Page 57 - Beyond Methods

Maximizing learning opportunities 45
cess whereby learning opportunities are created.” An interesting as- pect of this definition is that it avoids what he calls a “provider;” that is to say, both teachers and learners are considered to be most valuable players in managing the creation and utilization of learn- ing opportunities in the classroom.
Traditional Players
If classroom management should be directed toward the creation and utilization of learning opportunities, and if that managerial role is jointly vested with teachers and learners, then we need to reconsider the role of some of the factors that we have traditionally believed to be crucial for classroom management. Specifically, we may have to get away from the long-cherished notion that peda- gogic success is determined by a combination of a well-planned teachers’ agenda supported by a well-designed textbook based on a well-conceived syllabus. We need to recognize the possibility that creation and utilization of learning opportunities are
• not bound by teachers’ agenda,
• not bound by teaching materials, and • not bound by syllabus specifications.
These three factors are all predetermined even before the class- room interaction with learners begins. Traditional classroom man- agement with its emphasis on these predetermined factors has cer- tain inherent limitations.
Limitations of Teachers’ Agenda
Teachers generally have a prepared teaching agenda in the form of lesson plans, written or otherwise. No doubt lesson plans offer a sense of direction to classroom activity. However, teachers know that they cannot become prisoners of their own agenda. They need to constantly monitor how the lesson is unfolding and make suit- able changes as necessary. While the prepared lesson plan may offer a general road map to teachers, the specific route they follow, the speed limits they impose, and the unexpected detours they take will all depend on the “road conditions” they encounter in the classroom.
Most often, teachers’ prepared agenda focus almost exclusively on what is taught whereas, in reality, what is taught is different from