I've moved my blog to WP: idefiningi.wordpress.com
February 15, 2012
professing (v.)
Since last September, I've had a position with the university as a Teaching Assistant for a couple of undergraduate courses. This got me thinking about what teaching is all about. As a recent graduate (and current MPub student), I've known I was taught all my life by others. However, all this teaching business over the last four months has me considering what it means to be on the other side of the equation.
The classes I teach in particular are 300-level publishing and design seminars. One is taught in a computer lab where I offer a weekly abundance of design critiques. In the other, I'm namely a facilitator and overseer of student projects.
All this emphasis on guidance, feedback, collaboration, and discussion has helped me conclude that the line between student and teacher is much thinner than we may realize. (I'm sure, however, Aristotle or some equally inspiring Greek teacher has said the same.)
I'm reminded that learning should always be present regardless of role. Being an expert in something or knowing more than someone else does not make you capable of teaching.
If you don't learn about what your students need, you just can't get through to them - and if you don't let them teach you something every now and then, you won't be the best teacher you can be in the long run. (You probably won't be the best expert, either.)
As with many things in my life, it all conceivably comes back to yoga. And food.
Having taken yoga classes for years now, I've learned a lot from my teachers. One thing that stands out (and it isn't 'how to hold a killer asana') is how significant it is to be our own teacher.
The ability to prepare for a challenge and overcome it (perhaps a neat definition of what it is to learn) comes from within - half of the equation is you.
I can listen to prompts from my yoga mat, watch demos, and memorize sutras; but without a willingness to also learn from myself, I profess, I'll learn little of what I set out to. Our willingness to learn and our willingness to teach are kind of one and the same. By recognizing this ebb and flow, I think we'd all be better teachers and students - of ourselves and each other.
It's tough admitting we're always students - if anything, of our own teaching. It's a constant reminder that there's more to learn (about the world and ourselves) and that enough is never enough. However, good teachers also know this, because they face the same difficulty.
We, as students, should be taught the ingredients, the tools and the techniques - what we cook up is up to us. And to continue with this yummy metaphor, as teachers, we should also learn that there are many different tastes.
So, here's to breaking down the dichotomy of teacher and student. If you are taking part in learning (and not everyone does so consciously), I hope you get your fill by being an avid teacher.
All this emphasis on guidance, feedback, collaboration, and discussion has helped me conclude that the line between student and teacher is much thinner than we may realize. (I'm sure, however, Aristotle or some equally inspiring Greek teacher has said the same.)
I'm reminded that learning should always be present regardless of role. Being an expert in something or knowing more than someone else does not make you capable of teaching.
If you don't learn about what your students need, you just can't get through to them - and if you don't let them teach you something every now and then, you won't be the best teacher you can be in the long run. (You probably won't be the best expert, either.)
As with many things in my life, it all conceivably comes back to yoga. And food.
Having taken yoga classes for years now, I've learned a lot from my teachers. One thing that stands out (and it isn't 'how to hold a killer asana') is how significant it is to be our own teacher.The ability to prepare for a challenge and overcome it (perhaps a neat definition of what it is to learn) comes from within - half of the equation is you.
I can listen to prompts from my yoga mat, watch demos, and memorize sutras; but without a willingness to also learn from myself, I profess, I'll learn little of what I set out to. Our willingness to learn and our willingness to teach are kind of one and the same. By recognizing this ebb and flow, I think we'd all be better teachers and students - of ourselves and each other.
It's tough admitting we're always students - if anything, of our own teaching. It's a constant reminder that there's more to learn (about the world and ourselves) and that enough is never enough. However, good teachers also know this, because they face the same difficulty.
So, here's to breaking down the dichotomy of teacher and student. If you are taking part in learning (and not everyone does so consciously), I hope you get your fill by being an avid teacher.
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