What is Teaching?

Personally I prefer the term Learning Manager to Teacher for the simple reason that I have a fairly concrete picture of a teacher in my mind, based on my own early schooling, and it really doesn’t mesh very well with what I now believe a teacher to be. I see a teacher as someone who facilitates learning, who cares what, and indeed whether, students are learning, who cares about and values difference, who communicates well and who respects their students.

My years of schooling were definitely the type where the focus was on what the teacher was doing ie. teaching in the task sense. I see the teaching profession as having changed (or maybe it’s just my perception of it!!) in that there is now a real focus on achievement in helping others learn. I believe that students are learning all the time, even when they aren’t aware of it, but harnessing that natural ‘sponginess’ in young people, and directing it into the classroom can be a complex process.

Learning managers can look at the teaching process as circular in that the end is considered at the beginning and throughout the learning journey. Outcomes are factored into the teaching/learning process and there is a focus on achievement, “Did the students really understand today’s concepts/ topic/ subject matter?”, “How can I be sure?”, “If not, what can I do differently?”

I recall a learning experience where the company accountant suggested I should take on the task of balancing the trust account. I had no idea what was required in this task, and asked him to explain it to me. He lectured and lectured me, assuming I knew the meanings of financial terms and methods to use. I had no idea as I had no experience in accounting. His attitude seemed to be that everyone should know the basics, but I didn’t! He didn’t want to check that I understood the concepts before moving on. His lecturing manner and intimidation prevented me from grasping these concepts and learning anything. I then decided to go back to the beginning and asked a colleague to explain it in small steps. This person allowed me to move slowly, ensured that I understood each step before progressing and also allowed me to practice the calculations. In time, I was able to really master the trust accounting and years later, the same accountant who tried to bully me into learning told me it was one of the best he had ever audited! No thanks to him!

The difference in the teaching methods was extreme, the accountant was the professional, but couldn’t impart his knowledge ( and had no interest in whether or not I was "getting" it), whilst the colleague had plenty of experience in the subject, but no training and actually cared about my learning.
Best
Mia