Thoughts and Reflections on Nigerian Pedagogy Through the Lens of Engaging Minds: Influence and Personal Experience from the Four Moments of Educational Practices

Abstract

My aim of coming to Canada to pursue a graduate study in Education was to fulfil my life dream of becoming a university teacher. It was my hope that this dream will give me the opportunity to engage and inspire young people in issues of social and national development especially around citizenship education in my country that is de-valorised and polarised by bigotry, corruption and ethnic chauvinism. I believed earning a Ph.D. would position me in front of the university classroom to engage restoratively with young people and champion change towards new way of thinking.  While the courses I have taken so far in a Canadian University- Memorial University of Newfoundland did not fail to give me that preparatory notch to achieve this humble ambition, most impacting was a course in Curriculum, teaching and learning. It offered me an added professional development to make me a better teacher and educator. Going through the four moments of educational practices, much of my time had been spent on soul searching, trying to evaluate the ‘before and after’ perspectives in my educational career as a teacher; this reflection has created a paradigm shift in my construction of knowledge and more extensively, my approach to school culture and discipline. While the theories, principles and critical thinking enabled by Canadian education offered me the academic preparation, the professional development acquired hopefully, will stand me in good stead in the praxis of teaching and learning both in formal and non-formal education setting This paper will therefore, explore the four moments of education as espoused by Davis, B. et al (2015) in “Engaging Minds” with a view to critically reflect on educational methods and practices in my home country Nigeria and bring to fore, the need for change in classroom and school administration in Nigeria