Entrance Slip # 6: Tact of Teaching

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1. "Good teachers are intuitively aware that the daily activities of teaching and learning are conditioned by such subtle factors as the atmosphere of the school and classroom, by the relational qualities that pertain amongst students and teachers, and by the corporeal skills or embodied knowledge that teachers enact." (p.5)

These qualities are requirements stated for teachers to effectively act with pedagogical tact. As discussed later in the article, these are examples that require awareness apart from oneself and recognizing that one's actions in combination with things such as the current atmosphere, relationships etc. could have various (possibly unwanted) results. That's why tactful teaching requires such frequent improvisation. I believe developing these skills comes from experience, but also making sure we are present when we are teaching. If a teacher teaches for five years but isn't making an active effort to reflect on what went wrong or what worked well during their lessons and interactions with students, they aren't building this tact and are doing a disservice to their students. Another part of this is building relationships with our students. If we can learn more about each individual, we can have a better idea of their background and what kind of learner they are which can help inform us of the best way to interact with them.

2. "Indeed, the substance of pedagogical acting takes place at this level of temporal immediacy
that does not permit a reflective stepping back from or out of the situation in order to consider the various alternatives and consequences of those possible alternatives in concrete everchanging situations." (p. 12)

Pedagogical tact is also therefore the ability to reflect on spot and deal with a situation in the best possible way with confidence and speed. Here, it is essential for a teacher to have practical wisdom so that they don't react in a way that is detrimental to the students and/or their learning. Again, experience and actively trying to better our teaching is what I believe will help develop these skills. Another point might be to stay up to date with the latest research in education to help us develop strategies to deal with certain situations we might not be equipped to handle or that are new to us.

3. "Rather, when we are involved as teachers with our students then we are part of this classroom, this world, in which we practice what we know as teachers. In other words, our pedagogical practice expresses itself as an active understanding of how we find ourselves here as teachers with certain intentions, feelings, passions, inclinations, attitudes, and preoccupations." (p. 18)

Even though a teacher  teaching with pedagogical tact may separate from themselves while being absorbed in the observing and engaging with different happenings around the classroom, their identity still plays a factor in their style. I would say this also ties into practical wisdom because if we are aware of where we come from and what's important to us, we are more grounded in our decisions and can therefore interact with our class with more confidence and understanding. In other words, I believe we need to have an understanding of ourselves and a strong sense of what our teaching philosophy is before we can gain the wisdom and ability to do the right thing at the right time within our classrooms. I believe this also requires maintenance because we will likely change as people as we grow older or are exposed to new ideas/strategies over the years so it would be a good idea to check back on our philosophies from time to time to make the appropriate alterations. 

With regards to the effect on students, teachers, and parents, I would think that the initial years of our teaching would be slightly turbulent for everyone because we as teachers will still be developing a lot of the skills we need to cope with certain situations over top of trying to teach the course content effectively. However, if we actively reflect, make an effort to build relationships with our students, stay up-to-date with research in education, check-in with ourselves, and have a strong sense of what we believe is important in teaching, I believe we will eventually reach a point where we have the confidence, pedagogical tact, and practical wisdom to interact successfully with students and parents, and effectively teach. Of course, there will still be problems/new situations to encounter after these initial years, but these will just add to our list of experiences to learn from and hopefully better deal with in the future.