The Magic of Teaching
The ‘Giant Staircase’ in Trieste, Italy that I had to ‘climb’ on my way to kindergarten
Over the last twenty years there has been an abundance of literature published on how people learn.
Such writings provide a number of useful strategies to assist adults to learn. However, these strategies are only tools and their effectiveness is greatly determined by the manner in which they are applied.
If applied in a cold detached manner, inconsiderate of students’ needs or wants, then the strategies may not work well.
However, if applied with integrity and in response to students’ needs, then the outcomes can be indeed magical.
An atmosphere of magic
When teaching is implemented with genuineness, respect and trust, it is as if the whole atmosphere is sprinkled with some magic dust, and when this magic dust touches the students, then everything for them changes: attitudes towards the program, relationships in the group and even beliefs about themselves as learners.
Writers such as Maslow (1968), Carl Rogers (1983) as well more contemporary writers such as Neville (2005), A. Rogers and Horrocks (2010) and Knowles et al. (2012) emphasise that no matter the teaching strategy or content, it is the learning climate and the relationship created by the teacher that is fundamental to successful learning.
As Neville (2005) argues: “Teaching is not about imparting knowledge but about facilitating learning”. In fact now more than ever, students access information through social media, especially the internet.
Nonetheless, even in this era of technology and computerisation, it is the teacher’s relationship with students that is important to effective learning. In a positive relationship, students are influenced by the teacher’s enthusiasm and supported by the teacher’s encouragement and guidance.
Although the foundation of good teaching rests on a positive attitude of the teacher, the ability of the teacher to use a variety of teaching strategies is also important. To augment the teaching, the teacher also needs a toolbox from which the most appropriate strategies can be chosen to meet the students’ learning requirements.