Educational Philosophy

Power Relations in Teacher-Student Relationship

Pedagogy is fundamentally relational since it literally means leader of child (Ozuah, 2005), which indicates both educational relations and power relations. According to Spiecker (1984), the pedagogical relationship is often considered as the foundation or centre of the theory of education, and it is usually framed as the relationship between a ‘mature’ person and a ‘developing’ person that aims to prepare the child to become something. However, relationships take many forms, revealing that teacher-student relationships are not always educational. In addition, one might be concerned about how power relations influence the forming of educational relations, since Lusted (1986) argues that the relation between teacher and learner is inevitably a power relation. Power relations in education are often perceived as negative to student satisfaction and learning (Jamieson & Thomas, 1974). However, it would be deceiving to ignore or dismiss the power relations since they are inherent between a teacher and a student, and they will always exist. More importantly, in most cases, it is necessary for teachers to take leadership and guide students.

Pedagogical Tact As The Guiding Philosophy

By acknowledging the power relations, the question then is how should instructors position themselves and wield the power appropriately to educate and influence students. Herbart (1802) suggests teachers are “wise leaders from afar,” rather than the companion of every step or the warden that enslaves students, and he also suggests that teachers should be pedagogically tactful. Van Manen (1991) explains the importance of pedagogical tact for the forming and becoming of a person. In order to foster the forming and becoming of a ‘developing’ person, teachers, who usually hold the dominant power in the relationship, should not only tell or instruct, but also give personal touches, open spaces, invite possibilities, and facilitate changes, which are critical for individual formation and growth.Then the essence of pedagogy lies in its hospitality that positions educators as not only givers but also receivers. Ruitenberg (2011) explained the ethics of hospitality from Derrida and compared hospitality in education to an empty chair waiting for the new arrival, “The ethic of hospitality is all about the guest, about giving place to a guest — without, even, knowing when this guest will arrive… Hospitality, by contrast, does not seek to fit the guest into the space of the host, but accepts that the arrival of the guest may change the space into which he or she received (p.32).”

Van Manen (1991) also suggests, “it is possible to learn all the techniques of instruction but to remain pedagogically unfit as a teacher” (p.9), pointing out that the becoming of a teacher involves the internalization of pedagogical tact rather than just techniques and methods of teaching or knowledge of the subject. Herbart (1802), in his introductory lecture to students of pedagogy, explains pedagogical tact as the sensitivity and judgment to situations that cannot be planned or pre-determined: “In other words, by reflection, reasoning, inquiry… the educator must prepare not his future action in individual cases so much as himself, his tone of mind, his head as well as his heart, for correctly receiving, apperceiving, feeling, and judging the phenomena awaiting him and the situation in which he may be placed. If he has, in anticipation, indulged in extensive plans, the practical circumstances will mock him. (p. 22)” An important point he made is the impossibility of predicting situations and reacting to the situations according to the plans. Therefore, pedagogical tact calls for spontaneity, sensitivity, and action in all situations. A tactful person should be able to interpret thoughts, feelings, desires, and the life of the other person, and to sense what is the right thing to do in the pedagogical moment.

Toward Technology

It is crucial to point out that technology should not determine how instructors teach or act. Technology offers tremendous pedagogical possibilities that worth further investigation and inquiry. Like the use of any pedagogical or instructional methods, the delusion occurs when instructors are obsessed with tools, means, and techniques while ignoring students, relationships, and experiences.

Reference

Herbart, J. F. (1802) Introductory Lecture to Students of Pedagogy. Retrieved from http://blogs.ubc.ca/nfriesen/files/2015/03/Herbart-INTRODUCTORY-LECTURE-TO-STUDENTS-IN-PEDAGOGY.pdf

Jamieson, D. W., & Thomas, K. W. (1974). Power and conflict in the student-teacher relationship. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 10(3), 321-336. doi:10.1177/002188637401000304

Lusted, D. (1986). Why pedagogy? Screen, (5), 2-14.

Ozuah, P. O. (2005). First, There Was Pedagogy And Then Came Andragogy. Einstein Journal of Biology & Medicine, 21(2), 83–87.

Ruitenberg, C. (2011). The empty chair: Education in an ethic of hospitality. Philosophy of Education, 28-36.

Spiecker, B. (1984). The pedagogical relationship. Oxford Review of Education, 10(2), 203-209. doi:10.1080/0305498840100209

Van Manen, M. (1991). The tact of teaching: The meaning of pedagogical thoughtfulness. Suny Press.