university.nae.school
A child’s mind is more complex than we may imagine. A surprisingly common response to Azul’s question was ‘a great teacher loves to learn’, and this is something children don’t get to see regularly enough in the classroom. We need to understand that kids need to be inspired through the idea that learning is important. So how could you go about this practically? Show curiousity and a willingness to learn with your students, ask for their advice and even demonstrate examples of problems you yourself do not know the answer to and ask for their help.
Azul illustrates a fact that I think will resonate with a lot of us. What did your parents teach you when you were younger than you still know how to do to this day? Think why you still know this, and the environment in which you learned to do it. It could be as simple as riding a bike or how to read through discovering the first book you ever loved. Did you learn this in a classroom? No, nobody spelled it out to you with chalk and blocks of text, following it up with an examination - you knew that the teacher wasn’t disengaged, following a monotonous script to teach something they themselves aren’t highly keen on teaching. We as teachers need to listen to our students and engage with them on a level that ultimately removes the hierarchical nature of the classroom. When a student doesn’t turn in their homework on time and says ‘sorry, I tried’, what should we do? Simply telling them it’s unacceptable is insufficient, we need to pay attention to the details. That particular pupil has told you they ‘tried’ – so ask where the problem lies and explore different means of resolving that problem.
To conclude, the message here is to pay attention to your students. Remove that invisible barrier that defines and separates you as the teacher and the child as the pupil. Listen to what is being said and read between the lines, and you might find that you go from being a good, to a great teacher.
David Docherty
Programme Officer for NAU
Education Team