Constructive Mutualism: The Future of Teaching and Learning

Constructive Mutualism: The future of teaching and learning For fifty years the education sector has been trying to break away from the Behaviourist paradigm, where responsibility for classroom management and enforcement of rules relies solely with the teacher [1].This traditional classroom management technique, when in full force delivered high levels of student engagement albeit with poor quality of attention.As the learning required at the time was largely rote, other forms of memorisation and procedural repetition this was not a major failing.Gradually, the use of reward and punishment, the basis for this paradigm, has weakened, especially, the punishment side which has led to a drop in the time and quality of attention which is achievable from students via these means and a subsequent increase in disruptions evidenced in many Australian schools.This has now reached crisis proportions."In Australia, many students are consistently disengaged in class: as many as 40 per cent are unproductive in a given year.The main problem is not aggressive and anti-social behaviour.More prevalent and stressful for teachers are minor disruptions, such as students talking back.Nor is it just about noise: nearly one in four students are compliant but quietly disengaged.We do not know exactly what causes students in Australia to disengage" [2].