For the vast
majority of people, the classroom is where their formal education started. In reflecting on my own schooling, this would
also be the case. A constant thread in my education was the influence of the
Nuns (Sisters as they were known to many) as teachers, intertwining the threads
of their faith into the education. This particular group of educators had a
presence and influence on my learning from grade primary until I graduated from
nursing school at 20 years of age. When I read Bracher’s work, Radical
Pedagogy: Identity, Generativity and Social Transformation” http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330287767&sr=1-10,
it was certainly apparent to me, the styles of teaching I encountered
through-out my education, many teachers were infused with this master pedagogy.
In Chapter
7, Bracher discusses authoritarian pedagogies of educators, “The most blatant
form of this master pedagogy is…referred to as the “cult of the great
teacher”…in which the teacher offers himself as the primary object for
students’ admiration and identification”.
This form of educating seemed to be very dominant in some of the
teachers I encountered. Times were different then. The teachers I had were
likely taught by teachers who exemplified and imparted the authoritarian style
of educating on them. I recall a teacher I had in elementary school, she often
spoke loudly in the first person, “I learned the multiplication tables so well
because I was very disciplined at studying when I was your age”, or “…now see
class, Mary is reading at a good tone and it’s very clear, that’s because she
listened, and did exactly what I
told her to do”. I could go on and on. The second example demonstrates cloning,
this occurs when the teacher perceives the child is successful in becoming just
like them, a true triumph for this type of educator.
Another form
of master pedagogy is more subtle than the first, “…the teacher aims to garner
recognition not of herself but rather of the authors, works or values that she
identifies with so strongly that they actually form part of her identity”
Bracher pg 86. This is probably a more
common approach of teachers. Sometimes a teacher strongly identifies with a philosophy
or works of a particular author or a great mentor. This type of teacher likes
the student to relate and appreciate the teachings that she admires, a type of
‘love what I love’ approach. In thinking back on my own ‘colourful’ education,
I recall another teacher who would subtly refer to her faith and religion; this
was actually not that unusual back in the day. In her religion class she was
talking about how God is aware of all that we do. One of the boys in the class
calmly and confidently stated, “well I don’t believe any of this, I’m
agnostic”. A silence and shock came over
the room, none of us had ever heard the word before, but judging by the
horrified look on the authoritarian/teacher’s face, it wasn’t good. Imagine the
guts it took for that boy to speak up in class and go against the strong,
powerful beliefs of this educator. It left a lasting impression with me,
probably because at age 10, I saw the first glimpse of an independent,
unabashed thinker.
Educating students
cannot be exclusive to any particular style of teaching. There are various
methods that can work successfully depending on the situation. Authoritarian
style can be useful with guiding young minds, for example a toddler, “be
careful of the steps or you may fall”. As well authoritarian pedagogy can be
helpful when teaching a particular skill, such as drivers education, this
requires very specific instruction and does not allow the learner to be very
creative. In fact,at times, we all benefit and can take comfort in situations
when someone is telling us exactly what to do with very little input from the
learner, such as a flight attendant’s instructions on an airplane.
However in a
lot of cases the student does not benefit fully from this form of educating,
“…in order to embody the authorities identity components, students must enact
them…this means they often have to suppress or allow to atrophy those parts of
their selves that are different from those of their authority’s identity”
Bracher pg 88. This is describing a case where the student may be thinking
differently or have an opposing view form the teacher. When the student is not
ascribing to the beliefs of the educator then they cannot express themselves
due to the influence of the teacher. In this situation, the student risks
getting a poor grade, or not being well received by the instructor or the
class. In these cases the students will agree with the beliefs of the teacher
and never express themselves fully to explore a rich independent thought process.
In these cases, the mind can atrophy and world gets a tiny bit smaller.
References:
Bracher, M.
(2006). Radical Pedagogy: Identity, Generativity, and Social
Transformation. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillian
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