apcampbell

Susan Marandi brings up an excellent question concerning classroom learning environments:

In most of these talks, discussions, and conferences, I’ve received the impression that “teaching” is nowadays a no-no, and that classes should be run differently so as to encourage student empowerment, decision-making, etc. Of course, all our textbooks say the same, so it’s no surprise to me, and to a large extent I agree, **but** I have to be totally honest and say that when I look back on my own learning experience, a lot of my best teachers were exactly that: *teachers* (in the traditional sense). I mean, they were authoritative and the center of the class, and very much in charge. So I find myself wondering: Is that necessarily bad? Isn’t this the old pendulum case all over again? I mean, it’s not necessarily true that new ideas are always better than old ones, is it? I’d guess that each has their merits and demerits, and that very often it’s just a matter of knowing when to use which method rather than clinging to one or the other.

No good, no bad, just THIS. I think the question is rather, what kind of society do you want to live in? Do you want a society where average citizens look to authority figures and powerful institutions to validate their knowledge and decide for them how they will live and think and act? Do you want to live in that kind of social environment? Or would you prefer a society where individuals each have a strong sense of autonomy and interdependence in combination with a sharp faculies of critical awareness and commitment to cooperation?

I prefer the second, the kind where a healthy democracy can actually flourish. We can only bring this into being if teachers are willing to let go of the reigns of control, encourage cooperation, and allow students to develop their own sense of power and to become their own authorities. Do away with grades and competitive structures. In fact, lets annihilate the student/teacher realtionship so as to allow communities of learners to emerge. All people have something of value to offer the community as a result of pursuing their bliss. The more our classrooms resemble these organic, living, breathing, loosely defined communities; the more our societies of the future have a chance to mirror them. Perhaps then, the community will become part of each person’s sense of self, so that sharing with the whole is as natural as being selfish is now for the egotistical self contained in these temporary little bundles of flesh and bones. The end of our bodies is near, so what kind of world will we leave behind?
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