Teacher Learner: We Must Also Learn Published 2008-05-21 under creativity, leadership, professional+development

One of the most rewarding moments in teaching for me was when I had the opportunity to tutor a student in Algebra II.

One of the most rewarding moments in teaching for me was when I had the opportunity to tutor a student in Algebra II. My approach was fairly simple; each afternoon I would have him teach me the topics addressed in his class that day. I was teaching Algebra I then and was not necessarily familiar with the topics of his class. Thus, his efforts to teach me were not just a trick, I was learning (or re-learning) the topics.

My approach forced the student to reflect on the topics which in itself is a powerful teaching tool. But I would offer that my role as learner and the respect I showed to the student's teachings was a principal component behind the success of our tutoring experience.

I have been reading about the use of case studies as a teaching method and came across an essay by Charles Gragg titled "Teachers Also Must Learn". His basic premise is that the best teachers exhibit a attitude of being willing to learn from their students.

The teacher who has given up the art of learning from his students should also give up the practice of learning.

... how can he lead his students to undertake for their own parts the creative interpretation of knowledge? The answer lies in part at least in the ability of the teacher to listen to his students, not with a view to appraising them, correcting their mistakes, and filling in the gaps in their knowledge, but rather in the constant and true expectation of learning something.

from Teaching and the Case Method: Text, Cases, and Readings

Boy, if I think how I listen to my students, it is almost always with the air of the learned one ("the teacher") and infrequently as the one trying to learn. This could be explained by egotism, lack of confidence, lack of respect for the student, or just a traditionalist view of the relationship between teacher and student.

This points out the how important the art of listening is to the successful teacher.

The funny thing is that I started this blog with two purposes: an opportunity to reflect on ideas and to learn from this community of educators. Why shouldn't I expect to learn from students as well?

Tech Tags: education learning respect leadership