Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,

Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

-Claude McKay

2020 is going to be my sixth year studying at a university level and the anecdotes and lessons I’ve accrued over these years are so many that it is difficult to choose just one aspect to address for this particular issue. Nonetheless, since we’re starting a new year soon, I find appropriate to look retrospectively at the educational systems I’ve been part of and gift you an insight or two on education. Of course, since education is indeed a rather broad topic, I’ll focus this time on the role of student and the role of the professor. I hope there’s something in my truth that resonates with yours. Enjoy!

A Brief Look at my Journey in Education

For four years of my life, I attended a university which lectures were the longest. I had classes that lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes like “Introduction to Linguistics,” and I had literature courses that lasted 1hour and 45mins. In both cases, as you may imagine, I was bored to death because there isn’t anything more exhausting than having to give your sustained attention for such a long time. I’m sure this would be the common sentiment! Then, my trajectory follows that in my fifth year, when I went to a Midwestern college in the United States, I was enchanted with the idea of having classes that would last less than an hour. Imagine that! Every class lasted 50 minutes: Imagine the time I would have to spare and focus on other “important things.” Oh, the naivety of some students; of course, it came with a catch.

I soon realized that, even though the lectures were shorter, I always had all my time booked: readings, assignments, journals, essays… everything back to back. What’s more I could only go to classes if I had read the material prior to it because if not, I knew I’d just lose my time and the professor’s. I remember something I feared was going to classes, being put on the spot with a required-reading question and answer something completely unrelated, making quite visible the fact that I had not read. Nonetheless, being this busy all the time, always working, and always reading made me feel like every time I spoke up in class, I had an important point to make. I had ground to support my arguments on!

Shortly thereafter, I began thinking why I hadn’t felt like that many times before in my four years of education. I realized that the biggest difference between the Latin American system and the North American was the spoon-fed information in the form of lectures I was used to receiving. In other words, while back home I could just attend a lecture, sit and “hear” all the information be recited to me, I needn’t do anything prior to the class. The times I did, it was because I actually was into the topic. Otherwise, just attendance, information recording and information regurgitating in the exam would suffice. However, while abroad, I had to do most of the job myself: do close readings; draw the connections, speculate and prepare for a class discussion. I’d only go to lectures to consolidate my ideas further and hear other people’s.

The Role of Students

Throughout the process of understanding myself as a student, I realized I had agency on the matter, that I could go against the professor’s opinion and it needn’t be wrong. More importantly, what I must admit this experience taught me is that the professor is not the sole authority of the classroom or the knowledge source. Indeed, most of the discussion in classrooms was guided by us, students. It was us debating as if it was politics on the verge of a war, and the professor would only mediate, recap, recreate and problematize the discussion. It was astounding! With enough time, I realized that if I am brave enough to make the effort of branching out to different subjects and teaching things to myself, I’d have no limit.

In retrospect, I realized that it wasn’t the extension of the lecture that made me the biggest harm and, as I just said, “bored me to death” but rather, it was the role as a student I had: I was too passive. After all, who likes sitting on a chair with the chin resting on the palms of the hands and for such a long time without being asked to do anything other than listening? It’s just not in our nature! At points, I even wished classes were longer so we could cover more aspects in the classroom, yet truly, I can tell that the real change came from the role I was allowed to have within the educational system; I might be “pressed to the wall,” but I’d certainly “fight back.”

The Role of Professors

A second remarkable insight I got from the experience directly addresses the role of the teacher. For all of us who want to be educators, this stance of passively seeing “chaos” unravel in the classroom among students while one is redirecting ideas and creating something even more enigmatic with those ideas is definitely the goal to achieve! I truly believe that taking this stance can empower students so that they experience that awakening of their intrinsic lotus of motivation. If you think about it, it resembles what an orchestra director does: despite being in front and standing out, s/he’s just directing, while the orchestra, with their numerous voices and tones, create and reshape the sonorous articulation of intelligence. Wouldn’t you agree?

By no means, do I intend to say one can do this with all classes and that it is rather achievable with every single subject. I understand that there are classes where the learner’s knowledge is very limited and not much discussion can be achieved. Complementary, I also understand that in certain contexts, even though one may feel empowered, one just desires to hear the professor for s/he is the most knowledgeable source of information, and the most experienced. Nonetheless, I do trust it is a priceless experience to give to the students and that all of us should go through if we want to make a difference in teaching humanities. Finally, the following are certain tactics to foster empowerment in the classroom that I saw working on me and some others that I’ve read and found true in practice. If you’re a teacher or planning to become one, it doesn’t harm to read forward.

Shut up and Listen!

It’s really easy to want to fill in the silence with unnecessary words. This happens to me when I’m teaching something and don’t get an answer to my questions right away. I think it’s important to remember that silence can also mean work. Students minds might be processing information, and they require you to shut up; they need you to stop throwing information at them so that they can think, so let silence invade your class. Simultaneously, silence is a big portion of the diffidence students exhibit, so it understandably becomes something very difficult to break, to cut through. This takes me to the second tactic.

Break the Group into Smaller Groups

By dividing the classroom in this fashion, one diminishes the emptiness silence creates thus making it easier to break for all students. This also forces them to speak more and have a more active role in what some people call the “social construction of knowledge” (Constructivist Classroom). Small groups can be anything from a neighboring partner to 4 people. What’s more, in an even more empowering scenario, we can remember the words of Kant: “the danger is not in fact so great, for by a few falls they would eventually learn to walk; but an example of this kind makes them timid and usually frightens them away from any further attempt” (episode 62). This group-making creates a safe space where if students fall, they will be safe, and with the help of the professor’s validation, they will be able to get up confidently and try again and again. Resilience is built in close proximity with the experience that is so fiercely feared: failure.

Assent and Validate the Comments You Get

When in the brainstorming of all the ideas that were conversed, we need to come closer to students, so sit! Physically equal yourself to your students so that they don’t feel you’re superior in any way. Moreover, every time you get an answer, validate it, say “good point,” “I hadn’t thought of it that way…” etc., phrases like this do SO MUCH more than just “yeah, that’s interesting, what else? Anyone?” The latter phrase just dissipates the thoughtful articulation of a student in the air of lecturer’s grand ideas, but we have to nurture them their thinking and give credit to their ideas.

Yes, I understand that lecturers have long been in intertextual conversations with astounding, long-dedicated minds (scholars’) to ideas and concepts, but I believe there’s a balance to be achieved. We have to make students understand there’s value in what they say, even beyond proving the point that we have been reading +20 academic articles on the subject.

What’s more, if you really need to let them know about an idea articulated by a scholar, why don’t you walk them through the process and guide them to form the picture themselves? That’s right! Scaffold their way into the grandeur of the scholars’ ideas and be sure to point out at the end of it whose idea that is. I guarantee you they’ll remember it better than if you just recite them with your monotone lecturing voice and leave no room for their articulation.

Close Questions-open questions

Speaking of articulating ideas, I’m certain I’m not the only one who knows the tremendous power questions have. If we always ask, “are there any questions” the answer will only be open “no.” Same goes for “is that clear?” It just goes circular once again! You’re shooting an answer out there not quite expecting someone to say, “hey, that’s not clear” or “I have a question.” I have been in both sides as a professor and as a teacher and it just doesn’t happen.  For that reason, you can ask if everything is clear, yes, but follow it up by “ok, you (student), please explain it to me” or to some other classmate. Additionally, you can also ask the student to relate the material to an example of his/her life. The idea behind it is that students must articulate their thoughts because anyone can lie about understanding things, and that will only continue to accumulate confusion. Only by speaking the mind out can we see if there are gaps in knowledge. Of course, I’m advocating you put students on the spot, which is somewhat counterproductive according to some people, but there are always better ways to lessen this “spotting effect” and move forward with what’s being aimed at.

Self-Didactic Practices

With enough empowerment in your classroom experiences, I trust your students and yourself can become self-didactic. You’ll be able to model the characteristics of the many professionals you’ve seen before and you’ll be able to thoughtfully educate yourself by looking for varied resources that will only aid the expansion of your knowledge. It is easy! It’s attainable! Trust me!

Just go ahead and dare! Dare to make mistakes and to approach something that seems daunting, but you know you’ll have the conviction to understand! Finally, enjoy the bafflement of learning so that, one day, you can direct your own orchestra and delight to the sonorous expression of groundbreaking ideas.

Works Mentioned

Gagnon, G. W., & Collay, M. (2001). Designing for learning: Six elements in constructivist classrooms. Corwin Press.

West, Stephen, (2015). Episode #62 on Suicide, Philosophize This. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ84axcmeUA