Best of the Week: Form is Content

How can a discussion about the same topic, between the same group of people have a different outcome depending only on the way the teacher begins the discussion?  The answer: form is content.  If a teacher stands at the front of the classroom at the podium, good posture, notes in hand, the discussion will undoubtedly differ from that which would occur if the teacher were slouched in a comfy chair in the corner.  The role in which the teacher chooses to play in a classroom setting can dramatically affect the ideas which are discussed.

The first teacher situation described might make students less willing to participate, feeling more like they are being lectured.  Outspoken students may not be hindered by the teacher’s stance, but it would probably quiet most others.  An idea which may not be fully formed, but could be developed through class discussion may be passed up because a student is too nervous to share, as the teacher is in “lecture mode.”  If the teacher finds himself in the second situation, I imagine more hands in the air, feeling less pressure to say something brilliant, but rather open to sharing any thoughts that come to mind. 

This isn’t to say that a teacher should always find himself in the background of the discussion, but rather that this way of being should not be ruled out.  Sometimes a discussion where everyone is an observer is a good way to get people thinking individually before they are influenced by the opinions of those around them.  This type of form would affect the thoughts that leave the classroom with the students. 

My teacher instructed us to try to switch roles during class, meaning that the lively participators try acting more as observers, while the observers try to share their ideas more than they normally would.  This is also a form which affected the content of our discussions.  For example, I normally take an observer-like role in class, but this forced me to share the thoughts going around in my head.  It caused me to think more and ultimately brought new ideas into my head, and therefore into the classroom discussion.  It is definitely a way of acting which I will take with me and try again in the future.