Unit 2 - Who Will I Teach?

This 2nd blog post is going to be a bit of a rant! This unit made reflect on what I believe about the different ages of students I’ve worked with, both as a teacher and a coach. (My background includes working with children as young as four,  all the way to doing work-related training with adults.)

I can’t buy in to Knowles’ assumptions
of Andragogy.  Smith, M.K.  Andragogy - What is it and Does it Help Thinking About Adult Learning? (1996; 1999, 2010.) Retrieved from http://infed.org/mobi/andragogy-what-is-it-and-does-it   To me it describes  a model of good teaching practice in general.  I wrote in the class discussion thread that I felt Androgogy was more reflective of  how we view adults as purposeful consumers of education than of the ability of children. I feel like it casts children into that Tabula Rosa or “empty pitcher” role. It discounts the ability of children to take ownership of their own learning, of their unique life experiences and intrinsic desire to learn. People of all ages profit from experiential learning, collaboration, and the chance to reflect on their learning, not just adults. 

Realistically, if we want lifelong learners, shouldn’t we be preparing students to take ownership of their learning? To find their intrinsic motivation? Shouldn’t all of us be taught to reflect on our experiences and how they inform what we know about the world?  Why wouldn't students be taught to apply their learning to solving problems? 

I’m not advocating a free-for-all here. There are obviously some physical, cognitive, maturity and experience differences across the ages. Curricula and standards determined by licensing bodies determine what is required to be taught in certain circumstances. We need to adjust for those. 

But, those constraints are what make creativity necessary in teachers. Teachers need to find a way to set the stage for students of all ages to have some ownership of their learning, allow for at least some self-direction and build experimental learning, collaboration and reflection into class materials.