“I often felt like just another student in a large classroom,” says Revelation Delgadillo.
From remembering each student’s name to carefully studying the syllabus, the start of a new semester may bring up many feelings of concern for students and professors. Each year brings its own challenges for both first-year and returning students. One major challenge, though, is feeling understood in a learning environment.
Due to the many different teaching styles found within one school, new classes can feel unsettling. This can have a lot to do with teaching styles that either encourage engagement or limit it.
Familiarity, interaction and engagement can help create a more supportive educational environment. Many approaches have been developed to help students gain the most out of their education, especially in the college setting.
Philosopher Paulo Freire examined contrasting approaches to education in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In it, he introduces two models called the “banking model” and the “problem-posing model,” which are often observed in learning environments.
Haley Burke, Ph.D., an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of the Incarnate Word, assigns the text as required reading in her classes. She says, “When I first read this text, I thought, what a great thing for first-year students, because the whole text is about how participating in your education is a larger part of becoming a citizen.”
She continues, “I intended that when students read this piece, they would gain a sense for the truth and … make questions on their own and present them to their professors.”
In Freire’s “banking model,” the instructor delivers information while students primarily receive it, leaving less opportunity for questioning and dialogue.
Freire contrasts the banking model with an approach that places greater emphasis on student participation, questioning and dialogue.
An approach that aligns with this is known as the “problem-posing model,” where students are the center of the classroom. In this model, students have agency over their learning as they are encouraged to engage with peers and the instructor.
For some students, class size can affect how connected they feel to their professors. Delgadillo experienced that difference after transferring to UIW from the University of Houston.
Revelation Delgadillo, a Communication Arts student, explains, “It was incredibly difficult to get in contact with my professors at the University of Houston. It was difficult to get their attention or find a time to speak with them. I often felt like just another student in a large classroom.”
Delgadillo said her experience at UIW has been different. She adds, “At UIW, the smaller classes are much more interactive, allowing for deeper connections with professors.”
For Burke, encouraging students to participate in their education is part of developing critical thinking. Burke hopes that after students take her class, they feel that they can be active participants in their lives.
Additionally, she says, “I encourage students to prepare for class time. My advice is to ask yourself how the text you are reading and the conversations that you’re having connect to your life.”
Adapting to college or to new classes each semester is not always simple. Burke’s advice suggests that students do not have to be passive participants in that process. Asking questions, preparing for class and connecting course material to their own lives can give students a more active role in their education.
