“In building trust for
a 3S disciplinary community, we strive to loosen the cultural boundaries that
impose limits on democratically oriented ways of being with each other. On
purpose, we create priorities that demand alternative foci for study and stand
in contrast to the ones prevailing in current school reform efforts” (Henderson
et al., 2015, p. 74).
à How do you develop trusting relationships
between teachers and students that eliminate hierarchy? Are there any cultural
boundaries that stand in the way of building democratic atmosphere between
teachers and students? If yes, what are they?
I think in my practice there must be a difference between the teacher and student. If PI teachers and students are treated the same way, it will be a chaos. as a PI teacher I have to act like the coach and the students have to follow and listen. i work with young students, so if I lose their control, I can't manage my classes.
ReplyDeleteJeong,
DeleteI understand what it means to have a class with a lot of younger kids. Is it possible to entrust your students with certain tasks? Is it possible to give them choices, instead of always monitoring them and telling them what to do?
I think it depends on the age and level of the students. For example, if you teach MA students, you may choose to build close relationship with them since they are adult enough to distinguish between study and friendship. On the other hand, younger students might be treated professionally if you would like to manage and control your classes.
ReplyDeleteMeshari,
DeleteI see that age can make a huge difference in deciding how to treat your students. What about culturally diverse classrooms? Would you say that cultural diversity can be an obstacle to building a democratic learning environment?
Actually, the relationship between students and teachers, I should say, is somehow critical and sensitive. In ESL teaching environments, there might be some cultural boundaries, but I would like to talk about this in the light of my experience. Where I taught, there are merely cultural boundaries. Students are treated equally. Speaking about relationships with students, I would really choose class activities as a way to strengthen a friendly relationship with students. Students, in fact, would feel comfortable being surrounded by teachers in class. Activity-based lessons are always the best solution for teacher to follow. Being hard on students when delivering the lesson would make it not possible for students to accept or be comfortable with the teacher. "Smile all the time,” this my secret weapon to break down hierarchy between me and my students. So, keep it up TEACHERS.
ReplyDeleteI see that you connect democracy to building friendly relationships. I also like your idea of using cheerfulness as a strategy to engage students and eliminate hierarchy in class.
DeleteI think to be honest, hierarchy is a given in all sorts of government work and overall in Moroccan culture. I'm not a pessimistic critic, but I'm just an honest observer. It's something that we cannot get rid of easily. This culture of hierarchy gets passed on to the classroom, and therefore as a teacher you have to play that card to make sure students follow the lesson. Also, as a female teacher, I have two choices: to be firm or to be lenient. If I choose the second option, I will definitely suffer especially working with teenagers, so being firm and serious is a must in my case. All in all, I don't think hierarchy in the classroom is a bad thing while culturally speaking it is acceptable. I think the classroom is a microcosm of society. I cannot expect my students to do something that is not what they do everyday outside in their daily life.
ReplyDeleteMariam,
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible to develop a trusting relationship that does not involve sustaining hierarchy in the classroom. If trust between teacher and students is mutual, hierarchy is not needed to achieve your teaching goals. I also think trying to sustain hierarchy is a defense mechanism that teachers rely on to ensure order and discipline in the classroom. That is not the purpose of teaching and definitely should not be the role of the teacher. Otherwise, the teacher's role will be reduced to that of a police officer who is in the classroom to make sure students are under control. I believe education should transcend hierarchy, control, management, and discipline to be about more meaningful, substantial values.