Teachers: Pearl Divers, not Fault Finders
Those who are constantly trying to avoid mistakes work with the handbrake on. Perhaps it is more important to “welcome” and even “embrace” mistakes in order to learn from them. A mistake-friendly atmosphere allows us to see the learning opportunities that lie within errors. For teachers, it is more decisive to uncover the potentialities of their students than to chase after mistakes.
Meaningful Learning: Choice and Decision
Learning is primarily an emotional act, and only secondarily a cognitive one. Therefore, it is essential that students can enter into relationship with the subject matter. Our guiding model here is the existential-pedagogical triangle. Moreover, having options is crucial in order to be able to decide between alternatives. The ability to learn in a state of decisiveness transforms the approach to learning in a significant way.
Learning: Not a Spectator Sport
Existentially oriented teaching is teaching that conveys meaning. The focus is placed more on the students’ learning than on the teacher’s instruction. The aim is that children and adolescents take responsibility for their own learning, engage actively, and do not remain mere spectators. For this, the teacher must create conditions that enable largely self-directed, personal learning, while also allowing time for motivating individual conversations.