As well as working with companies and social enterprises around the world, Tuff also trains teachers in our methods and ways of being. When we first started, we were surprised by how strong the hierarchical dynamic was between teachers and even fairly adult students.
We were surprised by how strong the hierarchical dynamic was between teachers and even fairly adult students.
This is how pedagogy should work! We knew it in theory but not in practice, until now.
During our training, teachers learn to relate to students as being capable of taking responsibility for their own learning, and as a result many teachers say that they carry a much lighter burden after completing the training.
Tuff trainer Mette Herlitz gave a lecture to over 100 teachers in Sweden last week. At the start of the event, teachers expressed a concern with the teacher-student relationship being like a ‘parent-child’ dynamic that sees teachers taking on responsibility for all student challenges and experiences. They felt that in an attempt to unburden students, they were in fact doing them a disservice by taking away their autonomy and stunting the growth that comes from solving one’s own problems.
Teachers commented after the training: this is how pedagogy should work! We knew it in theory but not in practice, until now.
To learn more about services we offer to teachers and schools, check out our Strengthening Dialogue programme.