Teacher –student metaphor: Sheepdog and grazer/wanderer:
I believe that students are depending on the
teacher to guide them to the right pastures of awareness and knowledge. As
teachers we take the time to filter through extensive information and various
resources, summarize key points that the students need, before it is presented
to them. The pastures are the information patches that we as teachers have
meticulously assembled for the class.
Students are given limited time to graze through the information.
In the large scheme
of learning, teachers are trusted by the students to nudge and forge them
ahead in to a safe zone. The pastures provided are more open ended so that
they have access to other resources. In medical education, anatomy is one of the
many pastures the students will graze and explore through; thus as a guide, I
would like to direct them to nourishing pastures. Once they have a chance a
feed on the pastures, it is my duty, similar to that of a sheep dog, to direct
them to a study area where they can digest the new information, interact with
co-learners, have open discussions, and prepare for the next stage.
Sheepdogs are known for their bravery in taking risks, if
need be, to ensure that the flock is safe. As a teacher, I am willing to try out
new teaching methods and take the risk of a new approach. This new approach may
or may not work. However, I am willing to put myself out there and test the
waters. I am dedicated to the learning needs to be achieved in my field and
understand fully well how it fits into the curriculum of medical education.
Like the sheepdog, I like to allow free range of thinking and space but, if and
when they go astray, I will be the first one to go searching for them. This
search may sometimes prove challenging but I would still be the advocate for
the student that needs the extra help, which, I am more than happy to offer.
As grazers, the focus is not always on quality but on
quantity. At times a toxic plant could look more appealing and the grazers may
forget to follow direction, and chase the inappropriate senses. More often student focus on the results than the learning itself.
Students may be tempted to fill their projects with irrelevant information to
make it seem well researched. Students want the best out of the program and
tend to measure the exam results as a testimony of their learning. The true
learning is in the path/s they chose, and in the connections they make with the different
pieces of information gathered.
Students are aware of the authority exercised by the sheepdog, and heed to the call
when asked to think from a different angle. They understand that moving on is
part of the learning that takes them to the various stages of their education.
Students respect the safe environment to openly discuss various issues that they
feel may be encountered in practice of their careers.
Thus, as a teacher, I see myself as a sheep dog and my
students as grazers.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteYour metaphor seems really comprehensive and you've thought about this from a lot of angles. I'm interested in your statement about 'true learning' and how this is defined, measured, and communicated to students.
Jules
OK, now I have lost 2 of my comments. Guess I did not read the 'robot' item properly! I too chose the shepherd dog metaphor for myself but pictured the students differently. To a large degree I believe that my students have choice regarding what they see as 'edible' or not. My job as a shepherd is to ensure that they have a 'safe' (safer?) choice in my presence...and protect them as much as I am able while they make their decision (to learn or not to learn, ah that is the question to paraphrase Shakespeare!)
ReplyDeleteAnna, you've really been developing this metaphor since our discussion! Nice work. :)
ReplyDeleteThe description of the teacher as sheepdog really caught my attention, especially, I think, because of the way you phrased it. There is an emphasis on duty and responsibility in your metaphor -- and you've thought a bit about how those duties should affect your practice. I wonder how we know what our duties are as teachers/sheepdogs. Are they just obvious implications of the role we're supposed to play? If so, we would all agree on what they are. But do we? Are some of these duties more essential than others? Could there be disagreements regarding some of them?
Jules' comment got me thinking. What are the differences between 'true" learning and other (false?) kinds of learning? How could we determine which kind of learning students were experiencing? How would we figure out how to facilitate "true" learning rather than the other kinds?
I liked the way Lyn highlighted the student choice aspect of the metaphor -- there may be a variety of plants in any given pasture, and grazers will not eat all of them. Somehow they learn to distinguish which ones are nutritious or edible or tasty, or . . .. How could we transfer this notion into teaching and learning?
Anna, your metaphor really captured me and I found myself nodding in agreement with your multiple perspectives on teaching / learning.
ReplyDeleteVigilence is what I envisioned a sheepdog doing as it oversees it's charges just as a teacher watches and guides his/her students. I also saw a green Welsh pasture with stoney 'fences' which give the students boundaries and even a sheepgate as the graduands'"stage-walk" allowing entrance to the wider world.
Jules' query re: true learning could pertain to the sheepdog's lessons which could travel with the students if they have gleaned wisdom in their grazing. A stomach full of clover giving energy / a head full of "true" transferable learning (versus a vomitus mass of facts).
Lyn's and Prof Michael's view of the noxious weeds could be analogous to poor quality "hearsay" (aka wicked-pedia) versus valid and reliable meta-analyses research data.
Graze on fellow sheep! Sheepdogs Pierre and Michael are ever vigilent!
baaad puns... sorry! :{
Thank you all for the thought provoking insights.
ReplyDeleteJules, You question about true learning caught my attention and I that has been a topic even when we discussed what we expect university education to do for the individual and for the community. I believe, learning is on-going process that working on our inner being, it modulates, adjusts and readjusts depending on the situation we are in. The changes maybe slight or diverse but definitely profound.
Lynn, eventually one can only lead the horse to the water...I agree the choice of plants/edible or not is up to them. But could we deweed the pastures by directing their search for education with asking the right questions or challenging them appropriately?
Micheal, I have never thought about a false learning, but since you asked, maybe it does exist and if I were to make an attempt to define it. Brainwashing would be my idea of false learning. Another degree of false learning would be maybe superficial learning (eg. a doctor/nurse who preaches hygiene but does not bother to wash their hands between patients).