Pedagogy (teaching) and Patience

Intellectuals sometimes have problems teaching because we are sometimes more interested in feeding our own brains rather than taking the time to walk the intellectually laughable through the ropes far below. I think this is also very much linked to the phenomenon that those who love to learn intensely are also sometimes reluctant to have children. We'd rather be studying linguistics and literature than changing diapers.

For those who have mastered the desire to teach, please let us know how you have the patience, and those who do not desire to teach, do you have any questions for those outstanding individuals who do?

Always and impassioned,

Isidro

As long as you think of the members of your class as 'intellectually laughable', you will not succeed as a teacher. Your pupils will quickly discern your contempt for them and will not respond to your attempts to inculcate them with knowledge.

If you think in terms of a continuum of learning, beginning at zero and stretching out into the distance, beyond even the point which you have reached, you will perhaps have more success. Start where your pupils are - they will not be at point zero, even very young children have learned a great deal before they arrive in school - and lead them forward. At first, they may need tiny steps: at every stage, reinforce their successes with your praise and commendation. This success at early stages is vital, they must feel they too can do it and must never feel they are stupid or incapable: if they make mistakes, ask them to think about it again and think about your teaching again, ask yourself at what point did you fail to make the point clear, did you leave something ambiguous, did you assume knowledge on their part that you did not ensure they had. A pupil's failure in these early stages is probably due to your failure as a teacher.

As they progress along this continuum of knowledge, they will acquire more intellectual tools with which to tackle problems. This is the stage at which you as an instructor withdraw a little - when they have the means to work alone, let them, but be close at hand to encourage, commend, guide, supply missing knowledge when appropriate. Further on, point them in the direction which will further their studies, still praising, still commending, still ensuring that the tasks you set them are within the range of their skills, all the time extending their skills, drawing them further along that line of development.

There will come a point at which both you and your pupils will realise that they have travelled far enough along this particular road and it is time for them to move to another area of learning (usually called Getting On With Life) but they should leave you with memories of good learning. Think back to your own teachers - do you think 'I really liked being in Mr X's class' or 'I hated such and such with Miss Z' - and ask yourself why your memories take this form. Then ask yourself how you would like to be remembered by your pupils....

'Education' means 'to lead out' - if you do not like the idea of leading pupils out into the delights of your subject, if you do not like your prospective pupils, think very seriously about your calling as a teacher. If you do not like what you are thinking about, I would ask you to think about the career choice again, not only for yourself but for your pupils as well.

I appreciate that take. I wanted to see where people stood, as I have a degree in teaching and two small kids but I understand the flip side frustration. Do you have a degree in pedagogy or is this your own musings, may one ask?

Hello, isidro - yes, I have a degree in English and Education which does not qualify me to teach in UK and a Certificate in Education which does qualify me to teach - I believe this anomoly has been removed in recent years, typically British to have a contradiction like this!

I taught in Primary Schools - children aged between four and eleven - for twenty-plus years and gave it up only because we moved to live in Wales and at the time the Education Authority for the county in which we lived required that all Primary Education be conducted in the medium of the Welsh language and I did not speak Welsh. They offered to fast-track me through a year's course in Welsh but I was pretty sure I would not be fluent enough to teach to the level I would consider adequate in such a short time - and my subsequent attempts to learn the language have confirmed these misgivings. My husband seized my years of experience in people-management, not to mention my knowledge of where to put the commas and full-stops, and employed me as the office manager in his engineering business. I missed the children but soon discovered some so-called adults are actually still not much more than five years old and respond to much the same kind of cajoling and chivying! :)

Hey there,

I am a full-time English professor at a small community college and have two small children, the youngest of whom is now out of diapers, save pull-ups at night to avoid those laundry-intensive mornings. ;)

I really enjoy teaching, though I sometimes grip about it. But even this griping is mostly for effect and my general love of momentary, half-serious pomp & circumstance.

How do you master the desire to teach? Well, I can't say that I have it mastered, but I do really enjoy the classroom for some of the simplest reasons: I like telling stories and I like listening to stories; I like seeing those students really learn a skill such as writing. And, at times, I'm amused by the apathetic who seem so determined not-to-learn that despite their best efforts at humbugery, they pick up a few skills or enjoy a pleasing hour of thoughtful discourse.

One thing that does help keep me motivated is that, most of the time anyway, I feel that I've never lost my sense of play -- that education is a bit of a game. . . . sometimes a serious game, and sometimes, well, just pleasant diversion.