Why Does My Pedagogy Sound Like an Episode of Seinfeld?

It’s a pedagogy about nothing. But it encompasses everything. How else could it be? I mean, there is no way to really approach a consultation with a cohesive plan. Every person, every paper, every encounter brings with it a new opinion, a new view on working with people, or a new insight into how your own biases affect the way you consult. Sure, there are the ideals: don’t take over the paper, try to take culture and experience into account, give concrete examples…..but is there a theme? I have toyed with a directive minimalist approach, where you gage how much you direct the work (could be read ‘bully into your own opinion’) based on the writers experience, fluency, etc. But is that really a way to look at consulting? When everything is possible, is there anything left to rely on?

Comments

  1. I like this. I'm excited to read yours. Mine is about superheros.

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  2. I don't know if this is quite what you're getting at, but I found it difficult to find a particular theory or article that I see as something I completely buy into and align with my own tutoring philosophy. I've found that when I sit down for a consultation and try to remember any of the advice from all of these articles, I find it stifling. I'm wrestling with these ideas in my head and I end up feeling more uncertain about how to go through the consultation, because so many of the articles we've looked at tell about so many of the "what not to dos," and many of the theories are stating opposing ideas. I have found that each consultation is a unique experience, and just rolling with it and trusting my own judgment gets me much further than trying to work through the consultation the way some renowned theorist or scholar says it is supposed to go. This is not to say that I haven't found valuable insights in the readings that have affected my own tutoring practice; I just think we have seen a staggering variety of opinions that can provide way too much to think about in a consultation.

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  3. Elizabeth might have something to say about this...

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