Dispositions and Buffalo Nickels

Our Conceptual Framework

Western Teacher Education defines teacher leadership in the classroom as "Taking Responsibility for Student Learning." Specifically, our teacher candidates take responsibility for student learning by mastering subject content and pedagogical skills as evaluated by the 12 Teacher Education Standards, by documenting positive Dispositions and by demonstrating Professional Behaviors. This mix of knowledge, skills, dispositions and professional behaviors equips our teacher candidates to take responsibility for the learning of all of their students.

Perhaps the most challenging is dispositions

A disposition can be defined as follows: (courtesy of The Free Dictionary [online])

dis·po·si·tion (dsp-zshn) n. 1. One's usual mood; temperament: a sweet disposition. 2. a. A habitual inclination; a tendency: a disposition to disagree.

A teacher may have the content knowledge, skills and professional behaviors one needs to support student learning, but not be disposed to do so.

For example, my tenth grade geometry teacher knew the subject but was not disposed to get up out of his chair and teach. Other teachers we had in high school went the extra mile to ensure our growth intellectually and socially. They inspired us to do better, showed us new possibilities and equipped us to succeed. They not only possessed the knowledge and skills to help us learn, they were also disposed to motivate and push us until we succeeded.

In this Blog and in future ones, we'll further explore the concept of a disposition and look at applications of positive teacher dispositions as elaborated by the Western Teacher Dispositions.

A Disposition is Not a Behavior

Notice that a disposition is not a behavior; a disposition informs a behavior. For example, being on time is a professional behavior that is very important for teachers to exhibit consistently. This behavior of being on time is not a disposition. However, it may be informed by a disposition.

Suppose a teacher is always on time because he or she arrives early in order to be there for those students who daily get dropped off early and need adult attention. This could be from the disposition C. SOCIAL AWARENESS, 1. Empathy. Another teacher may be on time daily because he or she arrives early in order to collaborate with colleagues for student success. The behavior of being on time may come from a disposition of D. RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT, 6. Teamwork and collaboration. However, another teacher may demonstrate the same professional behavior of being on time (or arriving early) simply because he or she wants a parking space close to the door in order to beat the students out of the lot at the end of the school day. Hmmm . . . Same behavior but a different disposition than the kind we're wanting to encourage.

Can a positive disposition be learned or improved?

I certainly think so. The first step is to think deeply about what a disposition is and to read and understand each disposition in the four domains of the Western Teacher Education Dispositions. There's a lot there, but if you wish to work on the area that most directly contributes to your success or failure in Junior Experience, Student Teaching or in your first year of teaching you'll give a lot of attention to the topic of dispositions.

Students, Cooperating Teachers and College Supervisors will bend over backwards to help you if you demonstrate you are disposed to care for students and focus on their success. They will forgive you for deficits in your knowledge and skills and help you get better. But if they become convinced you are not disposed to help their students succeed, they will give you little mercy because you have not earned it. Please don't ignore this area of dispositions.

Let's look now at an application. We'll use the metaphor of a Buffalo Nickel to demonstrate an approach or tendency of looking at students in a particular way (a disposition).

The Buffalo Nickel

Are you old enough to remember when the BUFFALO NICKEL was in circulation? Or maybe you've seen them in display cases at a coin shop or in a friend's collection. They fascinated me as a kid, the picture of a proud Native American on the obverse and a mighty buffalo on the reverse. How easy it was to examine one side, then flip the coin over and look at the other side.

I seriously doubt if you have a BUFFALO NICKEL in your pocket, so look at the two sides of the coin in the picture below: Each image is related and connected to the other, but each is distinct from the other. After all, the Native American depicted on the nickel was a human, a member of a class of the most successful naturalists of all time. In fact, one of the adjectives sometimes used to describe Native Americans such as the one depicted is "noble." The buffalo however, is a beast, not self-aware like the Native American. In fact, the buffalo was the prey of the Native Americans and was used to provide everything from food to clothing to utensils.

On a single BUFFALO NICKEL we find these related but different symbols residing as two sides of the same coin. The truth captured by this metaphor applies to you and to everyone you meet. It's so easy to see only one side of anyone with whom we come in contact. We tend to quickly categorize people into one slot or another and fail to see the complexity that makes up each individual. We see only one side of the coin. When eventually---and inevitably---the other side of the coin appears, we are surprised and may react inappropriately.

We may feel we've been betrayed when the coin flips and we see the other side. However, like the BUFFALO NICKEL, everyone has both assets and liabilities. They have talents, disposition, and skills that are wonderful and are easily appreciated. Moreover, with each asset comes the companion, connected liability.

Assets and Liabilities are Connected

Do you like the way that student is quiet and respectful, never contributing to problems in the classroom? The other side of the coin may be that the student is passive or feels helpless in the face of learning challenges. It’s unethical to accept the quiet, cooperative behavior and not delve deeper to see if there is another side to this student that needs to be encouraged or developed so they may be successful academically.

How about the student who is always interrupting, always trying to get you off topic and flustered. Could it be that the same student is one of the more intellectually gifted students in your class but is bored? If you classify that student’s behavior as bad (or, more politely, as disruptive) you may overlook positive attributes that need to be recognized and nurtured. In fact, if you find and nurture the other side of the coin, the disagreeable behaviors may disappear.

Like the aggressive way in which that student volunteers and takes charge of projects in the classroom? They may also be demanding and not easily accept your explanation of things. It's unfair to accept the obverse without realizing you also get the other side of the coin. They cannot be separated from each other.

How This Relates to Dispositions

Teachers who put forth the effort to think deeply about their students so as to promote learning and success are practicing one or more positive teacher dispositions. One that comes to mind is D. RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT, 3. Developing others:

Teacher leaders who are adept at cultivating students and colleagues show a genuine interest in those they are helping along, understanding their goals, strengths, and weaknesses. Such teacher leaders can give timely and constructive feedback and are natural mentors or coaches.

Please aspire to being a Teacher Leader in the classroom: make the effort to take responsibility for your students’ learning.

“Each asset is balanced by a related liability. You cannot ethically accept one without the other."

Copyright 2005 Richard H. Porr, Ph.D.