Commentary Suppose you walk into a Grade 8 classroom. There is one teacher and 25 students in the room. Who should be in charge?
Hopefully, you said the teacher. Since the teacher is a trained professional who is held accountable for what happens in the classroom, it makes sense for the teacher to take charge. It would be the height of folly to describe the teacher and students as “co-learners” who must work together in a learning partnership.
And yet this is the type of nonsense that prospective teachers are often subjected to during their education courses. One of the most common sayings in faculties of education is that a teacher should be a “guide on the side” rather than a “sage on the stage.” However, it’s hard to stay in control of a classroom filled with rambunctious students when you relegate yourself to the role of guide.
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