TEACHING WITHOUT TEACHING

MARIA TERESA C. MALUNTAG

All of us met, encountered, were nurtured, moulded, mentored and guided by teachers. From pre-school to college, to master’s or doctor’s degree, we’re under their wings, continuously guiding us until the day we’re ready to flap our own wings. I’m sure all will agree that teachers have different styles, techniques, strategies, methods, ways and approaches in inculcating knowledge and wisdom to students, aside from having different personalities, behaviour and attitude. But one thing’s for sure; they all became a part of us. They all played important roles in our lives’story play. They are all good teachers. But, try to have a look back of the all your mentors, did all of them really “teach” like the usual teachers who stand in front for 50 minutes to 1 hour discussing? Or did some of them look like they’re not teaching but still we remember, were able to absorb, analyse and apply what they shared to us up to this very moment?

Some good teachers don’t really teach. They go out of the box, out of the classroom and away from the monotonous, but still they are able to care for their students, know the content of their subject areas and able to deliver them well. Some don’t just show the students the way, they pave the way for them. There are also those who don’t just teach their students to drive, they teach them to manoeuvre. Then, once the students already know how to do them, the teachers get out of the way and let them take control. Contents are sometimes taught in the classroom, in case students might find them to a good use. But there are teachers who think and come up with ways to give their students the sense of urgency and apply what they learned by what they can do through application.

There are teachers who have the skill to keep students wanting for more and always eager to attend classes because they know that they’re going to see something interesting, they will be asked to search and keep searching until they discover. They also tend to let students think of what to ask and how to ask. Others don’t just tell students that the colour orange is the combination of red and yellow, instead, they let students tell that orange is red and yellow combined through actual mixing of crayons or paints. There are times that real learning is achieved through application and actual experiences, not the shared experiences. Sometimes, students learn more or best when they are in control of the activity, with the teacher as the facilitator or moderator.

Learning isn’t only acquired through listening or observing. It also asks for actualization of what were observed and listened to. Good teachers don’t just lecture about arms, legs and other strokes in swimming lessons, they engage students to stand at the edge of the pool and if they fall, the lessons on the different strokes make sense by actually performing them. If they just keep on talking and talking and just let students be seated, listen and take note, they will produce a batch of daydreamers, students dream because they fell asleep in class. But if the teacher engages, involves and lets the students take over and see for themselves, that’s where the dreamers begin to emerge.

— oOo—

The author is Master Teacher I at Camachiles National High School