Table of Contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgments xi
• Preface: Why I Wrote This Book  xiii
• Origins xiii
• Who This Book Is For xv
• Structure of the Book xvi
• Part I: Introduction to Presence 1
• Philosophical Foundations 1
• Presence 8
• My View of Learning 8
• Part II: Defining Presence 11
• 1. Attitudes 13
• Overview: Six Essential Attitudes
• Directness 13
• Wholeheartedness 14
• Open-Mindedness 15
• Responsibility 16
• Curiosity 17
• Equanimity or Neutrality of Mind 18
• 2. Mutual Vulnerability 20
• Critical Pedagogy 20
• Humanizing Pedagogy and Mutual Vulnerability 22
• 3. The Permeable Nature of Self and World 24
• Origins 24
• Permeability of Self and World Across Professions 26
• Authenticity and Connection 28
• 4. Inquiry 29
• Thin-Slicing and Inquiry 29
• Heuristics and Inquiry 30
• Medicine and Inquiry 32
• Teaching, Inquiry, and Presence 34
• 5. Love 38
• Love and Trusting the Learner Within 38
• Love and the Moral Dimension of Presence 39
• Love and Listening  39
• Love and Attention to What Cannot Be Seen 40
• Love of Subject Matter 41
• Love and Self-Compassion 42
• Conclusion 42
• Part III: What We are Present To: I, Thou, It, and Context 45
• 6. The Teaching Triangle: Its Parts  47
• The I (Teacher) 48
• The Thou (Learner) 51
• The It (Content) 54
• 7. The Teaching Triangle: Its Dynamics 58
• The I–Thou Dynamic 58
• The I–It Dynamic 61
• The Thou–It Dynamic 63
• The I’s Interaction with the Thou–It Dynamic 65
• Summary of the I, Thou, and It 67
• 8. Context 68
• Context as a System 68
• Purposes of Education 71
• Conclusion 74
• Part IV: Reflection 77
• 9. The Research 79
• Early Proponents 79
• Poststructuralist Critique 79
• Dewey 81
• Adaptive Expertise 81
• 10. Purposes of Reflection 84
• The Development of Perception 84
• Accepting What Is 87
• Alignment of Practices with Self 87
• Alignment of Practices with the Purposes of Education 89
• 11. The Process of Reflection  91
• Phase 1: Experience 93
• Phase 2: Description 94
• Phase 3: Analysis and Interpretation 95
• Phase 4: Taking Intelligent Action (Because Awareness Is Not Enough) 98
• Summary 99
• 12. Reflective Practice, Mindful Practice, and Presence in Teaching  101
• Part V: Educating for Presence: How Do We Learn to Be Present? How Can It Be Taught?  103
• Module 1: Learning Stories 107
• The Activity 107
• Reflection 109
• The Readings  110
• Module 2: The Poem 112
• The Activity 112
• Reflection 114
• The Readings  115
• Module 3: The Leaf Activity  116
• The Activity 116
• Reflection 117
• The Readings  119
• Module 4: The Gun and the Naked Woman 120
• The Activity 120
• Reflection 122
• The Readings 123
• Module 5: Descriptive Feedback 124
• The Activity 124
• Reflection  125
• The Readings 127
• Module 6: Descriptive Review of a Learner 128
• The Activity 128
• Reflection 129
• The Readings  132
• 13. Conclusion 133
• “Are You Okay?” 133
• Final Thoughts 134
• Appendix: Rubric for Descriptive Reviews  136
• Notes 139
• References 143
• Index 147
• About the Author 158

About the Author

Carol R. Rodgers is associate professor of education at the State University of New York at Albany.

Reviews

"Reading Carol Rodgers's book The Art of Reflective Teaching: Practicing Presence is like being invited into a space where teaching becomes more expansive and where the reader once again believes that teachers can do profoundly important and transformative work."--Democracy & Education

"Carol Rodgers presents here an informative and engaging discussion of teacher education and provides a lot of the 'whys' of what happens in schools and what can happen. The author is as at home talking about Dewey as she is discussing Freire and Piaget. From the standpoint of more philosophical levels of educational theory, Rodgers is right on with the way she brings together these and other experts who have spent their whole lives striving to find better and more equitable approaches to teaching."--Critical Issues in Teacher Education

"Thoughtful, inspiring, and full of ideas to think about and put into practice."--Teachers College Record