A lot of teachers and parents come and ask us what is the best way to deal with xyz situation with a child, the best way to teach.
Some teachers talk about the 'jagriti or aarohi' way of responding to children - indicating that there is 'right' or 'best' way of facilitating – that perhaps we (at aarohi) use, which is eluding them.
Some teachers and parents even feel bad if they have dealt with a child in a way contrary to what they think is the 'best' or prescribed way of facilitating or mentoring the child.
Also many people are befuddled when they see seemingly contrary 'ways' exhibited by us. For the same situation - we would respond to different children differently and even the same child differently at different times. They expect consistency, what they get is a confusing variety. They have read it in teaching books, in parenting guides – be consistent.
But to us this notion of a 'best way' of teaching or coaching or mentoring or doing facilitation is not possible. For us our profession itself means no one way, no right way, no best way. It stands rather for openness to experiment and explore:
The moment i think that X way is the best way - I stagnate - i stop thinking of alternates / options. I stop learning. I become too narrow in my view.
The moment i think that X way is the best way - I profess (if not the content) atleast that method, that way. In which case I am no more facilitating, rather preaching.
The moment I think that X way is the best way - I close myself - to understanding the child - for then I am with the 'way' and not with the child. Then the way or the method becomes more important than being with the child, understanding him or her.
A teacher who had attended a training program that we had done called me. She said, "One of the key learning for me from your session was to not answer children, but ask them the question back. This was an eye opener for me. But a month later I am frustrated – pl help me."
I said, "Go on, tell me more".
She continued, "Initially this was simple. I would say to children, 'You tell me the answer, You think'. But soon the children stopped coming to me. They would avoid me."
When I asked her, "Why you think they avoided you?"
She said, "Oh, they think I don't know anything, that is why I am asking them the questions back!"
If only teaching was a machine – take a way, apply it hundred times and you will get 100 same outputs. The teacher's attribute is not repeatability (that's for the assembly lines), the key is flexibility.
To us teaching means that we're constantly exploring and experimenting. That we fluctuate between all kinds of actions, all kinds of methods, all kinds of responses, is the essence of facilitation.
This can be confusing to others. However, if we're able to both - be aware of our facilitation (action) and be aware of what our facilitation did (response / consequence) - then this vicissitude adds immense richness to the my (facilitator's) understanding of the child.
We want to emphasise that this playing around (experimenting) with facilitation is not a way to hide one's lack of consistency. Rather its an intentional drive to develop facilitation skills and to learn about the child by putting oneself in a constant challenge zone. This is because this variation comes with a constant play - not of actions per se - but a constant play of one's beliefs.
In conclusion a facilitator is somebody with the most dynamic belief system. Constantly questioning, challenging, playing around and changing with one's beliefs. Which is why there is no best belief. Which is why there is no wrong way of facilitation.
Which is why there is no best way to teach or facilitate.
Which is why facilitation is a RICH job.
By Aditi & Ratnesh (www.aarohilife.org)
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This article is available at aarohi website here.
Aarohi O-Campus
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