about

WHY I WRITE

1) Writing for an audience (whoever it may be) helps me to clarify my thoughts. It puts the crisp, defined edges to the distorted and blurred ideas I have.

2) I believe sharing learning discoveries is beneficial to the greater learning community, a sort of distance-learning-in-community.

WHO I WRITE FOR

1) I write for me. As mentioned above, writing helps me clarify my thoughts. Sharing my writing here gives me a chance to catalog different snapshots of my thoughts at different stages of my growth in life.

2) I write for my peer learning network (PLN) which includes anyone and everyone interested in growing as individuals as well as helping to build the connections and relationships that leads to community growth and learning.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG

I started Observing the Class to serve as a conduit for reflecting upon my teaching. By reporting observations and critically reflecting upon the experiences I encounter in my classroom I seek to become more aware, with the belief that better awareness leads to better decision making.

THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional development is the pillar supporting and focusing my learning as a teacher. I find immense value in reflective communities of any size (in person or digital). I enjoy attending conferences whenever I am able. A major personal and professional goal is to continue a practice of mindfulness. Writing this blog, reading others and engaging in the rich discussions that ensue provides a learning context in which I grow as an individual and a professional.

FINDING ME

Twitter @JohnPfordresher. My Twitter tag is geared towards community building and making lasting connections with other interested educators from different fields and contexts around the world.

LnkedIn: John Pfordresher. I am dedicated to doing more in this realm in the indeterminate future.

MY CURRENT AND PREVIOUS CONTEXTS

I am currently studying to earn my MAT_ESOL degree at Marlboro College Graduate School in Brattleboro, VT USA. In the near future I will be working as an EFL instructor at Al-Yamamah University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Previously I have taught for three years in South Korea. Two of those years were spent as an EFL teacher at a public middle school. The final year was spent as a EFL instructor at a private university in Ulsan.

I earned my TESOL certificate at the University of Maine’s Intensive English Institute.

These contexts have all played a large role in who I am as an educator as well as an individual. I mention them all because I believe that being aware of where a writer is coming from can help readers better understand the reasoning behind a writers ideas.