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.