It Fits!

Where Encounter fits

Where does Encounter fit in an educator’s repertoire?

The combination of Technical Skills (pedagogy, subject knowledge, student management) and Formative Assessment (feedback, challenge, stretch) allow an educator to stimulate student learning, this is well understood.

The addition of Encounter to this mix allows for the full empowerment of students to take ownership of their learning and growth and allows for continuous innovation to take place in the level of technical skills and formative assessment for the educator.

Encounter is the practice of paying full attention, free of judgement or comparison and, whatever another person says or does, responding with kindness (a desire to increase their happiness) or compassion (a desire to decrease their suffering).

When a student experiences this, they will go out of their way not to let down or disappoint the educator and, when work is proposed for them to do they will do their best to complete the work.

Thus, it is encounter that underpins the full engagement of the student in their own learning.

So, rather than there being two key competence areas – Technical Skill and Formative Assessment – there are three with this third, Encounter, providing the dynamism that brings the other two fully alive and progressive.
About 5% of educators have these three key areas and they have a lasting impact on their students, are remembered throughout their students’ adult lives.

All three areas are important.

A longer version of this article appears on LinkedIn

John Corrigan is an expert in helping individuals to bring their whole of mind to their daily life and increase their effectiveness and the effectiveness of those around them. This expertise scales from the individual to the team to the organisation. At the core of this work is the practice of encounter.