Lessons for teachers

Being a teacher is very rewarding. I get inner satisfaction and external validation. In addition, I get to learn more as I teach.  I certainly learn more about issues that I teach. However, I also learn about myself as a teacher and about my students. My interactions with students and fellow teachers teach me many things too. I have realized that I follow facilitation style of teaching, and thus have an eye for student’s behaviour and learning styles as well. I tend to discuss this with my fellow faculty time to time.

A visibly upset faculty colleague walked abruptly in my room yesterday. Certain student in the class had diagonally opposite views about the various points of discussion, and that resulted in unpleasant discussion. We spend some time together over tea and discussed things about students, teachers, and student-teacher interactions.  This note is a reflection of my thoughts during and after the interaction.

Every year we get different students. They differ in many aspects; I classify them under following categories: a) Indifferent, b) Inactive learners, c) Active learners, d) Seekers, and e) Disguisers.

 

I categorize students into these categories based on their reason for being in the class, and on their orientation towards life, in general.  However, in more nuanced way, these categories are based on a) their interest in inputs/process/output of learning, b) responsibility of inputs/process/output of learning, and c) power dynamics in learning-teaching processes. Let me explain these in little detail.

• Indifferent: These students are generally disinterested in learning, of any kind.  For them, attending college is mere route to getting a degree so that they can qualify for something, be it job or marriage. These students come to class least interested in anything that happens in the class; be it discussion or didactic lecture. They just sit and enjoy or get bored. They will neither be productive nor be destructive. They appear to be around in the classroom as if being outside was more boring an option.  For them attendance matters because it affects grades. Thus, they present themselves physically in the classroom. However, their involvement starts as well as ends there itself.

• Inactive learners:  Most students belong to this class. It is how our education system nurtures them over 12 years of schooling and 3-5 years of graduation. These students are interested in learning but they will not try to contribute to the classroom in any constructive way.  Most of them are examination oriented. Unlike Indifferent students, they are interested in studies. However, they learn for examination and thus, are curriculum-centric and textbook-focused. They are passive learners; they let things pass and do not act on it. They are mere receivers. They neither participate actively nor contribute proactively. They are at times task-oriented too. They focus only on inputs and outputs. Processes of teaching learning do not matter to them. For them, study and life are two separate matters. They effectively compartmentalize their life into study and non-study parts. They can be different people inside classroom and outside it. They neither actively seek inputs nor they resist when inputs are inadequate. They wait for teachers to feed them and do not ask for any inputs. They are like chatak bird (also called Pied Crested Cuckoo that drinks only rainwater) who would only wait for the rains to come.

• Active learners: They participate actively. They are learning-focused, and take responsibility for learning to happen.  They question. They demand from teachers, and yet helps teachers to teach. They are also like chatak bird, but they do not merely wait. They pray to rain gods for more rains! Beyond Inputs and outputs of teaching/learning, they are interested in process as well.  They do not learn merely for examination. Beyond completion of tasks, they are experience-oriented as well. However, they explore actively within the realm of the subjects, and do not venture beyond boundaries. They are passionate about studies but tend not to philosophize; they do not relate their learning to bigger realities of life. 

• Seekers:  These are diagonally opposite to the plain indifferent. They are students like Rancho of the film 3 idiots. They are interested in any insights that come their way. Every moment is education for them. They always seek education in any form, and of all kinds.  They question. They explore. They inquire. They participate. They contribute. They enjoy it all. They cherish inputs, processes and outcome, and thus, celebrate outcome of teaching learning process.  For these students, learning is not restricted to classroom or even institutes. For them life is a school. They learn anything and from everything, and through anybody. Teachers for them are mere facilitators.  Most of the time these students can become good resource for teachers as they contribute to overall learning. Their knowledge and wisdom sits lightly on them. Thus, they are accessible to students and teachers easily.

• Disguisers: These teachers disguised as students. These students are in ‘5^th September’ mode all the time.   They are very active, but as a teacher and not as a learner. They are always keen to teach. They question, not to explore but to respond. They broadly have no questions, but they have all answers. They make statements in the classroom discussions as if to enlighten their disciples. They are also the ones who challenge teachers in their personal and technical spaces. In addition, if ignored, they would channel their energy to other students in presence of teachers. When they teach students, they remain unchallenged and their urge to teach is fulfilled too.

Teacher-student interaction for efficient learning environment 

Teachers need to manage all their students for effective classroom experience. For that to happen, it is important that students be managed optimally to bring out their best learning experience. Over years, I have realized that as a teacher it is important for me to identify and classify my students to these categories.

As a teacher, I can devote least time to the Indifferent type 1 students. Their existence have administrative purpose. Therefore, I would rather take their attendance and forget them. My efforts to make them interested in learning would rather be a lose-lose situation. Thus, I can very well choose to ignore them, as that would be a win-win situation. If I see glimpses of their efforts to move from being indifferent to an inactive learner, I intervene and work with them.

For Type 2 i.e. the Inactive learners, I would encourage them to participate. They do respond to my persistence. Some of them respond differently to different pedagogies. Many of them actually respond better to impersonal learning over interpersonal learning.  For example, they learn better is tasks of solitary learning such as individual exercises, and are less productive in group-work. Some of them at times needs little cajoling and efforts to build their confidence to participate. They are mere victims of conventional chalk and talk system of teaching where in the teacher is like a sage on the stage. They are new to the idea of teacher being a friend by their side. Therefore, they need little unlearning about how to learn. They can be brought to becoming active learners i.e. Type 3.

Type 3 i.e. Active learners can become important resource for teachers. They help teachers generate interactive classroom environment. They are also available and willing to help inactive learners when invited. Active learners do not have ego issues; they seek and offer help without hassles and thus, they can create optimal interpersonal learning environment. They have some potential of moving towards type 4 i.e. seekers; however, a teacher can only be facilitator in that journey.

Type four and five i.e. Seekers and Disguisers are most talkative in classroom. Both questions but with different attitude and orientation. Both needs to be managed effectively for optimal classroom experience.

Type 4 i.e. Seekers are important source to philosophize the learning. They help connect the dots to a larger picture. When seekers questions, teachers do not feel challenged; they get an opportunity to rise to a higher level of being. Seekers are important resource to a teacher in his/her professional and personal quest of improvement. However, teachers need to balance them well as the teacher can get into one-on-one discussion with them and may forget the rest of the class. Such instances can happen with class 5 too.

The type 5 i.e. Disguisers needs to be dealt with most efficiently.  If a teacher is challenged by type 5 i.e. Disguisers, there is a real fear that the teacher is brought down to the level of students only to be defeated. The teacher’s struggle in this case is to refrain from being carried away in discussion with Disguisers, who can convert the discussion into a series of argument.  If a teacher chooses to get into elaborated arguments with disguisers, s/he not only spend the classroom time unproductively, s/he will end up setting a wrong example to other students. This needs to be cautiously avoided.  Thus, as a teacher, I must learn to deal with the Disguisers constructively.  I would rather listen them carefully. Then, instead of making a counter argument, I must make a counter narrative. I must explain my narrative and then announce my disagreement. In addition, at the same time, I may announce my intention to ‘agree to disagree’ and stop the discussion there itself. This will serve two purposes. First, it will give a clear message that it is OK to disagree and not win/lose an argument. Second, it will reduce influence of disguisers on other students and reestablish my sanctity as a teacher. 

Ultimately, teachers can only manage classroom environment; they cannot control it. Teachers can only teach; they cannot make students learn. Thus, it is important for teachers to optimize the classroom experience for a) improved teaching facilitation and b) increased joy of teaching.  If I can identify students for their strengths and weaknesses, I can bring best out of them not only for them, but for myself as well.