How to generate meaningful involvement in the classroom

Sit down, keep quiet, do your work, be still, get involved, concentrate, do not do that!

Teachers often resort to managing their group of learners by giving instruction after instruction, which creates military style obedience that is due to fear rather than respect. At the end of the day, is that what we would like for our learners?

It may be more difficult and require more creativity, however allowing learners some leeway in the classroom and approaching situations in a positive and encouraging manner will not only show them that you respect and trust them, but will stimulate their involvement in class.

Military style management of a classroom or even a school will make learners fearful of stepping a toe out of line or giving an incorrect answer. When teachers are strict and set boundaries for creativity, learners immediately shut off and hide their true opinions and thoughts. Teachers often then get frustrated when none of the learners feel free to open up or give their opinions, but the teachers have created this environment themselves.

I truly believe that if we want to get our learners involved in a lesson, we ought to create a positive environment and allow them a degree of freedom. This will in turn lead them to respect you as an educator and they will not take advantage when given space to be creative. You can form a mutual trust, where the learners respect you, because you have shown them trust.

This will produce a classroom where learners feel free to get involved and speak openly. Learners will be willing to participate and communicate with the teacher their peers.

This should be the goal of all teachers, to make their pupils involved, not by forcing them but rather by making them want to be involved.

When a learner has chosen, on his or her own accord, to contribute to the lesson, this is when meaningful involved in attained. 

Do we still need teachers?

Sticking with the overall theme of digital pedagogy, this weeks blog will argue the potential of tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning. We use two sources, namely: The Independent Project film and Hamilton (2014). These two sources allow us to think about the pros and cons of tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning.

The Independent project is an extremely inspiring and motivating film. It makes tech-mediated, self-directed learning look like the answer and the way forward in terms of education. The learners in the film have found their passion on their own and as a result have flourished. When the learners found something they were interested in, they did the research themselves using the technology they had at their disposal. 

Historically, school is a place where learners go to learn the same stringent subjects, year after year. Although these subjects are important, they seldom spark a passion in learners. The schooling system doesn’t afford learners the opportunity to explore their own identities and follow their own interests.

I found it fascinating that on their own, learners managed to create wonderful things and went above and beyond what we as educators would think they are capable of. This leads me to believe that if we allow learners to explore, they will return having found something of interest to them, and would have engaged more with this topic than they would with the school curriculum.

“Choose a job you love and you never have to work a day in your life.”

~Confucius

Personally, I never knew what I wanted to do when I left school and perhaps I still don’t. I wish I had been afforded the opportunity to participate in the Independent Project.

However, there is a need for supervision in tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning. The Independent Protect still occurred in a school setting and perhaps this aided in its’ success. I specifically think that younger learners need guidance in order to become effective users of this medium of learning. If distance learning is so successful, the need for educators becomes redundant. I personally believe that if a teacher can be successfully replaced by tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning then they deserve to be. However, an educator who can master the art of creating a space for engagement with a topic, all the while inspiring, motivating and generating true interest- such an educator will prove that face-to-face teaching and learning is still far more valuable than tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning.