Emerging academic

The roles of "student" and "teacher" are blurry. At various times, and often simultaneously, teachers are students and students are teachers. When such roles are artificially separated, negative risks ensue, not the least of which is the insidious seduction of power and control by "teachers" over "students".

Please feel free to discuss or suggest emancipatory nomenclature for roles played in learning-focused environments and exercises.

Alternative terms for student

Emerging academic

"Emerging academic" offers an alternative the student-teacher dichotomy. Emerging academic is an emancipatory term which emphasises participation in academic studies as an act of collaboration and collegiality. An emerging academic engages in scholarship through knowledge-sharing communities such as learning institutions to learn about and pursue the tasks of academia.

The notion of an emerging academic offers a more empowering, equitable, and developmental conception of a learner's role and potential. The term was inspired by an Otago Polytechnic researcher, Russell Butson (communicated ~2010 by Leigh Blackall to James Neill).

Learner

"Learner" is an active term, emphasising the act and process of developing skills and knowledge. A student can sit through school and "learn nothing" - but can a learner? Conceptualising a person's role as learner suggest belief in the person's capacity for development.

Participant

Another useful, non-provocative, term is "participants". Everyone who participates in a learning activity can play different roles at different times in terms of leading, guiding, responding etcetera.

Future leader

Often developing sufficient knowledge and skills to then be able to lead others is an educational goal. In such contexts, "future leaders" can be used to "forward-think" the role and purpose of the educational program. For example, UniJobs' University of Canberra Lecturer of the Year (2011-2012), Michael DePercy explains that:

“ “The attitude you have towards your students is important, I don’t refer to them as kids, I refer to them as future leaders, because that’s what they can be. I try to build them up to be future leaders of their community.” ”

References

  1. Waller, R. (2006). “I don’t feel like ‘a student’, I feel like ‘me!’: The oversimplification of mature learners’ experience(s). Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 11, 115- 130.

See also

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