Understanding Students' Resistance to Learning
A summary of Chapter 16 of Brookfield's book, The Skillful Teacher (2015)
Teachers need to be aware of the various forces that are acting upon students and understand that there are many reasons that students may resist learning. Learning is change, and fear of change is a common struggle and barrier for many people. Teachers must avoid the temptation to blame themselves 100% for student resistance, and take it upon themselves to convert every student into a thoroughly engaged, transformative learner. Oftentimes, there will be things that the teacher can do to lure resistant learners in, but they should be careful not to become obsessed with a minority of resistant learners, to the detriment of the majority of the majority of motivated students.
Brookfield acknowledges that there are several possible explanations for resistance to learning that stem from the personality, style, demands, perceived authenticity and competence of the teacher. Problems can also stem from the students themselves, though, and teachers should keep these factors in mind as they strive to understand their students and reduce barriers to learning.
Some of the most prevalent themes that lead students to resist learning are:
Negative past experience in school leads students to believe that they are not smart enough
Leaving the comfort of current competence and understanding to explore new, unknown ideas can cause anxiety and fear of the unknown
Difference between teaching and learning styles between teacher and student
Fear of not knowing the answer or feeling stupid in front of others
Opposition from family, friends or community of the learner - leaving their culture behind to explore new thoughts and ideas - support network weakened or destroyed - out on a limb by themselves
Unclear instructions from teachers
Student dislike of teacher - sometimes, people will simply do not care for others - this is a simple truth
Unrealistic pace of teaching and learning - too fast or too slow
Teachers have a better chance of overcoming resistance from learners if they understand where it is coming from. In the next chapter, Brookfield offers ideas that will assist in this endeavour.