Praxis and Reflexivity of my online Teaching

Praxis & Reflexivity: : Praxis & Reflexivity: What is praxis ? Think about it? Write your definition Ps. Intellectual property of Dr. Myrian Torres. Professor of Praxis in C&I Department. Adapted by Rafael Espinoza


How is our practice in our online learning communities? : How is our practice in our online learning communities? Write your feelings about it?


PRAXIS DEFINITIONS : PRAXIS DEFINITIONS Freire: Dialectics of reflection and action Carr & Kemmis: Informed and committed action Aristotle: Based on acquired practical experience Phronesis: prudence, practical wisdom, value judgment Techne: applications of epistemological knowledge, calculates Episteme: Theoretical knowledge from practical knowledge, but analyzed, stabilized & articulated


Praxis definitions (cont.2) : Praxis definitions (cont.2) Gramsci: Praxis implies the uniting of theory and practice to transform society through constructing counter-hegemonies Armstrong: Praxis never occurs in a vacuum, but in historical, political, economic and sociocultural constraints. It shapes and is shaped by those constraints Weltman: true praxis "requires one practices what one theorizes while theorizing what one practices"


Praxis definitions (cont. 3) : Praxis definitions (cont. 3) Marxist Praxis Praxis: Human activity par excellence. Human labor as the means for transforming the world and being transformed as a consequence. Implies: Dialectical thinking, understanding, knowledge and research Focus on change and history Ethics, Politics Methodology


Reflective Practice: Meanings : Reflective Practice: Meanings Reflective practice is an umbrella term for thoughtful and analytical thinking about one’s own practice. This appears in different perspectives, ideologies and conceptions of a reflective practitioner It is opposed to the view of teachers as technicians It enhances ‘teacher generated epistemology’ or knowing-in-action.


Reflective Practice: Different Conceptions : Reflective Practice: Different Conceptions When to reflect?: before, during, after Reflecting about teaching and social conditions Reflection as individual process vs. social practice Reflection imbued with care and passion vs. reflection as cognitive and detached


Reflective Practice: Different ideological views : Reflective Practice: Different ideological views Technical: Concerned with efficiency and effectiveness of the means to attain the ends Practical: Explains and clarifies the underlying assumptions and subjective meanings of the teaching activity. In North America, reflective practice literature is commonly ahistorical. It lacks clarity in terms of political and theoretical commitments (Zeichner, 1994) Critical reflection: Involves moral and ethical criteria in discourse and practical action, with a view toward social change, equality and justice


Reflective Practice: Four Traditions : Reflective Practice: Four Traditions Teaching always involves reflection: we need to know what kind of reflection--its content, procedure, goals. Academic tradition: Reflection about subject matter to improve students’ achievement Social efficiency: Reflection on the practice resulting from the application of knowledge provided by researchers Developmentalist: Reflective practice that is sensitive to students’ interests, thinking, and patterns of development. Social reconstructionist: Reflection is a political act and contributes toward or hinders realization of a more democratic, just and humane society. Reflection is a social act, not just an individual one. . It involves the building of learning communities that support and sustain each other’s growth.


What kind of praxis do we want for our OTLC learning community? : What kind of praxis do we want for our OTLC learning community? Let’s discuss about this.