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Analysis: Community and Civic Action continued
I was very happy to discover that a number of students defined Decentered Teaching in ways that aligned closely with my goals for the course and my working definition of the term:
- “I think it takes the focus off of any one person or thing, and allows an entire class to teach each other. I am very comfortable with this style.”
- “I see Decentered Teaching as more of a student course, where we all learn from each other, and even the teacher could learn from the students.”
- “Only a guess, but a teaching style where everyone not only the teacher has nearly equal input in the instuction [sic]. I personally am a little doubtful about the total effectiveness of this type of teaching, ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ as they say.”
- “I think it means that the nstructor [sic] teaches, but also allows other students to "teach" by allowing free interaction and communication with each other. I am very comfortable with this style.”
- “My most educated assumption of decentered teaching would be teaching not based solely on lectures or being taught by one specific individual. I feel slightly uneasy about this at times because I have always been in environments where the teacher is right in front of me giving the lectures and new material.”
By midterm, only four of the respondents indicated that they did not know how to define the term, and one student offered no response. Four students still associated decentered teaching with online learning environments specifically, explaining “There is no centered meeting and everybody can work at their own pace,” and “[. . .] we are learning with out the class room and at our own time.” Additional responses included:
- “Decentered teaching to me involves letting the entire class teach each other, rather than having one established teacher and the rest only learners. I am comfortable with this technique.”
- “Decentered Teaching mean that the teacher does not lecture its more so the students having and input and creating class discussions. I am somewhat more comfortable with this process.”
- “Decentered teaching to me means that students participate in teaching and learning as much as the instructor does. Since the beginning of the course I have become much more comfortable with this style of teaching.”
- "Decentered Teaching means that the student is more responsible for their learning, and I am comfortable with this style of teaching."
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