Pedagogy - Excitement

John Milton Gregory’s sixth Law of Teaching is this: “Excite and direct the self-activities of the learner, and tell him nothing that he can learn himself.” On its face this doesn’t seem like useful pedagogy, but let us explore this idea of exciting and directing. In theory, when our students learn to read they are capable of learning most anything we are attempting to teach them on their own. They have access to the same books and resources that we do, and they do not need us to tell them what the books say. What they need is someone who can excite in them a hunger for knowledge. Someone who can talk about the content in a way that leaves them wanting more. 

As we think about the “successful student” we often think of achievement. We will never be able to escape assessment as it is a useful accountability tool, however, true success is not found in performance alone; it is found in a student’s desire to keep learning. Your student may be able to get through their assignments with few mistakes, but how far will that actually take them? When the mind is free to work on its own, education is much more likely to be permanent. We want to foster in our students a love for learning, an ability to seek out new knowledge on their own. This is a skill that must be cultivated by you. As you are preparing for the week, think about how you can talk to your students in new ways that excite their desires for learning. It is so easy to get bogged down in checklists and lesson plans, but remember these are simply serving as guideposts; they are not the education itself. 

In his book, The Seven Laws of Teaching, Gregory says “True teaching is not that which gives knowledge, but that which stimulates pupils to gain it. It may be said that he teaches best who teaches least; or better still, he teaches most whose pupils learn most without his teaching.” Our goal as parents and teachers is to build confidence within our students to learn things for themselves. If we want our children to be confident in their ability to grow and use their own intellect we must model this for them by doing it ourselves. The only way you will be able to use excitement as a pedagogical tool is if you yourself are excited to learn. 

If you are interested in exploring this further I would encourage you to read The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory (available for free here!), specifically Law VI: The Law of the Teaching Process. 

Sincerely,
Katie Lockette
Asst. Director of Faculty & Academics