Blog #14- Learning with the Students

In his discussion of Diana George and Diana Shoo’s primary text, Cauthen mentions that he thinks that choosing a text that both the instructor and students might be conflicted about is both politically and intellectually honest. This reminds me of a running discussion we’ve had in class—or maybe it wasn’t an overt discussion, but we definitely had it in some way, shape, or form. We talked about teachers learning with students and how we should be receptive to these experiences. I think often, instructors become the authoritarian figure at the front of the class. The students start internalizing the ideology that the instructor is always right and so questioning —even when confused—becomes a challenge. I like this suggestion because it levels the playing field a little bit and encourages students to take the challenge with the instructor. In some ideal cases, the student may even become the guide himself. I think this idea would play an instrumental role in building the culture of the classroom as one in which questions and dialogue are encouraged, so I want to keep this in mind when (if) I start developing a syllabus.