My personal beliefs about teaching and learning, are always transforming, as I believe they should be for everyone. Every person interacts differently, learns differently, and explains concepts uniquely. While this may be the case, I do know that learning best occurs when a person is challenged, and when they are in an environment conducive to learning.
An environment conducive to learning would be a place where the student knows they are safe and loved. Where they knew they needed to work hard and that a lot was expected of them, but that they would be able to obtain genuine help if needed. I think it is vitally important for the teacher to be there when the student needs help. I also think it is important that if the student isn't understanding, to perhaps try another method of explanation.
A few semesters ago I took Linear Algebra. Besides this being a very challenging class with a very confusing subject matter, I felt like I wasn't learning from my teacher's lectures. I would go to his office hours and ask for help on specific topics that I didn't understand. This only made things worse. I would leave his office feeling like I understood less than when I first got there. He had a way of making me feel stupid and I hated going and asking for help. Soon I stopped going and asking for help. I started to do very poorly on the exams and ultimately I got a D in the class - the worst grade I have ever received. I only mention this story because I think that it is something I can learn from.
Now, I'm going to give that teacher the benefit of the doubt and assume that he wasn't trying to make me feel dumb, but I hope at least he could tell that I would leave his office frustrated. I would hope that he could tell that the way he was explaining things wasn't working for me. I re-took the class 2 semesters later and I got a B+. I understood the material better, the teacher was more friendly, and I did great on all of the tests.
What was the difference? I'm sure there are lots of things that factor into this, but I think that it has a lot to do with the professor's teaching style. The first time I took the class I felt like I was in it alone. I felt like I was trying to teach myself these complex principles and it wasn't working. The second time, I wasn't alone. My teacher was there supporting me and helping me, answering questions I had, explaining things in a new way if I didn't understand the first time...It made all the difference. This is how teaching should occur.
Learning for some people is hard. I think that at some point or another learning for everyone is probably a challenge. Some topics may be easier than others, but I think that you can learn best through hard work and effort. If you are trying hard and have a desire to learn, you will learn.
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