This is an autobiographical study using a Living Theory Action Research methodology supported strongly by storytelling and visual data as a means of analysing, illustrating and generating a living educational theory concerning the attributes 'good enough' (Winnicott, 1965:140-152) dialogical educators might strive for in light of the Buberian 'I – Thou' dialogical encounters (Buber, 1955). This thesis is concerned with 'I' as an early childhood pedagogy instructor, an Israeli-Jew from a Hebrew-speaking culture, working mainly in three educational frameworks in three cultures: an Israeli-Arab college which is predominately Muslim; secondly, as director of a course for Druze care-givers on the occupied Golan Heights and, thirdly, as pedagogy instructor in an academic Teachers' Training College that is affiliated with the Zionist Kibbutz movement, servicing the multicultural and multinational sectors of the Israeli society. The originality of the thesis lies in the process of synthesising and acknowledging instances of 'being in the unknown'; in revealing the values that enabled me to recognise and see beyond the socially constructed discourse, values, ethics and morals in varied cultural contextual and educational settings and move beyond their limitations, enhancing my ability to be a better dialogical educator. Although the issues of 'Dialogue' and 'Thou' have been elaborately discussed, the process of revealing the 'I' and the resultant attributes one has to possess in order to be in dialogue with the 'Thou' is not explicit (Buber, 1955). I assert that the process of unveiling one‘s core self (Rogers, 1969) - the 'I' is a necessary component or phase in the process of becoming a ‗good enough‘ dialogical educator. This assertion is examined in the light of fundamental literature on dialogue mainly from Buber, Freire, Rogers and Korczak.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:555743 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Geller, Anat |
| Contributors | Whitehead, Andrew |
| Publisher | University of Bath |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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