Right to learn

By Choi Tae-hwan

“Could you help me conduct this class? Do you know you are distracting the class by talking to others? I am really sorry that you don’t pay attention and listen carefully in class.” A variety of difficult students make it difficult for teachers to conduct and finish classes at schools. Some teachers think they would rather have them sleep than talk to friends and disturb other students’ paying attention to the class. So they are not willing to wake students sleeping in classes, so that other students can pay attention.

It is true that a great number of students who are not motivated or interested tend to sleep in teacher-centered classes. Needless to say, some students are not motivated in such classes, as most teachers are used to teaching students as master of the class and don’t make efforts to innovate their teaching methods.

What makes it possible for students to be the center of a class? Fortunately, there are many kinds of innovative teaching models for student-centered classes focusing on their learning rather than teachers’ instructions. Sato Manabu, a professor at Tokyo University in Japan, launched an innovative teaching model called, “Community of learning” under the philosophy, “Even a student is not excluded in learning,” and “Guarantee all students learning of high-quality and the right to learn,” with Korean co-conductor, Son Woo-jeong. This school and instruction reform movement enables students to talk, interact, and cooperate with one another in pairs and groups in order to think creatively and construct knowledge in student-centered classes in which teachers are not a master but a helper and facilitator. Teachers manage to share their classes with co-teachers by opening them and collaborating with one another for an innovative teaching model focused on activity-based and learner-centered classes in a community of learning at schools.

Another innovative teaching model is the "havruta" movement. "Havruta literally means "a partner for asking, answering, talking and debating." Currently, havruta, a basic principle of Jewish education, is gaining popularity among Korean educators with a view to innovating teaching here. Instead of education centered on a passive attitude, memorization and exams, classes introduce questions and debates in order to make them think creatively, and articulate their thoughts in real life.

Lastly, the flipped classroom teaching model created and developed by Jon Bergman, a high school chemistry teacher in the U.S. is gaining popularity among Korean teachers across the country because this model makes it possible for a teacher to increase interaction with students by innovating the traditional class procedure, lecturing at school, homework and projects at home. Prerecording the lectures and letting students study through videos at home before coming to school allows students and teachers to create various activities, enhancing strong relations, including debates and team projects in the classroom to pave the way for learner-centered, activity-oriented, interaction-based classes centering on self-constructed learning and knowledge useful and available in real life.

Now is the time for us to think of the right to learn by having sleeping students who are not motivated and interested in classes take part in activities through this class design and instruction. I hope the popularity of these innovative teaching models will make it possible for Korean students to enjoy classes and feel happy by regaining their right to learn; and teachers to be happy with students’ active participation in learning activities keeping in mind “Innovation of instruction will lead to innovation of the school.”

The writer is an English teacher at Jeonnam Middle School in Gwangju.