Congratulations, all of you! The conversation in the strand are most stimulating! You are really entering into the spirit of collaborative learning by sharing your ideas explicitly and by questioning what co-learners are contributing to help clarify ideas.
I really appreciate the way you have considered the metaphor from both sides, the gardener / teacher on the one hand and from the plant / learners. Some great ideas on the gardener's attitude, skills and knowledge, and some good insights on the plant's needs.
Ken Robinson speaks about learners, and yes, learners are pupils in our classrooms and schools. Nonetheless, Patience opens a further window : as teacher educators are we the gardeners in the field of teacher education and our student teachers are the plants. Has this thought any implication for us as teacher educators?