Palmeri’s piece presents the dualism between the stability of pedagogy and the dynamism of meaning-making within one’s “specialized disciplinary knowledge” (2). He offers his reflections on the re-configuration of what it means to be a composition instructor sparked by his entrance into multimodal formats. Abandoning the security of classical composition techniques, Palmeri found himself “venturing into uncharted pedagogical waters.” (2).
Challenging the boundaries of classical pedagogy to expand knowledge and learning capabilities of both student and instructor seems a necessary process in any instructional theory. The majority of my experience with pedagogical practices occurred outside of academia, within the classical institutions of Vagonova Ballet and later Classical Pilates.
What it means to be a Pilates Teacher has morphed and manifested through varying degrees of stability and volatility within my disciplinary knowledge structure. Remaining relevant and effective in my teaching requires strategic navigation about waves of change motivated by ongoing advancements in physiological information, (eg; biomechanical, anatomical and injury recovery). Yet, perhaps more importantly, working with the variability animated in the human form of my students engenders a continual process of questioning- what does it mean to be a Pilates Teacher? Over the past decade, the needs of my student’s physiological, and often psychological status has challenged the pedagogical foundations of my teacher training. Both my capacity and willingness to rise to such a challenge affords the meaning-making vehicle through which to continually answer Palmeri’s question – what does it mean to be a _________?
