Authentic Teaching
In a recent CPD session I was articulating my view that an aspect of effective teaching is to be or aspire to be as close as you can to your 'authentic self' in the classroom. I have no empirical evidence to support this claim, in part because how do we measure authenticity of behaviour? However, I do have a deep belief that we have all at some point experienced the impact of an encounter, whether in a formal learning environment or in everyday life, with someone who is at ease with themselves and has a deep knowledge of their discipline - they are authentic. A colleague politely challenged my claim, highlighting that we cannot ever be our real authentic self when teaching, as the professional standards and expectations as well as the performance aspect (whether the sage on the stage or guide on the side) requires us to act accordingly. While I agree that there is always an element of performance or putting on our game face , hence my caveat 'as close to..' I st...