The idea that as
professors we should be good role models for our students is certainly not
anything new or surprising. We all take
care to speak professionally, proofread our handouts carefully, demonstrate
our scholarly integrity by citing sources for ideas we use, show up on
time--and prepared--for class. etc. An
article by David Googlar in The Chronicle of Higher Education, though, did make me rethink that role model issue.
Among other suggestions, Googlar advises that
rather than just modeling expertise, we should also “model stupidity”—showing students
that not knowing an answer is an acceptable
and important part of being a scholar and then showing them the thinking
processes we use to try to find a reasonable answer.
“Almost
everything we do in the classroom -- the way we speak, how we make use of
technologies, what we demand of our students -- provides a model for them in
some way,” Googlar argues.
Do you
agree? In what ways do you see yourself
as a role model in the classroom? What are the actions/attributes/awarenesses
that you consciously try to model as you teach?
