Whatever the subject, a teacher is generally expected to do something to teach. That is, to act in some way that conveys the subject to the student.
Another way to look at teaching is that our purpose is the student’s learning, and our actions should be in support of that purpose. So if the student is learning without us doing anything, we should stand back, do less, let them learn.
This can be hard to do. From childhood we are encouraged to act in the pursuit of goals. We are told that even if we fail, it is important that we tried, that we did something. Failure while acting seems more excusable than failure while choosing to refrain from action, which seems like doing nothing at all.
Because the results of teaching are often hard to measure, it is tempting to demonstrate to others — the student, our peers, the administration — that we are doing something worthwhile. But there are times when the truest teaching is the one in which the student is in motion and we as teachers are not. We are indeed doing something in these moments: we are choosing to refrain from action, for the student’s benefit. We are letting the student’s learning move forward unencumbered by our fiddling.
Knowing when to refrain is not easy. Seeds planted in soil usually grow better without being disturbed, but — not always. As teachers, we need to consider when our active involvement is useful and when it is perhaps less so.
This article discusses human bias toward action based on a study of professional soccer goalkeepers, who would be more effective waiting longer before moving to intercept the ball. That is, refraining from action, at least for a time.
While teaching is not much like goalkeeping, they have in common our human desire to show that we are useful because we are in motion. Teachers are especially vulnerable to the need to prove ourselves with what we do.
Teaching without action is challenging work. It takes insight to know when the motion of the student is sufficient for the student’s learning, and it takes courage to stand still while others who watch you might not understand that you are, in that moment of inaction, truly teaching.
I personally enjoy this “self-discovery type” learning, but as you’ve pointed out, it takes a very skillful teacher to guide you only as much as you need, no more, no less. Unfortunately, with the expectation for results, even students do not allow themselves for such self-discovery and rather be spoon-fed for more immediate results. So it’s not just teachers who must learn inaction, students must also learn to be patient with results.
Thank you, nicely said. This is a rich topic. So many profound and fundamental questions are put on the table when we start to examine results and patience in deep teaching and learning.
My understanding of patience has changed. As a child I thought it meant to wait. Later I thought it meant to not push. Now I think it is something closer to listening well.
I wrote about impatience here. Perhaps this is a good time for me to write about patience. Thank you for your thoughtful comments.