Teachers and Learners – Roles That Complement Each Other

In the process of learning, there are numerous things that play a
significant role towards making it a smooth, pleasurable and
constructive process.

First of all, the teachers are those who set the tone for a great
learning environment. However, a lot depends on the way the learners
face the lessons and overall, learning.
To begin with, a learner must seriously take into consideration that
learning is a great commitment. Most of the times, it requires hard work
in order for it to be a successful procedure. Building up knowledge
should be continuous; that is, the learners should consistently study so
as not to have any gaps, for the reason that then they will have
serious problems in their learning. Learning is like a chain, and each
lesson and studying time is a link in the chain. If the learners fail to
study or miss a lesson without making up for it, then they
automatically break the learning chain and their learning is disrupted.
For that reason, teachers are there to remind learners that both of them
should stick to a schedule and that when a lesson is missed, it will
surely be made up for.
Secondly, learners must understand what kind of learner they are: are
they visual, aural, kinesthetic? This can be encouraged by the
teachers. Not everyone learns the same way. (Unfortunately, I have heard
teachers say “Oh, why is that student constantly whispering when he
reads?” – Well, maybe he likes to hear himself and assimilate the text
better, someone might say? Or: “Don’t look at the board, everyone write
it down!” – Well, what if the students are visual and can cope well with
that?) It is important for them to decide on what kind of learner they
are, as this will help them tremendously.
Learning will become much easier and naturally, more pleasant for
them. Plus, they will help their teachers enormously, as the latter will
be able to adapt their lessons to their learners’ needs and special
traits. For instance, at a young age I realized I could learn better
when hearing something when the teachers spoke in my daily lessons at
school. I later took advantage of my personal learning style and enjoyed
assimilating through listening to my teachers speak, from tapes and
television (here in combination with images), or from the radio,
whatever the lesson. Up to now, my aural learning style has assisted me
in my teaching as well, for the reason that I enrich my knowledge by
attending seminars and conferences, where you can hear a number of
speakers. Thus, each person must look inside themselves and discover
what type of learner they are; it will help tremendously in promoting learning. A characteristic of the good
learner is concentration, both in class and in the study place. A good
learner pays attention to the teacher while delivering the lesson and
also to their classmates, when they are asking a question about the
lesson or answering the teacher’s questions. (Naturally, the teacher has
to be enthusiastic and make the lesson as interesting as possible so
that the students become engaged as well.) It is very constructive to
pay attention when classmates have questions, because for example it may
be something they cannot comprehend. Teachers need to encourage and
remind this and try to engage a number of students when someone asks a
question. This is a very good opportunity for the others in class to
learn something new, something maybe they had not thought or about, or
they can even answer the questions themselves, if of course they can
explain the unintelligible point in question.
Moreover, there must be concentration in the study place as well. The
learner must choose to study in a comfortable, warm environment, if
possible away from distractions like telephones, computers or
televisions. Above all, studying should take place at an appropriate
time for the learners: they should ask themselves what the best time of
day for them is in order to study and keep that as permanent study time.
Therefore, learners have to create a good study schedule and combine it
with any other daily activities or work, if they are professionals.
Having a schedule aids the learning process a great deal, for the reason
that it helps maintain organization. Last of all, but equally important
to all the aforementioned factors, learners should be prepared to study
hard. It is highly beneficial to study not only the work assigned by
the teacher, but also to access additional bibliography to read extensively on the given subject and moreover to recycle and
simultaneously comprehend all the components of the lesson delivered by
the teacher. It may be tiring at times, as it is extra work, but the
benefits are numerous.
All elements combined, the learner is a person responsible for their
advancement in learning and should be organized, attentive and should be
prepared to study, so as to be successful in the work they have
undertaken. In order for them to achieve this though, the teacher is
responsible for the learning process to a great extent. If the teacher
turns the classroom into an enthusiastic and encouraging place for
learning (as well as organized), then the learner will enjoy being there
as well.