If Teaching Were Like Blogging

A few days ago, a commenter named InspirationBit said that she likes comments so that she can get feedback regarding her work. She compared her blog to a class where students responded through their facial expressions and interaction with the instructor. Comparing blogging to teaching is a good analogy, but I have a few concerns with the analogy.

Pick a Location to Teach

Say one fine day that a person decides to start teaching. That person needs to find a location to teach, whether it be on a well-traveled path or in some kind of building.

The location you pick is critical, because you want people to hear you or to be able to find you easily.

Pick a Topic to Teach

After finding that location, you’ll want to decide what to teach. You’ll need to set up a schedule so that your students would know when to expect your teachings. You’ll then need to research and write your lectures, and hope someone shows up to class.

Start Teaching

Say for example that you picked the well-traveled path to teach and started your lecture. People may not even hear you and just walk on by. Others may notice, but have other places to go and keep on going. Some others, perhaps, might actually stop and listen for a bit, but continue walking after losing interest. And yet, some others might actually stick around and listen to the rest of your lecture.

After your lecture is finished, do you ask the people listening for their feedback or for questions? In my experience with lectures, students walk out when the lecture is finished and some students stick around to talk with the teacher. It is these students typically that are the ones that give the instructor the most beneficial feedback regarding the quality of the lectures.

A Lonely Institution

What if, for example, you decided to teach in a lecture hall? How would students know where to find you? Furthermore, if they did find you, how would you pick a good enough topic to capture their attention so that they could possibly attend your class? You might get a few students here and there, but would you still be teaching if all that you ended up with is an empty lecture hall?

Why Blogging is Not Like Teaching

Blogging is sometimes like picking that path on the road or that empty lecture hall. We just pick a spot and go. Teaching isn’t teaching unless there are students to teach to. Does being a blogger require having interaction with readers? After all, you are still blogging, right?

Why Blogging Should Be Like Teaching

I would argue that a successful blog is a blog that has a community built up around it. A good class is the one where a teacher interacts with the students and all of the students join in the debate. If a blogger is the teacher, and the readers the students, then it is the blogger’s job to generate an interesting enough lecture and promote an environment that is conductive to discussion and interaction.

Conclusion

Can teaching be like blogging? Of course. However, a blogger that wears dual hats as a teacher and a blogger must work extra hard to build up the audience and promote an environment were the readers are encouraged to interact and give feedback.