Reginald in which the boy’s truancy becomes a wedge between them, Dawoud approaches them as opportunities to have genuine conversations. Where a punitive approach would very likely cause Reginald to shut down and oppose any attempts to make him learn and participate, by being open to listening to Reginald, and by truly allowing him to speak, or to express himself visually, Dawoud makes contact with him in a way a less open teacher might not.
Direct Engagement
The nature of Dawoud’s approach to art is considered more directly. Dawoud incorporates a highly direct approach in handling his students. Dawoud’s depth of engagement with his students allows him to truly probe their perspectives and his deep curiosity means that he expresses a genuine interest in the responses.
The narrative of this piece concentrates more on the way in which Dawoud developed his specific artistic language. Dawoud is concerned with the presence of people but he examines this presence in indirect ways, for example, in his photograph of the four shirts, no people appear but the shirts speak of the traces of human activity. Dawoud’s interest in Rembrandt’s use of light in his paintings is also a central feature of understanding Dawoud’s own …show more content…
In my own case, it was an outgrowth of the desperation. I was feeling in the classroom, but I had to take the bold move of contacting the disruptive boy’s mother, and facing whatever challenges, or anger they might express. I did not know what to expect but by taking a curious and open attitude, it gave his mother the space she needed to open up about his learning difficulties.
Conclusion
In conclusion, role and expression of curiosity in a teaching context is a highly personal and individualized experience. It requires a deep interest in and respect for the personhood and identity of one’s students. Dawoud’s story demonstrates the ways in which a teacher’s curiosity can open up the curiosity of his or her students.
A good teacher must employ strategies. For example, the kind of direct engagement Dawoud uses, and the deep respect that Lawrence speaks of. The goals are to create a context where students are not only not afraid to express themselves, but a context where they actively seek to do, and create a learning space that is as unique as they are