I have been noticing on social media that there seems to be a great deal of criticism of others regarding their thoughts on teaching and the methods they use. It seems to be very “in” to point out what some colleagues are calling “myths” but which others of us find to be valuable background information to encourage motivation and learning in the classroom. Recently an exchange included colleagues claiming that they don’t connect with people who use particular words in describing their work, a statement which I found baffling. As we are all individuals (hopefully no one can argue that point), it makes sense that we all develop our own styles of teaching and our own ways to help learners feel comfortable in our classrooms and motivated to continue their path to learning with us.
This post therefore contains several questions to ponder.
If a method or idea works for one person but not another, is that really a problem?
Is there only one correct way to teach a language and if so, is there only one correct way to learn one?
What purpose does it serve to tear down colleagues and their ideas?
Do we all have to do things in the same way?
Are colleagues who try out new ideas causing problems for other colleagues?
These are the questions which often come to mind when I read such posts and perhaps help to explain why I don’t understand the point behind them. Especially in today’s global world filled with so many issues that affect us and which we have no control over, my hope would be to see colleagues learning from each other and sharing ideas rather than saying from the outgo that they can’t possibly work. Especially in the freelance environment I have been working in for decades, if we don’t meet the needs of our clients, we find ourselves with very little work. Therefore experimenting and working towards common ideas seems to me to be the way forward. I don’t think it is necessary to take every idea I hear and apply it but there may be parts of it that I can adapt to my situation and my learners. I truly hope that we as educators can continue to be life-long learners and that we all find a way to continue to develop both as teachers and as people. Empathy and support for others, taking interest in the ideas of colleagues, trying new things out, and eventually picking and choosing what works for us seem to me to be the way forward in our profession and for us as part of a global community.
Learner as Teacher 