I was observing some students making a presentation and I observed that they seemed very excited; a tad focused on themselves to be sure, but still the energy was palatable, a far cry from what we generally observe in the classroom when we, the instructors, are talking. Not that this is the most surprising observation, but it did beg the question of how we might build the same excitement for when students are listening about others as when they are talking about themselves.
It does seem almost an oxymoron to ask students to be engaged while not being engaged. We are wired to care about ourselves (our survival, our well being, etc.) yet we expect students to conquer those feelings as we talk about subjects that should be of interest, but generally are not. Sure, tying the learning into future career/academic success does touch on the academics of egotism, but perhaps we could develop strategies for learning through egotism (or variants thereof). Rather then having students park their egos at the door -- there is no I in learning-- let's celebrate that students do have biological forces that open them up to learning.
In "Tuning Out: Listening Becomes a Rare Skill," (Wall Street Journal 7/23/14), there is mention of a 1987 study in which people remember only 10% of what was said in a f2f conversation after a brief distraction. According to the study, people are prone to tune out those that they might disagree with; those who are less powerful than themselves, etc. The increase in online materials can also be a factor in people getting distracted.
One way we can address the issue of listening deficiencies is to work harder at it. For example, the article above mentions strategies like writing down issues that might distract you from listening before a conversation to free up the mind somewhat. Also, one can focus more closely on the speaker, by noticing facial features and using pauses in speech to clarify things.
We can also build on the fact that people are better at talking than at listening by integrating this reality into the classroom. Some of our most popular adult education environments, such as a local book club, have figured out how to combine content with self-based conversation, so perhaps our classrooms could do this as well.
Good teachers bring their lives into the classroom. Although we may teach in exile, in places far from home, we are most successful when we bring part of that home into the classroom and encourage our students to do the same.
A couple strategies did cross my mind as I observed the students.
1) The students got really animated through the use of pictures, especially those with themselves or their friends. Let's build on the egotism inherent in most of us, especially the young, and rather than using it against them, let's use it for learning.
2) Building lesson plans around actual events, such as holidays and other cultural events that students celebrate with friends and family seems like another way to celebrate the self in the classroom.
3) People's pasts and traditional imagery also might figure strongly in the ego-centered classroom.
4) One of the strengths of online learning is that participants can listen to material over and over and also because there is more text-based learning in an online classroom, thereby lessening the necessity of listening.
In terms of using egotism, I think that students should sometimes value their time and direction in terms of evaluating learning situations. The lack of inspiration might also be a clue. We should not be afraid to find supportive teachers and learning environments. In fact, you might say that the ability to recognize bad or ineffectual teachers and negative environments is also a key to be an engaged learner. Avoiding bad teachers gives us more time to find or create good ones.
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