William Buskist

"Teachers need to take steps to engage students because it helps students become active participants in their own learning."

"Engaged students are interested in learning the material and expressing what they have learned–and even more importantly, what they don't yet understand–to the teacher and their fellow students,".

"The teacher's knowledge is a necessary part of the backdrop in this process, but it is not sufficient. The teacher must connect with students at their level, teach passionately and establish rapport with their students."

Three Elements of the
Student Teacher Relationship

The relationship between student and teacher, if it is to be maximally productive, must reflect certain attitudes and commitments of each to the other. Specifically, three elements must exist in a student's relationship to a teacher:

First, the student must respect his or her teacher and hold him in the highest esteem, for this is a necessary prerequisite to accepting his advice. Regarding someone who is only giving factual information, and not assuming the role of mentor, this condition becomes less critical. In relation to a spiritual advisor, however, the student needs to feel deference and admiration, for this creates a willingness and desire to receive the teacher's instruction, even though this instruction may be uncomfortable and disconcerting at times.

Secondly, the student must trust the teacher's concern. The student must believe that the teacher always has his or her best interests in mind. If the student would sense some ulterior motive, some self interest, or even carelessness in the teacher’s instruction, he or she would not be able to surrender whole heartedly to the teacher's advice, and this would make the entire exchange meaningless.

Finally, the student must commit himself or herself to following the instruction with utmost discipline, for only then can the intended effect be realized. Just as a doctor's orders must be followed precisely, since failure to do so could cause more harm than good, so a teacher's "prescription" must be obeyed with equal conscientiousness and deference to his superior knowledge and authority.

The teacher also has three levels of responsibility to his students in relation to giving advice:

The first is fulfillment of the prerequisite of getting to know his students individually, to probe the innermost depths of their hearts as well as examining the outer details of their lives. As the teacher's familiarity grows, so the potency of his advice deepens proportionately.

Secondly, the teacher must express love and affection toward his students. It is this affection that dissolves the students' natural tendency to resist being told what to do. Thus, the advice can penetrate more deeply and effectively.

Finally, the teacher must take time to reflect upon his students' progress, refining and adjusting his vision of how best to influence them toward positive change. This is an ongoing requirement because students quickly "outgrow" old advice, and the categories of what is beautiful and what is ugly change with each new stage of growth.

How might interdisciplinary learning affect you, your colleagues, and your students?

Interdisciplinary learning has proven to have a positive impact on teaching styles and on relationships with both colleagues and students. Let's discuss a few of these potential benefits.

Introducing an interdisciplinary element into a curriculum encourages all involved to develop meaningful links among the fields in ways that intrigue and motivate both teacher and students. Interdisciplinary, often dubbed "the teaching of thinking," gives a purpose to study that goes far beyond the evaluation and memorization of information related to a topic.

Using an interdisciplinary unit in your teaching can affect your interaction with colleagues as well. When teams of educators must work together to develop effective units, they often feel a sense of collegiality and enthusiasm that would not be achieved if they were working in isolation.

Using an interdisciplinary unit in your teaching can also positively influence your students. Many educators agree that interdisciplinary units further the development of higher-order thinking skills.

It has been said that "the earth is not something we inherit from our parents but rather something we have on loan from our children". By providing students with the tools necessary to participate as active members of their communities, having the creative problem-solving skills, social literacy, and commitment to engage in responsible individual and cooperative actions that will lead to ecologically viable, socially just, and economically secure societies for present and future generations, we involve them in caring for the environment as citizens and perhaps one day as science professionals, trained to protect and restore their birthright and their legacy.

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