Dr. Radwan
Cost 1610
Thought Paper #2

“Teaching and learning are inseparable parts of a single continuum of reciprocal giving and receiving.”(Christensen Pg. 621) In this quote Christensen describes the reciprocal nature of the relationship between a teacher and a student. In his essay, he describes his theories of teaching as a successful college professor at the prestigious Harvard Business School. It is important to listen to and hear his message on teaching because we all experience at least the student end of the spectrum at some point in our life. It is important to know not only what is going on in the mind of the students as a teacher, but also what is going through the mind of your teacher every day in class. After reading his essay, discussing it, and experiencing 15 years of school I can honestly say this topic is important to understand and consider from both sides of the relationship. First, I will begin by laying out the role of the teacher in Christensen’s view. Then I will go over the students’ role Christensen’s view. Finally I will wrap up with an example to illustrating the key points of the essay and conclude with a summary of my points. “No matter how factually accurate and time-tested our data, how clear cut and disciplined our analytical methods, or how practiced and skillful our pedagogical techniques, true learning emerges only when we honor the human factor.”(Christensen Pg. 631) Christensen’s first idea about the role of the teacher is how open a teacher should be. “A teacher’s openness and caring increase the students’ learning opportunities.”(Pg. 631) This fundamental idea by Christensen speaks to how relaxing and freeing learning can be when there is no pressure in the classroom. Students commonly fear classes where professors stand at the front with a list of names and just call people out to answer questions whether