Andrew+Cawood

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 English and Psychology ||  ||  ||  |||| I consider myself to be African for no other reason than that I was born and raised in Africa at a time that bridged the gap between Aparteid and a "Rainbow Nation". My sense of identity is rooted not in a particular nation or racial background but in the place and context in which I was raised. I am the product of a people in the midst of a great transformation that saw the ending of rule by force and the growth of understanding, unity and fellowship. Growing up in the midst of such a change has had a significant impact on the way I view myself in the world. It has led me to believe strongly that everything about the world I live in is the subject of change. Having grown up in a culture that was transformed significantly over a period of a few years I am familiar with a the insecurity that comes with the questioning and reinventing of identity. I believe that this experience influences my ability to empathize with individuals as they journey through their teens, especially in the context of greater cultural and linguistic diversity. I am conscious that this familiarity with the insecurities associated with change is not shared by all and that individuals need support in navigating such change. The context within which I was raised has instilled in me some strong beliefs that I am required to be keenly aware of when engaged in the process of teaching. Firstly I am acutely distrustful of the commonly held belief that governments inherently work for the common good of ALL of the people. Having lived through part of an era where my race was protected while others suffered and were persecuted behind closed doors I find myself constantly questioning the spin of governments as they play on the fears of people to affect change that benefits only a few. While this viewpoint can facilitate questioning and interest, it also needs to be tempered with respect for the beliefs of those I teach and an awareness that the converse view provides a sense of security for those who hold it. || Earlier this year I travelled to Thailand and spent a day in a small primary school in a remote media type="custom" key="3481782". I was amazed by the simplicity of the school and how it appeared to function so well without computers, audiovisual systems, modern furniture or even reliable electricity. I was intrigued by the curriculum that dealt with issues directly affecting these people. In their classes they were learning about how to look after the environment, how to express and retain their culture and how to be a moral person. In their playground they were playing traditional Thai games and they had a vegetable garden grown with water pumped by converted bicycles. || In practice I hope to implement teaching stratagies that are aimed at engaging students in the skills they already have and on territory they are familiar with. As Egan (2005:xi-xii) suggests "If we want to be able to routinely engage students' immaginations in learning, we must understand the main tools they have available for the task. We must shape our lessons to take advantage of their current skills and help them develop them further." [|This video] may highlight this point ||  || Langer, Ellen J (1997), The Power of Mindful Leaning. Cambridge MA: Da Capo Press ||  ||
 * media type="custom" key="3481634" ||=  [[image:spacer.jpg]]Andrew Cawood[[image:spacer.jpg]]
 * >  ||> **Age** |||||| 26 ||
 * >  ||> **Place of Birth:** |||||| South Africa ||
 * >  ||> **Teacher since:** |||||||| 2 March 2009 ||
 * >  ||> **Cultural Background:**
 * >  ||> **Significant Life Experiences:** |||| Many of the most significant experiences in my life involve big journeys. My first was leaving my home in South Africa and arriving alone and without knowing anyone in the middle of London. It was here that I was first introduced to the shear scale of the "real world". I never imagined that the world, let alone one city could have that many people in it. I was awestruck at the possibility that such a high density of people could apparently enjoy living alongside each other. I was fortunate to find love in this great city and followed this love to Australia where I currently live. My experience of traveling to, and living in different countries has really opened my eyes to different ways of living. It has caused me to question what I always thought was "the way the world is" by forcing showing me huge differences in the way people live in different places.
 * >  ||> **Significant Life Experiences:** |||| Many of the most significant experiences in my life involve big journeys. My first was leaving my home in South Africa and arriving alone and without knowing anyone in the middle of London. It was here that I was first introduced to the shear scale of the "real world". I never imagined that the world, let alone one city could have that many people in it. I was awestruck at the possibility that such a high density of people could apparently enjoy living alongside each other. I was fortunate to find love in this great city and followed this love to Australia where I currently live. My experience of traveling to, and living in different countries has really opened my eyes to different ways of living. It has caused me to question what I always thought was "the way the world is" by forcing showing me huge differences in the way people live in different places.
 * ||> **Teaching Philosophy:** || I believe that teaching is one of the core activities that our society engages in. I believe that inspiring students to excell in everything that they do and continue to be better at those things through learning is the real work of a teacher. In this I agree with Egan (2005: xiv) in //An Imaginative Approach to Learning// when he offers that "If they don't find that the skill provides rewards of pleasure, of course, it will not develop in the ways necessary for what we consider some of the central purposes of education" (Egan 2005: xiv). Having worked with individuals with Inelectual and psychiatric disabilities I have discovered the incredible informative power that comes when individuals are challenged in what they believe they are capable. I have found solice in the fact that this view is voiced by others more experienced than I for example in The power of Mindful Learning, Langer (1997: 5) puts forward the view that "When faced with something that hasn't beed done before, people frequently express the belief that it can't be done. All progress, of course, depends on questioning that belief."
 * ||> **Teaching Philosophy:** || I believe that teaching is one of the core activities that our society engages in. I believe that inspiring students to excell in everything that they do and continue to be better at those things through learning is the real work of a teacher. In this I agree with Egan (2005: xiv) in //An Imaginative Approach to Learning// when he offers that "If they don't find that the skill provides rewards of pleasure, of course, it will not develop in the ways necessary for what we consider some of the central purposes of education" (Egan 2005: xiv). Having worked with individuals with Inelectual and psychiatric disabilities I have discovered the incredible informative power that comes when individuals are challenged in what they believe they are capable. I have found solice in the fact that this view is voiced by others more experienced than I for example in The power of Mindful Learning, Langer (1997: 5) puts forward the view that "When faced with something that hasn't beed done before, people frequently express the belief that it can't be done. All progress, of course, depends on questioning that belief."
 * >  ||> **My Journey to Teaching:** || My journey to teaching has not been linear. In fact the idea of being a professional teacher has always sat just in the background while I dreamed up fantastic careers for myself all the while working in jobs that paid the bills and satisfied my desire to be a benefit to other people. Though engaging in welfare work with various client groups including people with intellectual disabilities and individuals experiencing mental illness, my desire to be a cause in positive change for the better of all people has grown. I believe that //positive// change on the scale of a community, country or world comes from the efforts of individuals acting with integrity under the guidance of strong leadership. I am also convinced that individuals acting without sound leadership, in the absence of a sense of connection, pursuing goals that overlook those around them affect an entirely different kind of change resembling chaos. It is for this reason that I have chosen to be a teacher and effect positive change on all of these levels by inspiring students to see the benefits of learning which include empowerment to be the causes of change in their world. ||   ||
 * >  ||> **School Experience:** || [|My high school] was an all boys boarding school. I only boarded there for the first 2 years and then again in my last year when my parents thought I wasn't doing so well. I enjoyed learning but my inspiration for doing so came from a desire to please my parents and be like my brother. Most of the work I did to get good marks was difficult and I had to work long hours outside of class to perform as well as I liked. There were some subjects that I found easy, like English. When I look to what made this subject easy for me I see the enthusiasm that the teacher had for the subject matter. I modelled this enthusiasm and my attention in class helped me to do well with ease. This experience has shaped the teacher I am and I endeavour to always display interest and enthusiasm for my subject areas and inspire this in the students I work with. ||   ||
 * >  ||> **How I handle Stress**: || I don't, I curl into a anxious mess and am capable of nothing constructive, which is why I dedicate enough time to the things that I can do regularly that help alleviate small stresses that can build into bigger ones. Some of the things I like to do are. Listen to music, ride my bike and meditate. I also go rock climbing whenever I can. This sport forces me to focus one one thing and one thing only: not falling. When my mind is focussed it forces stressful thoughts out and they lose their power to disturb me. At times when my stress gets the better of me I can usually look back a few weeks and see that I have been neglecting to give time to these things. ||   ||
 * ||> **References:** || Egan, Kieran (2005), An Imaginative Approach to Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey Bass
 * >  ||> **How I handle Stress**: || I don't, I curl into a anxious mess and am capable of nothing constructive, which is why I dedicate enough time to the things that I can do regularly that help alleviate small stresses that can build into bigger ones. Some of the things I like to do are. Listen to music, ride my bike and meditate. I also go rock climbing whenever I can. This sport forces me to focus one one thing and one thing only: not falling. When my mind is focussed it forces stressful thoughts out and they lose their power to disturb me. At times when my stress gets the better of me I can usually look back a few weeks and see that I have been neglecting to give time to these things. ||   ||
 * ||> **References:** || Egan, Kieran (2005), An Imaginative Approach to Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey Bass
 * ||> **References:** || Egan, Kieran (2005), An Imaginative Approach to Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey Bass
 * ||> **References:** || Egan, Kieran (2005), An Imaginative Approach to Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey Bass