Are we learning?

Any good student will ask this question - which was posed directly in class: whether we are learning from this class. A problem-posing classroom with students sharing power is a radically different one. It has its own set of challenges that vary significantly from traditional classrooms.

For instance, I could feel that I have no idea what I am learning. There is no test to study for. No explicit set of terms or papers that I must acknowledge currently - though I will have a paper due later this semester. I could come to the conclusion that I may not be learning much or feel completely lost.

However, I could also feel challenged. We each have a different group and project that we are working on. We set the parameters of our project and seek out the resources needed to allow it to manifest. We are also addressing something we care about. So we could see this as quite a bit liberating.

I will be honest in that I feel a bit of both. I like the group I am working in, yet it is not always easy working in groups. We have not completely nailed down everything that we are going to do. So there is a sense of unease about the project. When will it solidify?

At the same time, I have to trust that my group members will follow through with what needs to happen. We need to get our workshop lesson plans in rough draft shape by this Wednesday. That means I need to get my own part completed: I will have something prepared to start the discussion. Further, I will come with plans for the second workshop that is a follow-up and possible political action students can partake in - depending on their interests.

Next spring, I will be facilitating a group of students on their own project. I have been considering the state I have been in during this process and am sure that the students will also be confused at times and excited. There will be moments when we are unsure what direction we are going in and have to return to what are original goals or intention is.

Beyond the projects, I have thought about what bell hooks has to say about a teacher's class and their instructional styles. After reading the chapter, I considered what she had to say about class.

I do think that it is important to consider the societal expectation in a classroom. The banking system style of a quiet and orderly classroom is considered paramount. hooks mentions how important it is to allow all students to have a voice. Yet, at the same time even the students who are of wealthier families should also be valued equally.

It is often a feeling by some to reverse the inequalities in the world completely, thereby giving the most power to those least given it. hooks mentions this perspective, which obviously seems insufficient. You really need to have everyone - all stakeholders - involved if you want to create a real community of learners.

Another thing I considered was my intention in teaching. I believe in social justice but also in connecting what we learn to actual instances in the world. To apply what we read about or discover in the world is something I find quite enjoyable. Too many consider education boring because they believe it is only memorizing facts and figures that have no relation to the real world. This can feel true and even be so if you can't apply it. This is the one failing of our education system today.

Yet, going back to one's intention in starting a career is important. I think we all must remember what reasons we have and those we add on or slightly revise. We can fall astray of our ideals and stick with a profession for different reasons than we thought. Like a lawyer who goes into the business to help the underprivileged yet ends up working on behalf of the wealthy. I certainly would rather catch myself going astray before ending up in such a precarious situation.