Does teaching means telling, and learning means listening?

Disclaimer: This article written is just purely based on my opinions and my insights.                                          

As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

The traditional context of teaching and learning back in the days involved the notion that teaching involves the teacher giving out instructions, and learning involves listening to the teacher. The classroom environment resembled some sort of dictatorship, where the teacher of the classroom acts as the ruler or authority figure of the classroom.

Nowadays, according to the modern classroom, this conception has been challenged with many years of extensive research by dedicated and experienced teachers into the pedagogy of teaching, which serves to be the science and art of teaching. Good teachers not only give out information to students, but they also encourage students to explore their own ideas and insights, engaging students and guiding them to think deeper about their thoughts. They also have the ability stimulate discussion based on students ideas, linking it back to the lesson topic or as they say, the bigger picture.The importance of asking open-ended and probing questions during class discussions is also highlighted in various research articles.

                                               

Effective teachers also know the role of quality learning for the students. They do not believe that learning only occurs when listening to a teacher. Learning can occur from various practical exercises such as group activities, assessments and reflection. Group activities in particular are found to be effective as it- encourages team work and collaboration among students, as well as the importance of leadership. The Think-Pair-Share learning strategy is commonly implemented in classrooms, where students are enabled to formulate their own individual ideas and share these ideas with their peers.

Another statement that highlights the importance of quality teaching is "Give a man a fish, you have fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime". Quality teaching does not mean just telling students information, and students will not learn just by listening. However, how teachers go about teaching to strengthen the learning of students are just as important. There is an extent to how much a teacher can teach, but by giving students or children the knowledge and the ability for them to help themselves, it serves to be useful for them in the long run.

I have had amazing teachers in the past and they have inspired and mentored me because of their ability to ensure that all students get quality learning based on their individual learning needs and learning styles. Through my own insights based on the amazing teachers that I have had, I believed that teaching is more than just giving out instructions to students, and quality learning does not involve just listening to the teacher.