Can a Self-Learning Module substitute a Real Teacher?

 

The pandemic has made self-learning modules a necessity, if people are to get educated. And it’s undeniable that the “basic necessities club” has a new member now, i.e., the internet. So will this internet be able to replace a real teacher? Well, as much as the collaboration of self-learning modules and internet helps us educate the most remote areas of the world, self-learning modules can’t play “substitute” for interpersonal relationships since they deliver learning content in the form of discrete ‘atoms’, in the words of educator Philip Kerr, which eventually come together to create ‘learning’. Using a more familiar example, we may be able to engineer a zygote in a test tube in a lab but we still need a human female to perform surrogate. Likewise, as much as all of us can agree that education is a necessity to replace empty minds with open ones and that it is wise to use all methods possible to fulfil the purpose even if it entails not having a real teacher, we can’t deny the fact that the life experiences and knowledge a real teacher brings is irreplaceable.

This brings us to the reality that teaching is not all about itemizing facts and figures of a certain topic. Attesting to this, research has shown that teaching is not all about finding the “right answers” or teaching them to the students. Rather, it is about inquiry and learning through which both the students and the teachers ameliorate into better individuals, thus fostering social learning. Therefore, the holistic development of a student requires more than just the banter of teaching. It requires solid mentorship enriched by the happiness, pain and sufferings of learned and experienced individuals dedicated to the deed. Moreover, it can’t be denied that, often, we learn and model a personalities and outlooks and alignment with the people around us, be it our teachers, parents, friends or acquaintances. Additionally, though self-learning modules lack prejudice, bias and stereotypes, it’s not like one can share their thoughts and concerns with it and expect genuine understanding in return. This in itself indicates that real people have a strong influence on the building of the foundation of an individual.

Building the foundation of an individual does not exactly end with enriching ones intellectual quotient. This can be illustrated by the mere fact that an intelligent person may turn murderer due to the lack of emotional intelligence while the opposite is seldom true. This is where the role of a real teacher comes in. A teacher has the ‘real-time’ sensitivity to understand the emotional state of each individual student and offer an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on, providing comfort and proper guidance. This entails breaking down the barriers of employing the conventional quantitative methods and epistemologies embedded in the academic culture operating from an outsider’s perspective and making informed decisions in regard to the student. In alignment with this argument, a teacher often uses qualitative knowledge seen through an insider’s lens through methods like journaling, direct observation, keeping field notes, conducting interviews, collecting artifacts, etc. which are more appropriate for the complex process of teaching and learning as it is not practically possible for a self-learning module lacking empathy.

2 out of 3 students say that their teachers are their role models. But have you ever heard someone say the same about a self-learning module? Probably, not. So, why is that? Well, the answer is rather simple. It’s because guiding students to become proper human beings and inspiring them to excel in their life by setting goals and achieving them are not exactly the forte of a self-learning module. Attesting to this, We Are Teachers, an online media brand for educators, have found that almost 79 percent of students say that their teachers encouraged them to follow their dreams. Furthermore, feedback can touch the heart of a fellow human being only when it is customized for each person and has the warmth of goodwill. Such personal and warm feedback can help encourage independence and increase confidence as confirmed by more than 80 percent of the students who took part in the research conducted by We Are Teachers.

Confidence stems from compassion. A compassionate teacher positively influences their student even if things may seem grim for them. This is evidently different from the mere graphics found at the end of a self-learning module congratulating a student on successfully completing their studies. Graphical appreciation, though boosts confidence, isn’t as effective as verbal and expressive appreciation from teachers which stimulates the student’s brain much more than the former by unshackling the student from toxic emotions. Thus, teachers become a support system for their students forming a bond between them founded on trust and affection which cannot be formed by a self-learning module. But this doesn’t mean that technology should be taken away from the lives of the students. It means that teachers need to make use of technology as an efficient assistant while incorporating their humour, soft-skills coaching and behavioral assessments and make memories which are sure to adorn their students’ faces with a smile. Such gifts of happiness can only be presented by a real teacher.