Pedagogy is created when teachers stand in
a relationship of concern for their students. Dahlberg (1997) comments:
Pedagogy is only generated if you stand in healthy relationship with your
co-discussers or in confrontation with the present.
The period of assessing and reporting is as
much about creating pedagogy as it is about communicating student achievement.
The process involves the use of material as an opportunity to reflect
rigorously, methodically and democratically in relationship with others.
It is a time to:
o reflect on educational practice
as teacher researchers;
o acknowledge and value
students’ thinking;
o present the evidence of how
teaching has added to the knowledge and skills of students;
o pause as the teacher, to slow down, and think about how you plan
and facilitate learning;
o guide students in
meta-cognition; using student work to launch further thinking about their own
work;
o build community as
reporting gets the attention of parents and provides a shared point of
reference for dialogue and involves parents in the ‘school part’ of the
learning process;
o involve reciprocal trust by
practising confidentiality as we communicate to the student and parents;
It is
also a time for teachers to be appreciated and for teachers to appreciate the human
dignity of their work as both ministry and profession.
“Widen the space of your tent, extend the curtains of your home, do not hold back! Lengthen your ropes, make your tent-pegs firm.” Isaiah 54:2