Top Tips for New Pedagogies is a guidebook for all teachers working hard to cope with growing challenges in education. Being an important output of the second staff mobility project of Tartu Tamme Gymnasium, this publication allows nine teachers to reflect on their learning experience abroad. Also, the book addresses some topical issues that mainstream media tends to underrate.
For example, it turns attention to disempowerment and deskilling of teachers and the commodification of knowledge, characteristic of the neoliberal approach to education. Our intention, then, is to speak up for traditional pedagogies by providing teachers with some slightly unorthodox ideas to hold their ground. Why? Because we feel that traditional pedagogies should not be misprized; instead, traditional and new pedagogies should be used in synergy.
The guidebook reflects on the writings of Nathaniel Branden, Jordan B. Peterson, Dr. Carol S. Dweck, and Angela Duckworth, and discusses the thoughts of Estonian scientists Tiiu Kuurme and Marju Lepajõe. Not less importantly, it addresses some typical worries many students and teachers in our school have.
Top Tips comprises six chapters, named after six countries of destination of this project. Each chapter includes a summary of mobility, a participant’s blog post, a key issue about learning, a pair of teacher and student concerns, and an advice corner. Altogether, there are six advice corners in which the participants gladly share their top tips with their colleagues. Also, with nine flashbacks on pages 43 – 44, they hope to inspire other teachers to start another staff mobility project soon.
All in all, although the writing process was not easy, it turned out to be quite insightful. It helped us realise that the art of teaching is still in our hands, so all we have to do is stand tall and make our voices heard. With Top Tips for New Pedagogies, we have taken a large step ahead.
Download Top Tips for New Pedagogies as a PDF file here. |
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Enjoy the first part of Top Tips for New Pedagogies as an e-book here. |