Peter Lucantoni
Spoon-feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon – E. M. Forster. In this article, Peter Lucantoni discusses the concept of spoon-feeding and the importance of independent learning, especially for students transitioning from school to further study.
Why spoon-feeding isn’t the best approach to learning
Something which often comes up during training events is whether or not teachers think they are working too hard inside the classroom (and, for that matter, outside, too). Invariably the answer from teachers is pretty much a unanimous and resounding ‘Yes, we are!’ A follow-up question is usually something along the lines of: ‘Well, if you think you are working too hard, who is probably not working very hard?’ The answer, of course, is ‘The students’, which leads very neatly into a third question: ‘And why is that?’ And so to the topic of this blog and the reason for E M Forster’s words: ‘Spoon-feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.’
‘Spoon-feeding’ suggests that we are providing so much help and support our students that they need to do very little for themselves, whether this is thinking about something, asking questions about something, or actually producing something.
Spoon-feeding is often seen as one of the more traditional (and outdated) approaches to learning, a type of ‘rote-learning’ system, in which teachers ‘feed’ students with information to memorise and regurgitate for a test or an exam, and then forget it. No doubt many of us have experienced such a system, either because we have had to teach in such a way, or have been on the receiving end of the approach.
Judit Neurink in an online article explains the spoon-feeding approach using an insightful analogy: ‘I have at times compared a group of students … with a nest full of baby birds, who open their beaks to receive the food the parent is bringing in.’
If an educational system encourages this approach to teaching and learning, then we can hardly blame students for sitting back with their mouths open, waiting to be fed by teachers. Students will normally accept whatever is offered because it is the easy option, but also because they have learned through experience that it works.
Understanding the importance of independent learning
The real problem of course comes to the fore when learners move from a spoon-feeding context into one which expects learners to do things for themselves, to be inquisitive, to ask questions, and not to accept things at face value. This often happens when teenagers move from high school to college or university, or from one culture to another. When students who are not used to questioning things are suddenly expected to do exactly that, a degree of shock usually follows.
‘The curriculum’, ‘the system’ and ‘the final exam’ are all frequently blamed for much of what goes on in the classroom, both in terms of effective and less-effective teaching and learning. However, as educators, we need to be aware of the hazards of adopting and prolonging a spoon-feeding approach, and, as Judit Neurink concludes: ‘We need vision, and decision makers who understand the needs of education in the 21st Century.’ We need to ensure that we try out different approached of self-managed learning. Try to promote an environment of questioning and thinking, and enourage students to find out what information is available to them, above and beyond what the teacher and the coursebook offer them.
To end this blog post, the very well-known Chinese proverb below aptly sums up the discussion:
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Understanding the importance of independent learning is the first step in combatting the ‘spoon-feeding’ approach. For more useful tips and strategies, browse our selection of Teacher Development resources.
About the author:
Peter Lucantoni has had a long career in English language teaching and teacher training in Europe, the Middle East, and, since 1993, in Cyprus. He is the author and co-author of several popular coursebooks for students including Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (fourth edition).
