Why is collaboration between teacher and student important?
"Collaboration is important for learning," says Tone, and explains that we often emphasize collaboration between students, but that students also need to collaborate with teachers. The teacher can guide and help to use concepts in a scientific way in addition to explaining things that the students do not yet have an understanding of. It is also the teachers who have set the learning goals for the lesson or session, and know what is important to learn. The collaboration is also a mutual process, where the teacher in dialogue with the students participates in the students' learning process, and can understand whether what they wanted the students to learn is actually learned. "As a teacher, I get good feedback from this collaboration because it helps me to adjust and develop my teaching. Remember that I am also in a learning process all the time and I want the students to be a part of it."
What can a good collaboration between teacher and student look like?
"It can vary," says Tone, but believes it usually requires the active participation of both parties. First and foremost, students have to show up and participate in the activities, which has unfortunately been challenging after the pandemic. Many choose not to attend classes, and we miss the students. But in general it is nice to be in dialogue or to have good communication between the teacher and the students, and it is important to clarify expectations of such cooperation early on. For example, many teachers find it difficult to understand that students are interested in exams, but by acknowledging the students' need to work purposefully towards their end product, it can be the start of a good collaboration. What students understand as valuable for exams often provides good motivation and can make them feel seen, which is important for the collaboration. "I believe that mutual respect for each other's time is important. Students must respect that I spend time preparing what I think is important to them, but I must also respect that they do not want to spend time on things they do not experience as valuable - for example, for exams."
What do you think is the focus of the student's learning?
Tone laughs, "it's a big question, but the way I think, it's I who should plan and create activities that make students learn something - that they reach the learning goals. So it should not only be fun, but it should be thoughtful. When we know that students learn best through activities, it becomes natural to think about activities, but the point may be that it is their learning process that should be in focus, no matter what starting point they have. I also think we must understand that students are a very diverse group of people, with different learning strategies and intentions to be students. It is challenging to meet everyone, but it should be a goal to meet most through varied activities and methods."
Who should focus on student learning?
"We will do it in collaboration, but I am the teacher, who facilitates that learning," says Tone. "Both students and teachers talk about responsibility for their own learning and many interpret it as the students are responsible and who should be left to themselves, but I mean that it is the teacher who sets the guidelines for what the students should spend their time on. Therefore, it is important that the teaching is planned so that the students have the opportunity to participate. And that they experience participation as valuable and thus want to take responsibility. And since this is going to be a collaboration, I often have to adjust myself or the plan when I get to know the students better and see how it goes."
At REAL Prat we address current topics om teaching at MN. See events for upcoming session.