A meaningful classroom

During the past few weeks, I found myself thinking more and more about the complex relationship that exists between teachers, teaching, and learners. My initial idea of what a classroom should look and be like has changed - it has become increasingly clear that it is more about the relationship and interaction you form with your students than about just following a curriculum.

Our lecturers often tell us that we can clearly remember which of our own teachers we liked/disliked/respected/feared - and it is so true. It made me wonder why. Why did I respect teacher X so much? What is it that made them stand out to me? I realised, once again, that it came down to their approach to teaching and the atmosphere and culture they created in their classrooms.

Someone once told me that just because you are an expert in your field doesn’t mean you are a good teacher. At the time I didn’t really understand what that meant, but now it makes perfect sense. You can be the smartest, most knowledgeable person in the world, but if your approach is wrong, all you have to offer will be lost on your students. It is so important to create a space where learners feel safe, included, and motivated. If your approach is wrong, it creates distance between you and your learners and you miss out on so many things a closer relationship with them has to offer. In order to create a meaningful classroom, you have to form meaningful relationships. It does not mean that you should be their best friend, but as their teacher, you should have an idea about what your learners like, how they learn, and have an understanding of where they come from. Showing empathy can go a really long way.

Another important factor in creating a meaningful classroom and forging meaningful relationships is being open to feedback. Just as students use feedback to direct and improve their learning, so should teachers. Why would you not want to know if your approach isn’t working? Your students and co-workers will respect you more if you are open to listening to suggestions without getting defensive or making a big deal about it. I see it in our micro-teaching practices – some people get so defensive and upset if they receive any kind of criticism. It is not a reflection on you as a person and it does not mean you are a bad teacher – it’s simply another tool you can use to create an effective, meaningful learning environment.

Clearly, teaching is hard work, but if you put in just a bit of effort, the reward can be so big.

Teach yourself and become the teacher

All our life we have heard about the importance of education, that it is a powerful tool we can use to change the world and that students should be enthusiastic about learning. How then, in an education system that tends to be oppressive and limiting, are students supposed to gain knowledge and enjoy doing so? Not every student – and not every teacher – fits the mold: there is a lot more to education than just learning what we are told we should know. Herein lays the potential of a new approach to education: self-directed learning.

Self-directed learning entails that the individual takes the initiative and the responsibility for what occurs. Individuals select, manage, and assess their own learning activities, which can be pursued at any time, in any place, through any means, at any age. Learners do not follow a prescribed curriculum, but rather study the subjects they are most interested in, including things that may not be covered in any traditional school subject.

How can this approach to education work in our digital society? In short: Great!

With the digital technology available to us today, self-directed learning has the potential to enrich the lives of students all over the world. They can use the internet to search any topic, use Youtube to watch instructional or educational videos, and learn from experts all over the world using Skype. These are but a few examples of how digital technology can be used, as described by Hamilton (2014), not only as a tool to learn with, but a process to learn through. With the amount of information available, it would be easy for students to direct their own learning and step away from traditional schooling.  In the same way, our available digital technologies could also benefit and promote self-directed distance learning – local and global communities could support and engage each other to facilitate learning everywhere. Even in poorer communities, where schools just have the basics and nothing more to offer students with different ideas about schooling, self-directed distance learning could make a real difference. If they have the access, students could decide to take their education into their own hands and experience more than what a traditional school could ever expose them to.

Students are not just empty vessels and teachers are not all-knowing, and self-directed distance learning could benefit from this idea: students, after studying the subject of their choice, could teach it to other students with similar interests all over the world. In that way, the student becomes the teacher and learning never stops.

Isn’t that exactly what education is supposed to be?