In one session we used the intervision process to explore a case study of particular issues or difficulties experienced as a teacher in 1-2-1 tuition. At the end of the session, each person wrote a brief reflection to summarise what they had learned about their teaching from the session:
“The importance of students having ownership of their learning and setting that up from the outset……Turn the problem around and ask how the student would solve the problem. What would they like to do? What would they find most useful to begin with?……What resources would they like the teacher to provide to facilitate a joint working partnership to move ahead?…….Perhaps not be too quick to offer a solution to students.”
“Solutions are not always what they are cracked up to be and strategies for greater awareness are far more important than ‘quick fix’ responses to problems/issues…..That the psychodynamic parameters of the one-to-one relationship are complex, myriad and not always easily understood or resolved……..The phenomenon of symbiosis or a kind of empathic reflection of a student’s frustration, annoyance, anger or attitudes is entirely possible and possibly a very regular occurrence in the 1-2-1 teaching studio.”
“Need to change the teaching dynamic so that the pupil was more motivated by mastery goals rather than performing goals. The ultimate goal of the pupil is a key factor in how hard you pursue weaknesses.”
“It is ok to divorce yourself from emotional investment when you feel you are meeting resistance. Why? – we can’t suit everyone; not every student wants ‘solutions’; sometimes a student needs to or is ready to move on, to own teaching and performing, or to go to new teachers.”
“I have had some confirmation that perhaps it is valid to give up on some expectations (of mine). I think I need to turn around my question away from the idea of my teaching or instructing something and try to find ways of finding out more about the student’s perception of her goals and ambitions. In fact I have begun to avoid the issues – which is a way of giving up on them. Look at process in lesson – less on end goal.”
So a big question remains: what practical strategies do you have which help students take more responsibility for their own learning and development?
A strategy that worked for me in the past semester at ESMUC was to plan a concert three months in advance. This concert would be a presentation of things worked on in the improvisation group-class. By giving the students various tasks in order to make this concert work, they felt responsible and started becoming considerably more active than usual. It might be a good idea to investigate the possible variations on this strategy in various class- or individual teaching situations. Any comments welcome!
Just a quick first response more on the process than on the content. For the first time I watched and read an innovative conservatoire approach without being there. Actually it worked for me very good to see and listen to the bideo content. Scrolling through foto’s and written comments. Interesting to explore how these new media really can help to sustain our ‘community’ growing. I’ll read later more and see if other comments arise in the dialogue box! Bart
A small - beginning of an - answer to this big question: for a teacher it is important to first find out what is the learning stile of the student. Pedagogues can help us knowing and understanding more about this issue and after that, we, teachers, need ot exerce and experiment with it. Also, students themselves can give us their ideas about what they think will work for them. They have already a long school career and often found their learning strategies!
The most important is, I think, that as a teacher you realise that what is the most important for a student to take from a lesson is to know how they should work at home. A lesson is not a place to only show results, in fact that is less important, the lesson should deal with the process of studying and learning. Different forms of lessons, like grouplessons, give different opportunities for subjects to deal with.
To make a student the owner of his own learning process is the most challenging thing! I think this may work out when during the lesson the learning process is constantly discussed and, if neccesary, exercised. The following questions are all the time hanging above the lesson: how did you do this? how can you repeat this? what were the steps you did take?