What makes a someone a good teacher? We can all think of an example one way or the other, a teacher that was so spectacular that we wanted to learn or a teacher that was so terrible that learning was miserable. But what was the ethos behind these experiences?
Brookfield posits that there are four assumptions about skillful teaching (2015). I believe we should "start at the very beginning (a very good place to start") (Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1965). The first assumption being that "skillful teaching is whatever helps students learn" (p.13).
Personally, I LOVE this! To me, teaching is an art form that, much like my grade 10 poem about dogs that contained no punctation, cannot be forced to follow standardized rules. There is a room for freestyling.
Brookfield's example about leaving a classroom to allow alumni the freedom to share their experiences was very relatable, as establishing credibility is a critical first step for me in helping students learn (2015). Credibility in teaching is like building trust in a relationship.
So how can I help students learn? I must admit, my tendency is to provide direction and answers in order to expedite the learning process. A strategy could be allowing students to search for their own information by creating worksheets and helping them become critical thinkers rather than information receivers. Here are five tips for creating curious classrooms: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_cultivate_curiosity_in_your_classroom
References
Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Greater Good Magazine. (September 15, 2018). How to Cultivate Curiosity in Your Classroom. Greater Good Science Center. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_cultivate_curiosity_in_your_classroom
Rodgers, R., & Hammerstein, O. (1965). Do-Re-Mi. On The Sound of Music [Audio recording]. RCA Victor.
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