To flex to the needs of the class in the teachable moment, I must first be able to see that moment of opportunity to influence learning. Seeing the student is much more complicated than it appears. Teaching as a way of seeing also requires me to see my discipline from many perspectives as well. It requires me to challenge the assumptions of how I organize knowledge and how I think about the world. It requires that I see myself as a learner.
Teaching is also about community.
A community of learners, an atmosphere of high expectations for learning, students committed to learning by doing - these are all aspects of effective teaching and learning. Effective teaching involves community outside of the classroom as well. Effective teaching invites students to expand their own circle of community to join the community of scholars, and to learn the new discourse of this community without undermining their membership or role in other communities that are important in their lives. The teaching community is not limited to students. Teachers require a community among themselves on which to base their practice.