Teaching vs Learning
There are many great and inspiring teachers and Jesus is one of the best examples. His methods usually invovled a lot of questions, use of analogies or parables and relating ideas to everyday experience and contexts.
It can be a wonderful experience to sit at the feet of a good teacher who really knows their subject well.
We often ask people to compare their experience of teaching or training with how they see effective learning. Here are some of the typical responses that we get.
Teaching / Training
- Comes from the instructor
- About knowing the correct method
- Can be teaching for teaching's sake
- A ‘giving' process
- One person imparting knowledge from one to another
- To give the same information time after time
- Told how to do something
- Teaching is only one person's perspective
- Needs to be adapted to suit individual and situation
- Don't have to be fully awake
- Needs to be a better balance of theory and experience
- Classroom based
- About passing information
- Imposed standard
- Knowledge is defined and set
Learning
- Best gained when done by oneself
- Responsible for your own actions
- Learner's interest makes a real difference
- Questioning and interactive
- Interactive relationship is important
- Can be gained from experience
- Other people's views are helpful
- Should be participative and become involved in the training
- Have to be awake
- Open mindedness
- Learning takes place over time and through gradually understanding
- Can be gained from mistakes
- Learner receives and utilises the information
- Learner sets their own internal goals for improvement
- Learner is clear how they are going to use what they have learned
- Learning is an open book until you get to the end
- Rapport between learner and protégée