Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/respecting-the-rights-of-the-learner/5021280/
One of the essential attributes of a good teacher �" from preschool through graduate school �" is the disposition to respect learners. The concept of respect is an elusive one and is very difficult to define. But it is one of those elements of human relationships that we seem to know when we see it and feel it.I suggest that to respect the learner means, among other things, attributing to the learner positive qualities, intentions, and expectations, even when the available evidence may cast doubts on the learner’s possession of these attributes. A respectful relationship between the teacher and the learner is marked also by treating learners with dignity, listening closely and attentively to what the learners say, as well as looking for what they seem reluctant to say. Respect also includes treating the learners as sensible persons, even though that assumption sometimes requires a stretch of the teacher’s imagination.
When it comes to young children, this element of respect implies that we should resist the temptation to talk to young children in silly sweet voices, heaping empty praise on them, and giving them certificates indicating that a smiling bear believes they are special (rewarding them for what they wouldn’t do ...