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Being a learner
— Reflection on learning French...
2009年2月28日
英語教育エッセイ
国内外で活躍する英語教育業界関係者によるエッセイコーナー
英語教育
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 「英語教育」2009年3月号（大修館） → 目次はこちら → 定期購読はこちら From "The English Teachers' Magazine" March 2009 Vol.57 No. 13 (Taishukan) Joseph Shaules Many years ago, I was an inexperienced teacher working at a small conversation school. One of the warm-up activities I did was a role-play in which students would shake hands, introduce themselves and do small talk. Though I designed this activity to be simple and fun, when I demonstrated it with my students, I discovered that their palms were often sweaty. They were quite nervous. But I hadn't realized that my activity was stressing them so much! Upon reflection, I realized that I was busy thinking about my activities and lesson plans and had forgotten the pressures of being a student. I was thinking about what students were doing and forgetting the experience of being a learner. Sweaty palms in FrenchI believe that I can only be a good teacher if I am also a learner.Years after my hand-shaking activity I had an experience which reminded me of this. I decided ― in my mid-thirties ― to start learning French. I was a total beginner and so had to start from zero. What a shock! After years of confidently telling students what to do, I found myself once again in a classroom as a student. I had to memorize verb endings, study vocabulary lists, practice pronunciation ... and it was stressful! Simply not knowing the correct answer was a humiliation. I was not being graded and the other students didn't really care about my performance. Also, I was an adult with years of classroom experience. Yet there I was with sweaty palms! By putting myself in the position of the learner I learned a lot about myself as a teacher. Teaching versus learningWhen a teacher stands in front of students, he or she is the center of attention. The teacher controls who does what, when they do it, and how they do it. The teacher asks the questions and has the answers. The teacher is like the god of a small universe.My experience learning French reminded me that the goal of teaching isn't teaching. It's learning. And I cannot make students learn ― I can only create an environment which encourages learning. So I must look inside my students to understand the learning process. Unfortunately, while teaching day to day, it's easy to get caught up in the routine tasks of lesson planning, teacher meetings, grading exams, etc. By continuing with our own learning, we are less likely to forget the learning process within our students. Lessons learnedMy experience learning French reminded me of some basic, yet important points.１） It's easy to give up. I wanted to stop after only a few French classes. I continued only out of stubborn pride. Now I have much more sympathy for my students who were discouraged with English learning. This made it easier not to blame my students when class doesn't go well. ２） Silence is golden. I had forgotten how much silent time learners need to work out answers in their heads. When the teacher pushed too quickly for correct answers, I panicked and my learning stopped. In my classroom, this helped me be less afraid of silence. ３） Compliments are nice but ... My teacher often gave compliments such as "Very good!" that sounded artificial. A little praise at the right time is powerful but false praise is destructive. Now I am more careful about giving compliments out of habit. ４） Teach me how to study! Some of the most useful lessons from my French teacher weren't about French. She taught us simple but effective techniques for using flashcards, MP3 recorders, and better note-taking techniques. I sometimes forget that students need guidance in learning how to learn. ５） Everyone learns differently. In my teaching, I often assumed that the studying and learning techniques that worked for me would work for everyone. It's not true. My French class reminded me the importance of doing a wide range of activities suited to different learning styles and personalities. The learner as "expert"My experience as a French learner also helped me develop more fully as a professional. For example, when I present at professional conferences, I feel nervous. But I realized that this stress was caused by my feeling that I needed to be an "expert" in order to give a good presentation.I decided, however, to look at this challenge from the learner's point of view. I ask myself, "What do I have to 'study' to prepare for my presentation?" "How should I practice to get ready?" And I accept that, as with any "test" it's normal to be nervous. And I use this approach with articles for academic journals. This is a written "test" rather than a spoken one. And the "grade" I get is acceptance into the journal. Focusing on myself as a learner has helped me get over the idea that I should always be confident and have the right answers. The best way to keep developing one's skills and career is to keep learning. Being a learner with my studentsOver recent years, I have found that looking at myself as a learner has brought me closer to my students. I talk to them about my professional activities. They understand the stress of being evaluated and performing in front of others. They encourage me and ask how things went. This creates an equality between us. The student-teacher relationship becomes less centered on power and more on learning.Finally, seeing myself as a learner has helped me realize a lesson about control and responsibility. It's clear that I cannot make students learn. At some point, they are responsible for opening themselves to new knowledge. （My job is to make this easier for them.） In the same way, in my own life and teaching I am responsible for me. The satisfaction of teaching doesn't come from standing in the center of everything and having all the answers. It comes from being open to new things. It comes from taking chances. It comes from a willingness to try hard. It comes from being a learner. |
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「英語教育」2009年3月号 |
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