KNOWING IN COMMUNITY:
JOINED BY THE GRACE OF
GREAT THINGS
Community is an outward and visible sign of an
inward and invisible grace, the flowing of personal identity and integrity into
the world of relationships. Only as we are in community with ourselves
can we find community with others. As the
community of truth gathers around a “great thing,” it is “the grace of great
things” that evokes the virtues we cherish in education: celebrating diversity,
embracing ambiguity, welcoming creative conflict, practicing honesty, and
experiencing humility.
1. Write about an experience of community,
of any duration, that has been meaningful to you (letting community mean
whatever it may mean to you). What went on in that situation that made it
“community” for you? What was going on in you at that time that made you
available to this community?
I can remember I was in high school when a teacher assigned us a project in groups. We started the project together, but there were some things which were difficult to do at first. Then, among us we assigned a responsibility per each member, and we worked better. In addition, as we were working in group, we got good results when finishing the project because we were thinking as a whole.
There were some other groups which could no finished their projects because their were in disagreement all the time. the point was that they did not learn to work as a team in which every member has his/her functions to do a better job.
Furthermore, they did not understand the meaning of "community" which allows us to make great things becuase we are thinking with more heads.
2. Do you feel a “sense of community” with
each subject you study? What is the nature of that relationship? How has
your relationship with your subject enriched your life? Stretched your life?
Challenged your life? Changed your life?
I think, the nature of the relationship between "community" and subject of study depends on what our attitude is in front of the environment that such a subject generates. I consider that it is up to us to build sense of community in the subject we are studying. In that way, we will enrich, stretch, challenge, or change our life through the sense of community.
In my case, the sense of community in the subject I am studying has enriched my life. How come? Well, in the way I can work with others now. I can see the abilities from others to empower the work in group.
3. As a student, did you have courses that
made you a participant in the community of truth gathered around that subject?
If so, describe how they worked. Compare their impact to courses that
simply introduced you to the facts about the subject.
Of course, I had courses that made me a participant in the commucity of truth gathered around that subject.
In my experience, I have worked with my classmates into a sense of community when the teacher has encouraged us to work with others. While working with other peers together, I could learn better because I considered their ideas and knowledge. Also, the learning is more meaningful because we could share experiences, and we did not received theorical classes, we put into practice what we learnt when working in groups.
Furthermore, when working with others, we could improve our weaknesses because they could see our strengths and weaknesses to help us.
4. Do you think “the community of truth” is
an accurate image of the way knowledge is gathered in your field? Why or why
not?
I think that "the community of truth" is an accurate image of the way knowledge is gathered in my field because as a teacher student, I can see how my role takes an important role when making my students work in groups. Moreover, as I work with people, it means that I have to know how to deal with others' differences to empower the work in groups for getting better results.
Besides, when working in community, I could learn to trust among members, and in their abilities to work as a whole. Doing practices together is another experience I have had because a teacher made us to work in groups doing some practices to see others' mistakes and improve them among the group. I could see others' mistakes, and they could see my mistakes, and I could learn what my weaknesses were to work on those.
5. Reflect on the concept of “soft eyes” (p.
113). Think of a situation where having “soft eyes” might have helped you
in the classroom. Describe what happened, how you reacted, and how you
would have liked to react.
I remember I was teaching in high school about animals, I was expaining them a story in which there were some names of animals written, but a students told me to learn the names of animals by acting as them. I felt kind of challenged, and I would have liked to react more flexible to the stdent's idea. The concept of "soft eyes" was presented in that moment, that was an opportunity to apply a stdent's idea for them to see that I consedered their opinions.
Then, I applied that idea, and the students enjoyed acting as chicken, cats or birds. They could learn the majority of names of the animals they acted. They improved their vocabulary and put it into practice at the same time. That was wonderful!
There were some other groups which could no finished their projects because their were in disagreement all the time. the point was that they did not learn to work as a team in which every member has his/her functions to do a better job.
Furthermore, they did not understand the meaning of "community" which allows us to make great things becuase we are thinking with more heads.
2. Do you feel a “sense of community” with each subject you study? What is the nature of that relationship? How has your relationship with your subject enriched your life? Stretched your life? Challenged your life? Changed your life?
In my case, the sense of community in the subject I am studying has enriched my life. How come? Well, in the way I can work with others now. I can see the abilities from others to empower the work in group.
3. As a student, did you have courses that made you a participant in the community of truth gathered around that subject? If so, describe how they worked. Compare their impact to courses that simply introduced you to the facts about the subject.
Of course, I had courses that made me a participant in the commucity of truth gathered around that subject.
In my experience, I have worked with my classmates into a sense of community when the teacher has encouraged us to work with others. While working with other peers together, I could learn better because I considered their ideas and knowledge. Also, the learning is more meaningful because we could share experiences, and we did not received theorical classes, we put into practice what we learnt when working in groups.
Furthermore, when working with others, we could improve our weaknesses because they could see our strengths and weaknesses to help us.
I think that "the community of truth" is an accurate image of the way knowledge is gathered in my field because as a teacher student, I can see how my role takes an important role when making my students work in groups. Moreover, as I work with people, it means that I have to know how to deal with others' differences to empower the work in groups for getting better results.
Besides, when working in community, I could learn to trust among members, and in their abilities to work as a whole. Doing practices together is another experience I have had because a teacher made us to work in groups doing some practices to see others' mistakes and improve them among the group. I could see others' mistakes, and they could see my mistakes, and I could learn what my weaknesses were to work on those.
I remember I was teaching in high school about animals, I was expaining them a story in which there were some names of animals written, but a students told me to learn the names of animals by acting as them. I felt kind of challenged, and I would have liked to react more flexible to the stdent's idea. The concept of "soft eyes" was presented in that moment, that was an opportunity to apply a stdent's idea for them to see that I consedered their opinions.
Then, I applied that idea, and the students enjoyed acting as chicken, cats or birds. They could learn the majority of names of the animals they acted. They improved their vocabulary and put it into practice at the same time. That was wonderful!
