by Ashlee Mattingly, Pharm.D., Clinical Instructor,
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
There has been a push in
recent years for education to transition from teacher-centered approaches,
which is mainly comprised of didactic lecturing where students passively learn
the information, to student-centered methods, where students and teachers
interact more and students take a more active role in their learning
experience. While the research has shown
that student-centered methods are superior to teacher-centered methods, to
effectively make this transition there must an attitudinal change.1
Robert K. Greenleaf first
coined the term “servant leadership” in The
Servant as Leader in 1970. The
servant leader puts the needs of others first and focuses on their growth and
development. The servant leader is
servant first and leader second.2
In 2008, J. Martin Hayes proposed a model of servant teaching by applying
the principles and values of servant leadership to teaching.3
If we apply McGregor’s
Theory X - Theory Y styles of management to education, there would be two
distinct teaching styles. The Theory X
teacher would be the authoritarian leader of the classroom. The teacher determines what will be taught as
well as how it will be taught. The
student is believed to lack motivation, be dependent on the teacher, and
requires close supervision. In contrast,
the Theory Y teacher relinquishes the power and control. The teacher instead allows the student to
play a large role in determining the material and instructional methods. The student is more autonomous and the
teacher acts as a facilitator to guide the student.3,4 While traditional teaching more closely follows
the Theory X method, J. Martin Hayes argues that Theory Y is consistent with
the principles of servant teaching.3
Larry Spears describes how
the ten characteristics of servant leaders can be applied to teaching.5 (See Table 1)
Servant teachers allow the students to determine their own learning
needs. Instead of the teacher simply
transmitting the knowledge that they deem important to the student, the teacher
must listen
to what the students are saying (or not saying) in order to best serve the
needs of the students.3,4,5,6
Table 1 – Characteristics of Servant Teachers
Listening
|
Listen to students to
help them determine their learning needs.
|
Empathy
|
Understand the students’
perspective and foster an learning environment where student can openly
express their thoughts
|
Healing
|
Some students will
fail. It’s an important part of the
learning process. Rebuild the
student’s self-confidence after failure.
|
Persuasion
|
Help students understand
the importance of an concept but allow freedom to formulate their own
opinions
|
Awareness
|
Be aware of students’
response to your teaching methods and be adaptable
|
Foresight
|
Plan carefully using
student-centered methods
|
Conceptualizing
|
See the big
picture. How do all the parts fit
together.
|
Commitment to Growth
|
Help each student reach
their potential. Foster your own
growth at a teacher.
|
Stewardship
|
Seek to improve the
community and the profession.
|
Build Community
|
Create a welcoming
environment but help students hold themselves and others accountable.
|
The servant teacher must
understand that students have a lot of trepidation when they enter the
classroom. This may be due to a concern
over a lack of knowledge or simply a fear of the unknown. The teacher must be able to empathize
with the students in order to calm these fears.
In order for the servant teaching method to work, the students must feel
comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions and it is the teacher’s
responsibility to foster an environment that encourages this behavior.3,5,6
Servant teachers must also
accept that students will fail and to understand that failing is an important
part of the learning process. The
teacher must provide a safe environment to allow the student to fail but then
to work to heal and rebuild the student’s self-confidence and self-esteem
after a failure.3,5,6
The servant teacher relies
on the power of persuasion (not their authority) and focuses on helping
students understand why a certain answer (or approach) is correct. The servant teacher explains to students why
a certain topic (or concept) is important but allows students the opportunity
to formulate their own opinions instead of merely forcing an idea.3,5
Servant teachers must be aware
of how the students react to the lesson plan and teaching methods. They must be able to adapt to serve the needs
of the students.3,5 Moreover,
servant teachers should use foresight and try to predict how students would react to a certain lesson
plan or teaching method. Teachers should
plan for the unknown and make the commitment to foster a student-centered
learning environment.3,5,6 Servant
teachers must conceptualize how all of the parts fit together to make the
whole and are able to communicate the importance of this to the students.3,5,6
The servant teacher makes
a commitment
to growth, not only the growth of each student but also one’s own
personal growth. The teacher understands
that the learning process is never finished and is continually seeking feedback
in an effort to improve.5,6
The servant teacher
accepts the role of steward for the community and their profession. They strive to encourage the students to be
stewards as well.3,5,6 As
stewards, servant teachers understand the importance of building a community in
and outside the classroom. They work to create
a welcoming environment in the classroom where students feel comfortable
sharing their ideas and opinions. The
teacher instills into the minds of the students the importance of holding others
accountable, whether this is through group assignments or class participation.3,5,6
In one field based study
traditional-age (18-24 years old) college students were surveyed regarding the
characteristics they associated with their most and least effective teachers.7 The survey was was based on Laub’s Servant
Organizational Leadership Assessment instrument. This instrument utilizes the characteristics
of servant leaders and attempts to measure perceived servant leadership
qualities.8 Not surprisingly,
the most effective teachers had strong servant leader qualities.7
Servant teaching can serve
as the starting point for student-centered learning. On an end of course evaluation where a
teacher used a servant teacher approach, one student wrote, “The room had been
transformed into an incredibly unique learning culture. The class had established some of the highest
levels of trust, respect and honesty that I have ever experienced in study or
work…”3 If teachers accepting
their new role as facilitators, students will take a more active role in their
learning which will empower and better prepare them for the future.9
References
- Corley MA. Student-Centered Learning. Just Write! Guide. American Institutes for Research. February 2012:23-25. Accessed November 15, 2014.
- What is Servant Leadership? Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Accessed November 1, 2014.
- Hays JM. Teacher as Servant-Applications of Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership in Higher Education. The Journal of Global Business Issues. Winter/Spring 2008(2);1:113-134.
- Balfour DL, Marini F. Child and Adult, X and Y: Reflections on the Process of Public Administration Education. Public Administration Review Nov/Dec 1991(51);6:478-485.
- Spears LC. Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders. The Journal of Virtues and Leadership. 2010(1);1:25-30.
- Robinson FP. Servant Teaching: The Power and Promise for Nursing Education. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship. 2009(6);1:1-18.
- Drury S. Teacher as Servant Leader: A faculty model for effectiveness with students. School of Leadership Studies Regent University. Servant Leadership Research Roundtable. August 2005. Accessed November1, 2014.
- Laub JA. Assessing the Servant Organization: Development of the organizational leadership assessment (OLA) instrument. Dissertation, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL. Accessed November 15, 2014.
- Hannay M, Kitahara R, Fretwell C. Student-Focused Strategies for the Modern Classroom. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies. March 2010; 2: 1-16. Accessed November 15, 2014.
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