The Relationship Between Pedagogy and Student Formation in Schools

1. Formation as the ‘Practice of many Practices’

I write in my book 'Pedagogy and Education for Life' that:

 

“Education is the whole of life of a community, and the experience of its members learning to live this life, from the standpoint of a specific goal”.  

 

And of course the formation of our students is a critical part of how this occurs as we enact this through our pedagogy.

 

The challenge within our schools is that our students arrive from at times very different backgrounds. This might well have included growing up in a Christian home, and attending a church with strong biblical teaching. They may have been challenged by God’s word, to live in ways consistent with the Scriptures. Of course, if only this was always the case, our job as teachers would be much easier.

 

Christian and in fact, all faith-based schools have a significant role to play in an environment where students not only learn and grow as students and people, but also in faith and character.

  

 

Faith-based schools whether Christian or of another faith, make a commitment to the spiritual formation of our students. Hopefully, this is not just by sending them off to Chapel once or twice a week. True formation occurs in multiple communities, or groups as the “Outcome of the ‘Practice of many Practices.” I borrowed this excellent comment, from Craig Dykstra and Dorothy Bass.

 

I point out in my book that this might not be realistic in all faith-based schools. When I wrote the book I was thinking of Christian schools. It's worth noting that I’ve been invited to speak to staff at varied faith-based schools in recent years, and all have shown considerable interest in my work. Other religions also see much which resonates with their own desire to see their children grow spiritually. For example, a large number of school leaders, teachers and parents read my blog in Muslim countries.  It seems, they also want their schools to demonstrate pedagogy and school communities that are true to their faith.

 

2. Going Deeper, to consider the subtle and almost unseen practices of our schools

 

Dykstra and Bass in their work, comment on formation and issue a challenge to teachers to bring to “consciousness the hidden dimensions embedded in and through our actions and relations.” (see p. 91). This sounds anything but practical, but hang in there. They define “Christian Practices” as:

 

“… the things Christian people do together over time to address fundamental human needs in response to and in light of God’s active presence for the life of the world.”

 

In short, Christian schools help students to see, respond to, and navigate all the practices of life (Christian and non-Christian), with a telos that is shaped by and directed toward the kingdom of God. NB: “telos” is an ancient Greek word meaning “ultimate end”, “purpose”, “goal” or “action”.

 

It is important to stress, that our task as Christian schools and teachers is NOT just to put our energy into inculcating our students with ideas, whether this is dressed up as “virtues”, “values”, "church traditions" or even “worldview”. If ideas become the focus of pedagogy, there is less chance of us inscribing a “Habitus” that actually ‘primes’ and shapes their actions.

 

Pierre Bourdieu developed the concept of “Habitus” (or Habit) and saw it as rooted in family life, and conditioned by social class. What’s more, “Habitus” is part of Aristotle’s teaching on Ethics. In a sense, it is within family life, and the way we bring our children up, that there is significant influence on how our children and students see ourselves in later life.

 

3. Being Shaped by ‘That Which is Invisible’

 

It is also important to discuss how the invisible things of life, have an influence on us and of course our students. I draw on the work of Charles Taylor and Lev Vygotsky in helping us to understand what I mean by this.

 

Charles Taylor argues that we need to stop assuming only ideas move people. James Smith makes a similar point drawing on Taylor. Taylor suggests that beneath any cognitive or intellectual discussion by a group or institution (e.g. a school), we have human imagination at work (p.99). This helps us to engage with stories, dreams, hopes, myths, images etc, and connect them with past and present experiences, as well as imagining the way we’d like the world to be.

 

Vygotsky used the word Obuchenie to discuss this ‘invisible’ action. In essence, this word points to the way that in life, as we live in communities, we adjust to one another. The teacher student relationship is a context in which this is very important. He argues that simply passing on knowledge doesn’t change people. If we follow his argument and apply it to our school context, then growing our students in knowledge and faith, might require us to make some subtle changes to our pedagogy.

 

Rather than simply transmitting knowledge about Christian faith which we hope students will accept and replicate, we need to grasp that our students must see connections themselves between such a life underpinned by faith, and the myriad of communities of practice they already inhabit. This of course, requires them to reflect on and adjust to these multiple communities.

 

So what might our role look like in such a context? Daniel Estes ('Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of the Child'), suggests that:

 

“The metaphor of the teacher as a guide includes both direction by the teacher and active involvement of the student in the learning process.”

 

As teachers in Faith-based schools, this needs to be part of our role. My hope is that at the very least, our focus in Christian schools should enable teachers and schools to “help students see, respond to, and navigate all of the practices of life (Christian and non-Christian), with a telos that that is shaped by and directed toward the Kingdom of God." Above, all we hope they will not take on different personas depending on where they are and who they are with. Rather, our goal with our students and our own children, should be for them mature in faith and understanding and seek to live consistent lives that honour their God.

 

Shake it Off! A Word for the World from Taylor Swift

The Wisdom of Taylor Swift

I started this post on 23.2.24. It was a very warm summer night in Sydney. As we say in Australia, it was a 'sticky' (humid) evening so I had the window in my study wide open. I could hear frogs in various pots in the garden, crickets singing their sweet songs, and Taylor Swift singing in the stadium at Olympic Park, just a 5-minute drive away and about 3 km (as the crow flies). A storm had just passed drenching the 85,000 fans, including one of my granddaughters and her friends. The music started a little late, but they had an amazing night. The following night another granddaughter, her Mum and two friends attended and stayed dry.

 

I'm sure schools all over Sydney would have been alive all week with discussions of who had tickets and who sadly missed out. What to wear? What merchandise to buy? How many wrist bands to take and swap? I heard on the evening news that one young woman spent $30,000 on "merchandise" at the show in one transaction. 

Am I fan? Not really, but I've heard a bit of her music and I was from a musical family with broad tastes. I'd seen Taylor sing on television, and she is clearly a wonderful performer. And while I prefer opera to popular music, in her genre of music she is top of the tree! Not because she is the best singer in the world (but she is very good), but because she writes songs that resonate with the youth of today, and women in general. How her fame reached this point intrigues me, so I thought I'd have a look at some of the themes in her songs.

I started with "Shake It Off" which seems to be her most popular single. She explained the meaning of the song on Radio in 2015:

"This is a song that I wrote about having to deal with on an everyday basis, just kind of, how human beings treat each other." "... You know, the feeling of humiliation... when a girl has a rumor spread around about her at school that isn't true. It's the same feeling I feel when I'm checking out at the grocery store and I read some crazy headlines about me." She continued, "...rather than writing a song that was victimized in nature I wanted to write a song that was joyful and give people ways to cope with whatever knots of ridiculousness life is doling out to them... and make them want to dance." 

Above: 'Shake it Off' Early album cover

It's easy to see why young (and older) women love her songs. As a man, even I can appreciate she is speaking into women's direct experiences and why some men also love the songs. As well as being smart and talented, Taylor has an understanding of human nature, and her music is her contribution to helping young people with the 'crap' of life. I admire her for that. 

But is life that simple? In a word, NO! Can you just shake off abuse, false rumours, put downs and so on? Not really, but when you have an orchestra of millions singing in unison the words of the song, for a time they are strengthened by the knowledge that many young women suffer, confront and often conquer the same terrible stuff. So, in a sense they support one another in song.

As Christian teachers and parents, what can we learn from this?

With a faith that teaches us the only sure way to be saved from the ugliness of life, is through faith in Jesus and the love of God. Let me unpack what I think is behind Taylor's success, and what we can learn from it?

First, all of us need help and support in the battles of life, whether it comes in the form of ridicule, persecution, illness, family problems, disappointments, body image, and failures of all kinds.

Second, having an exciting day like the concert, a 'perfect' date, spending time with friends who accept and support you, success at school or university, in sport etc, can all help to lift our spirits. But too quickly these experiences lose their shine and are forgotten when problems encroach.

Third, Taylor Swift's songs encourage women to seek support from others who have shared similar life experiences. We gain strength from friends, who have also experienced the problems of life. Taylor Swift's followers are in a sense a community of sisters (primarily), who share the ups and downs of life through song. I watched videos of the 80,000 (mostly) young women singing (screaming) "Shake it off" along with Taylor at the Sydney concert. The passion was extraordinary! 

So, to what do we look to for hope in troubled times?

Ironically, a different 'Taylor' can help us here. Theologian Charles Taylor helpfully gave us the concept of the "Social Imaginary" (See T.H.Cairney) 'Pedagogy and Education for Life').  Taylor suggests that:

"Beneath the more superficial activities of life... below the surface of cognitive and intellectual arguments all groups and individuals are motivated by a 'social imaginary' which helps make sense of their world by allowing them to engage with stories, myths, images, iconic hopes, and dreams, and connect them with their own present and past experiences as we imagine the world as we would like it to be."

In a sense, Taylor Swift's music offers a form of "social imaginary". Charles Taylor suggests that such visions of the future help all groups and individuals to imagine the context of their lives, and their place within its present and future. Of course, there are fans of Taylor Swift who do have a faith in God, which I'm sure offers them a slightly different view of the lyrics of her songs, and the impact on their lives, compared to non-Christians. But all fans seem to engage deeply with the music because the lyrics and experiences she shares, echo to varying extents the challenges they face each day. My hope is that many believers while continuing to enjoy her music, might not 'worship' the performer. I also pray that those who don't know God in the audiences, will seek faith in the only true eternal hope. That is, the eternal hope Christ offers.

You will find a helpful secular explanation of the meaning behind 'Shake it Off' by Taylor Swift HERE   

 

 

 

 

The teacher-student relationship: The importance of teachers attending to the 'invisible'?

You've probably heard the old statement teachers sometimes use: "remember, I have eyes in the back of my head". This is mainly used to class control and to modify behaviour. I can recall teachers who would say, "I'm watching you Cairney". Did this change my behaviour? A little. But more importantly, did it change my attitudes, hopes, priorities, beliefs and so on? No! While teachers are generally good at spotting children who are misbehaving, or pushing the limits of their patience, I think there is a far more important skill for effective teaching.  Are we good at seeing that which isn't simply visible? By this, I mean observing classroom behaviour, and grasping what this might reflect. It's easy to see a child who misbehaves, or acts appropriately. But do we see beyond the demonstrated behavior to their motivations and beliefs that lead them to the action, make bad choices and so on? We need to sharpen our human imagination and develop our "social imaginary".

 

 In 'Pedagogy and Education for Life' I cite Charles Taylor's work that is helpful in addressing the above.  Taylor suggests that to understand culture, we need to stop assuming only ideas move people. James Smith also takes up Taylor's call to look more deeply at why children do the things they do. Taylor challenges teachers to get beyond the surface rhetoric, and the priorities teachers and schools express. Why? Because they are simply the intellectual arguments or priorities of an institution. Beyond the surface level rhetoric, we need to consider how the priorities of the school and teacher are received and taken on. How do our students reconcile the priorities, stories, myths, images, iconic hopes and dreams of the school, with their present and past experiences? How do they connect these? Taylor suggests all groups and individuals are motivated by a “social imaginary” which helps them to imagine the context of their lives and their hoped for future. What do I mean by this?

 

The relationship between students and teachers, and students and institutions is complex. Classroom life is not just about the things we do or say to one another. Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky argued that there is a dialectical relationship between teaching and learning. He used the concept of Obuchenie to explain such relationships. Teaching and learning are intertwined, and how students receive that which is taught, and how this does or doesn't shape or transform them, is not straight forward. 

 

For true transformation to occur in students, that is, that which is beyond mere compliance and appropriate behaviour, teachers and students need to adapt to one another. This in essence is what the word "Obuchenie" seeks to represent. That is, a change in the relationship between teacher and child. As I write in my book:

 

"...Such change requires a shift of pedagogical focus from simply transmitting knowledge or practices for students to replicate, to the creation of classrooms where students have the opportunity to see connection between the varied communities of practice they navigate each day as part of normal life. These are classrooms where teachers guide, nudge, respond, question, listen, observe, urge, teach, and reveal truth in ways students can connect to their lived experiences." 

 

The next time you observe another teacher, try to contrast the messages of the school with that of the world, and the extent to which your students comply with and more importantly, accept these as part of their life. Furthermore, consider how these are different to, or simply the same as those projected by the world. If there is little difference, then "Houston, we have a problem"!

 

For further thoughts on this topic you might like to read chapter 6 of "Pedagogy and Education for Life" that is titled 'Classroom Life'.