"Feel Good" Teaching

I remember, once while I was studying in Grade 7, our teacher came to the class. He confessed, “Today, I have not prepared anything for the class. I have been quite busy. So, today, we’ll have fun. Let’s sing and dance.” The whole class erupted with happiness because they didn’t have to study Physics that day.

It was not a big deal. The Physics teacher just wanted us to have fun. And so did we.

---

What does this “Feel Good” Teaching look like in a classroom?

• “If the students are not “vibing” with me, they aren’t learning.”

• “If the students are not feeling good in my class, they are not learning.”

• “If the students don’t “like” me, they won’t learn.”

Basically what this quote by Rita Pierson says:

---

Now, let’s go deeper.

One of the major sources of “Feel Good” Teaching is Sir Ken Robinson.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I like him a lot.

He’s charismatic and he’s funny. His Tedtalks are way humorous than most stand-up comedians I’ve watched. Plus, his rhetorical play is quite fascinating. We all can learn so much about public speaking from him.

But as an educator, he’s also full of fluff. Like this quote from his famous Tedtalk.

So, the deeper version of “Feel Good” Teaching looks like this:

• “I don’t need to teach WHAT. Students can find it on Google. My job is to simply teach HOW.”

• “Because I care about student learning, I can’t be in the center of their learning. That’s autocratic. I should be their Guide on the Side. That’s democratic.”

• “I am not a teacher. I am just a facilitator. My job is not to teach. My job is to create an environment where every student can become creative on their own.”

---

Let’s go even deeper.

• “Children naturally want to learn. They are naturally curious. They are self-directed and natural explorers.”

• “Competition is bad for students’ self-esteem. Therefore, let’s focus on collaboration.”

• “Everyone eventually forgets what they learned in the school. But they will never forget teachers who made them feel good.”

• “Schools kill creativity.”

You see where I’m going?

Of course. Love your students. Build relationship with them. Make them “feel good” about being in the school. Take care of them. Have fun with them.

But my question is: are they learning anything worth learning in the classroom?

In the name of making your students “feel good”, don’t forget to make them “think good” either.

---

Btw, that Physics teacher of ours was a pretty good teacher. He knew his craft. So, reflecting back, I really don’t mind that he wanted to “vibe” with us. Because, he did make us think hard about Physics in the class.