Week 2 Reflection: On Aoki

Monday, January 15, 2018.

Dr. Aoki's paper from 1986 continues to address the dilemma that most teachers face each year.  What are the bureaucratic curriculum directives as opposed to what will be the best learning for classroom students.

Dwelling in the Zone of Between not only applies to the educational realm, in my view, but also in many other situations in which citizens may find themselves.  When governmental agencies or indeed governments themselves impose rules or regulations that compromise our ethical standards, our response should not necessarily be to accept that imposition without comment or civil resistance. In the same way that digital corporations, for example, tell us what the latest technology is that we must have, we live in that Zone that dictates to us "what we must have /do/ say" and what we know to be a better outcome for our lives by resisting that which is designed to entice us without our really knowing that it is happening.

The 30-year ago world of Dr. Aoki is much different in many ways, but the "tensionality" that he describes from the "in-dwelling" zone in the classroom continues to be an interesting 2-step for teachers.

So what has all of that to do with educational research?  How will we know what is best for students unless we ask the significant questions.  For example:  How do we find out what provides the best classroom climate for learning?  What are the specific methods of teaching a mathematical concept?  Can students learn equally well from each other as from a direct teaching method?

Many quasi-forms of research are done in many classrooms regularly, I believe.  Teachers may not recognize what they do as research, however.  The survey, the questionnaire, the interview may provide a teacher over time, with valuable anecdotal evidence for providing better learning outcomes for their students.

The Concise Oxford defines research as "an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts, etc. by scientific study or by a curse of critical investigation".

In asking the classroom teacher the question "How can I best incorporate 'mindfulness' into our daily routines?" to "What strategies can I employ to ensure my students reach the levels of reading competency that the Ministry of Education articulates?"  we may find out what  Dwelling in the Zone of Between means to educational research.