Teaching and Learning

When does teaching not lead to learning?

Teaching does not lead to learning if teaching is ‘feeding to know’:

  • teachers are not very passionate about the subject they teach
  • teachers are not role models, e.g., a teacher is often unfair
  • teachers don’t seek/provide student-centered learning materials/notes
  • teachers don’t make assessments, evaluation, performance reporting as formative tools
  • teachers are not good story tellers and communicators (needed for math and music teachers also)
  • teachers are not proficient in the language of academics
  • teachers expect no mistakes in homework/assignments; ‘model, definitive answers’ in exams
  • teachers use very limited variations in teaching content, resources and aids
  • teachers are not equally focused on the ‘last child’ in every class
  • teachers don’t closely work together on every class, across all subjects (no subject is taught in isolation)

This aforementioned listing is an attempt to point to the more important dysfunctional teaching processes and resources.

To be true, teaching and learning are two different things and good teaching and good learning happen in two different beings! One measure (that of learning) cannot be a proxy for the other (teaching), several things come into play. The only thing which connects the two is how well the teachers know the core task – being a good coach of learning. All kinds of content (including use of technology) can be picked up along the way.

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