Teaching is the imparting of information from one person to another
It therefore behooves the teacher to understand the workings of the brain and information to further hone his craft. The science of information and how it’s processed is the science of Logic.
Logic works by funneling information through a process in order to come to conclusions. If the information in the premises are correct, and the thoughts are arranged correctly, then the conclusion will be correct.
The above diagram reduces logic to input and output, from this we can see that there are two issues that must be dealt with before reaching a correct conclusion. The first is the information fed into the original process, and the second being the process itself. The process itself is not the discussion of this article, for that, read on the benefits and importance of learning Logic. The purpose of this article deals with the teachers duty to provide information and his motives for doing so.
It cannot be overstated that the information a person is taught, or comes in contact with is their primary basis for coming to conclusions, the question we have to ask ourselves is why is this important? The importance comes from the fact that all conclusions we come to lead to either action or feeling that will manifest itself in action. This inherent link between information and action is why the teacher sometimes finds himself morally obligated to inspect again and again the material that he teaches.
In theory there are two ways of teaching:
- Making available to your students all of the information that you yourself are privy to, and then trusting them to come up with their own conclusions about that information
- Sharing your conclusions based on the information that you have
*picture: connect the dots vs this is how the dots are connected*
The first method seems to be the most correct but it is not the best method in most places because coming to conclusions is not a right, rather its a privilege of learning the logical process and intense familiarity with the information that is being put into that process. This is what’s meant when we talk about the difference between the “opinion” i.e. conclusion of the layman vs. the expert. The second method is however lazy and antithetical to critical thinking, and the purpose of information sharing itself. I personally feel that when using the first method in a non-expert setting, the teacher is morally obligated to guide those conclusions and to share the reasoning of the people that agree with these conclusions, and to explain why detractors are flawed in their approach.
Every teacher whether conscious of it or not has an agenda that his teachings are trying to fulfill. Most teachers don’t have agendas of their own, they are employees who stick to a script called a curriculum. The information that is imparted to students as a result of that curriculum eventually serves the agenda of those that authored it. In my experiences in the western school system for example, the teachers I’ve felt closest to were the teachers who broke rank with the standard curriculum, and adopted their own. In their classrooms they taught their own unique worldview and became people whose agendas I could easily identify with and support.
As Muslim teachers our agenda should first and foremost be to teach Islam, and that means introducing the Islamic Worldview and explaining its superiority over all other systems. Our curriculums should be designed with this goal in mind, and every bit of information that we espouse should serve this goal.
What I mean by this is twofold: Firstly, we shouldn’t be in the business of hiding information. Anything that we know about a subject we should share on the condition that the people we are dealing with are part of a captive audience that we can gradually clarify things to. We don’t make decisions in ignorance of knowledge to things that are contrary to our view, we act and think the way that we do in spite of those things because we believe our position is inherently stronger and making this known is key.
Secondly, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend where combating modernity, liberalism, and political correctness have become the main enemies and objects of our teaching agendas and I don’t believe this is wise. The proper building of a coherent, logical, and consistent Muslim Worldview is more than enough to combat unsavory elements in our society.
I came into the fold of Islam because of the logic, philosophy and skepticism taught to me by my western teachers, and in my brief time in that system, I came into contact with multiple converts who have had the same experience. It is my own thought and observation that people coming into Islam is mainly due to a logical intellectual process while people leaving it is mainly emotional.
People are not leaving Islam because modernity isn’t being criticized, its because of the hypocrisy they see in their families and communities, being asked to believe things while being presented no proof, being made to aspire to unrealistic goals and expectations, then being forced to endure the shame, ridicule and scorn when they fail to reach them. Because of this its hard for me to even say they left “Islam” when in actuality they left their families, communities and cultures that they confused with Islam. The sad reality is that they were never taught enough Islam to reject it.
And in this we find the role of the Muslim teacher. He must clearly teach what it is Allah wants from us, and the rights we owe to Allah. What the prophet did, and how he stands as our example. The ideas and examples must be relevant and made to resonate with the student, so that they lead to a confidence that is able to withstand logical scrutiny, and actions that properly reflect our tradition.
