πŸ“‘ The Trouble with Teaching: Is Teaching a Meaningful Job?

Bookmarked The Trouble with Teaching: Is Teaching a Meaningful Job? (philosophicaldisquisitions.blogspot.com)

Here’s an analogy that might explain the predicament of a teacher. I’ve long been fascinated by the art of stand-up comedy. Comedians spend years honing their craft. They often play to rooms of people that don’t laugh at their jokes, and may even heckle and abuse them. But if they are good, there’s no denying it. They will get the laughs β€” a constant trickle of feedback that tells them they are doing their job right. Well, teaching is a bit like stand-up comedy without the laughter.*

John Danaher dives into his frustrations with teaching in a university setting.

There is plenty to like about teaching. It’s just not as noble or inspiring as some people suppose. It’s a job and often a frustrating one.

He provides a series of arguments against the practice:

  1. The purpose and value of education is questionable
  2. Teaching often fails to achieve its purpose
  3. Any feedback you do receive in unhelpful

While on the other side, he also puts forward a series of counter-arguments:

  1. Nothing lasts forever, why expect teaching to buck this trend?
  2. Effective Teaching Cannot be Measured
  3. It’s Not About Outcomes
  4. What do you know? You are just a bad teacher
  5. Surely there is something meaningful about teaching?

Although Danaher’s focus is on tertiary education, it is an interesting provocation to reflect upon in respect to all aspects of learning and teaching, especially the idea of heutagogy.

α”₯ “Stephen Downes” in Stephen’s Web ~ The Trouble with Teaching: Is Teaching a Meaningful Job? ~ Stephen Downes ()

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