I had a conversation today on the subject of styles of teaching. When you are trying to impart some knowledge or understanding to a group of people, there are various strategies you can use.
One way to approach the task is what might be called the “mountaintop” strategy. In this approach, you are essentially standing on top of a mountain, and your message is aspirational: “If you pay attention, work hard, and be the best you can be, then you might some day be able to reach the height that I have reached.”
Another way to approach it is what might be called the “mountain climber” strategy. In this approach, you stand next to the student, while look up at the mountain. Essentially you are saying “Hey, this sure is a tall mountain. I’m going to try to climb it. Want to try it with me?”
There are advantages to both strategies, and each will work better for a particular kind of student. But I think it’s also true that each will work better for a particular kind of teacher.
For me, the second strategy works better as a teaching strategy, because it matches my personality. For one thing, I really like climbing mountains, especially old favorites that I have visited before. For another thing, when I go mountain climbing, I very much enjoy having company.