True pedagogy

Pedagogy is not about directing children. Nor is it, in Brennan's terms 'concerned with the work or art of being a teacher.' Those are mere glimpses of the reality, and only a part of a larger equation. In its absolute form, pedagogy is not just about teaching. It does not simply concern itself with the 'delivery' of education or content. In the truest sense, teaching is just one element of pedagogy and not the entire story.

Pedagogy focuses on the learner and what they are capable of achieving.

Previously I wrote about the origins of the word pedagogy, and how it can be appropriated into current practice. Pedagogy is about leading learners to the place of education. What does this mean for teachers today?

Pedagogy certainly doesn't require us to drip feed students with content and it is far removed from the harmful and relentless testing of children in schools. Much of the content you and I learnt, and were tested on in school was often lost from our memories days, or even hours after the exam. It is the deeper learning, formed through personal interest, experimentation and reflection, that remains. Pedagogy, when practised appropriately, is about creating environments in which students can learn for themselves, and pursue their curiosity. Pedagogy is about ensuring that students are motivated to succeed in their learning, and it is about providing them with the best possible tools, resources and contexts in which this can be realised.

Teachers have an important role to play in the pedagogical process, but they are often just the ignition point. Inspirational teachers are catalysts for lifelong learning, but they cannot do the learning for their students. Think back - which teachers inspired you to learn, and does their influence still inspire you today? And yet it was you who did the learning. It was you who made the effort to learn and to develop the skills and competencies you now own.

Pedagogy in the purest form describes the leading of students to a place where they can learn. In today's digital age, that learning can be any time, any place, and at a pace that suits each individual. Students already carry the tools to be able to do this. Banning these tools from the classroom has a similar effect to removing an artist's paint and brushes. A wiser decision would be for schools to explore safe, appropriate and effective use of mobile personal technologies to maximise learning. True pedagogy would recognise the opportunities that exist and exploit them. As teachers, we need to appreciate the diversity of learning opportunities that now afford themselves, and adapt our practices accordingly. That will mean standing back and letting students discover for themselves, monitoring their progress, and intervening when necessary.

Reference
Brennan, R. (2003) 'One size does not fit all': The pedagogy of online delivery of VET in Australia. In H. Guthrie (Ed.) Online Learning Research Readings. Leabrook: NCVER.

Photo by Kecia85 on Flickr


True pedagogy by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.