Being in The Class

Journal of Management Education
http://jme.sagepub.com/
Being in the Classroom

V. Jean Ramsey and Dale E. Fitzgibbons
Journal of Management Education 2005 29: 333
DOI: 10.1177/1052562904271144
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10.1177/1052562904271144
JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION / April 2005
Ramsey, Fitzgibbons / BEING IN THE CLASSROOM
BEING IN THE CLASSROOM
V. Jean Ramsey
Texas Southern University
Dale E. Fitzgibbons
Illinois State University
This article distinguishes among classroom experiences based on doing something to students (emphasis on teaching), doing something with students
(emphasis on teaching and learning), and being with students (emphasis on
learning). Being moments and being classes result from states of mind rather
than pedagogical techniques. Thus, redefinitions are offered for how learning
occurs, the role of the teacher and students, and the nature of classroom interactions in being classes. The authors hopes for the readers are that they will
increase the being moments in their classrooms and that when they are in a
doing mode, it will be from a perspective of awareness and informed choice
rather than default.
Keywords: learner-centered teaching; student-centered learning; humanistic education; teacher-student relationships
Imagine that you have just walked into a graduate organizational theory
class where chaos seems to reign. Students are laughing and joking with each
other about some aspect of the course content. Everyone is talking at the same
time. The teacher is chatting about a theory with one or two students in the
corner while others are sitting in small clusters talking animatedly about class
Authors Note: The authors would like to thank Max Elden and David Steingard for their earlier
reviews, participants in a session at the 1999 Southwestern Business Administration Teaching
Conference for their reactions to and support of these ideas, and the anonymous reviewers of
JME for their extensive and very helpful feedback. A special thanks to Jean Kantambu Latting for
her above-and-beyond contributions.
JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION, Vol. 29 No. 2, April 2005 333-356
DOI: 10.1177/1052562904271144
2005 Organizational Behavior Teaching Society
333
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topics. As the class comes to an end, students are still intensely engaged in
conversation, surprised when told the class is over. Over the course of the
semester, these students spend time together at the zoo, the Museum of Fine
Arts, the theater, video/sports arenas, and restaurants, willing to spend
money and sacrifice out-of-class time to come together and continue learning
from one another. Alternatively, picture the end of an undergraduate organizational behavior course as students voluntarily sign up to an alumni listserve
so they can stay in touch with one another after graduation (some have done
so now for more than 10 years). Envision a class where a month after the
course is over, students are still sending holiday greetings to one another,
inviting others to join them at grandmas house for Christmas dinner, and
sending poetry that expresses how important each individual is to them and
how much they learned from one another.
Do these introductory examples appear to be a teachers utopia? They are
not as far-fetched as you might think; they are real examples. We experience
situations like them regularly and believe the major way they differ from traditional classes is that all the members of the class (including the teacher)
focus on being together.
In this article, we contrast being with the more usual ways of doing in
the classroom. The authors have independently developed this way of being
in the classroom while teaching at two very different institutions: one a large,
Midwestern, primarily residential, predominantly White school located in a
college town and the other a smaller, primarily commuter, and historically
Black school in a large city. The ideas presented in this article have emerged
while teaching undergraduate introductory management, organizational behavior, leadership, team-building, and strategy courses and a graduate organization theory course.
There are many different ways of being in the classroom. To illustrate the
variety of means to the same end, throughout the article we give examples
and illustrations of some of the ways the two of us have experienced and
enacted being in the classroom.
Introduction
Much has been written about moving from teacher-centered to learnercentered models of teaching and learning. In a review of learning-centered
education, Bilimoria and Wheeler (1995) suggest that when assumptions
about teaching are driven by learning, we are more likely to provide opportunities for self-direction; reshape the authority relations in our classrooms;
implement experience-based learning activities; adopt a relational-learning
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approach; pay attention to context, inputs, and process; and foster lifelong
learning (p. 426). Many of the readers of this journal endorse these ideas and
experiment with pedagogical devices to create more learner-centered classrooms. In most of the writing on learner-centered education, however, the
focus remains on the teacherwhat he or she can or should do to achieve
learning-centered instruction. Although a learner-centered model is based in
a different set of assumptions than a teacher-centered one, the starting point is
still pedagogical techniques initiated by the teacher. At best, the authors call
for partnership learning (Ramsey & Couch, 1994), encourage both students
and teacher to become active participants in learning (hooks, 1994), or use
the developmental, but hierarchical, metaphor of junior and senior partners
(Ferris, 2002). Even the best-intentioned articles focus on teachers and what
teachers do (or need to do) to or with the students. In our view, such a focus
objectifies students, distances teachers, and underemphasizes the most critical element in the classroom: learning.
As we began to think and talk about what truly learning-centered classrooms would be like, we found that teaching techniques and pedagogy became nearly irrelevant. We grew less concerned about what we did in our
classrooms and more concerned with who we were in the classroom and why
we chose to do what we did. Underlying assumptions, values, and beliefs
about learning became more central. We began questioning our assumptions
about our role as educators, the nature of interactions in our classrooms, and
the learning outcomes desired. We concluded that what we were about was
the desire to co-create learning.
Our model distinguishes among classroom experiences based on doing
something to students, doing something with students, and being with students. These correspond, in our minds, to an emphasis on teaching (doing
something to students), an emphasis on teaching and learning (doing something with students), and an emphasis on learning (being with students).
Table 1 describes some of these distinctions as they affect various aspects of
the teaching-learning process. Although we will not specifically refer to
Table 1 again, many of our arguments and examples draw from it.
Passing on knowledgeprimarily in the form of lectures, PowerPoint
presentations, textbooks, and readingsis about doing something to students. Most management educators have moved beyond the belief that as a
teacher, Im here to impart wisdom to you. Much has been written over the
past several decades on how to move instead to the role of learning facilitator:
Im here to help you learn through activities, exercises, and discussions.
Teaching-related conferences and publications are filled with ideas about
how to facilitate learning: new exercises, new curricular design, new learning
activities, new ways of doing what we do more effectively. Active involve-
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TABLE 1
Interbeing
Who am I and how do the concepts relate to me?
Commitment
Mutually initiated
Fully present, intense, intimate, respectful
Starting where students are; allowing them to
move where they feel they need to be
Interdependent
What do you want me to think/feel/practice?
Cooperation
Student-initiated (but teacher-controlled)
Present and engaged
Starting where the teacher is and ending where
teacher and student both are
Everything and everyone as potential sources of

learning
More flexible learning outcomes, primarily emergent in the moment
Self-discovery, learning defined as internalization,
absorption, becoming one with
Mutual responsibility for learning outcomes
Discussion/exercises/role plays/activities
Demonstrating
Guide on the side (facilitator)
Establishing trust
Unfreezing, reducing power inequalities,
opening up possibilities
Testing application/skill competency
Creation and manipulation of experience
Role of teacher
Transfer of information
Lecturing/cases
Telling
Sage on the stage (guru)
Establishing initial direction
Preparing syllabus, handouts, materials,
requirements
Testing knowledge
Role of student
Dependent
What do you want me to think?
Compliance
Nature of classroom interactions
Teacher-initiated
Distant, separate
Starting and ending where the teacher is
Teacher primarily responsible for learning

outcomes
Experiences and self-assessment as important
sources of learning
Specific learning outcomes, emergent from
planned experiences
Theory and practice/skill development
Nature of learning
Teacher primarily responsible for learning
outcomes
Teacher and book as primary sources of
learning
Specific learning outcomes, planned in
advance
Theory
Learning (being with mode)
Facilitation of opportunities for learning in a

broader sense
Using whats in the room
Modeling, listening
Node in the net (servant leader)
Simply being, modeling authenticity and openness
Creating learning opportunities, allowing community to develop
Individualized and mutually negotiated assessment
Teaching and Learning (doing with mode)
Teaching (doing to mode)
Three Modes of Teaching and Learning
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ment of students in experiential learning and skill building is about engaging in activities and experiences with the students. The focus is on helping
students learn from their experiences, through introspection, reflection, and
discussion.
Each of these strategies has its benefits, yet each keeps the teacher firmly
entrenched in the role of teacher, responsible for doing something to or with
the students. We are proposing a third alternative: a simple being in the classroom rather than doing. Here, the statement of philosophy might be, Were
here to learn together and you (the students) are as much a source of our
learning as I (the teacher). We often use the phrase, a community of learners, to describe this philosophy to students. By fully being in the classroom
together, powerful learning occurs, learning that doesnt require anyone
doing anything to anyone else.
These are not all new ideas; many were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s
by advocates of affective and humanistic education (Lyon, 1971). Humanistic education championed the valuing of students as learners and of where
they are in their readiness to learn. In open classrooms, almost any learning
direction the class might take was seen as appropriate (Leonard, 1968).
Humanistic education sought to involve the whole person in the educational
process, integrating the affective and cognitive domains (Brown, 1970). Carl
Rogerss Freedom to Learn (1969) was very influential and proposed transforming the teacher into a learning facilitator, developing openness and
trust in the student-teacher relationship, making the subject matter relevant to
the students lives, and involving the whole person of the learner (feelings as
well as intellect). Our model builds on this earlier humanistic approach, integrates more recent thinking and writing, and applies it to the management
classroom.
It is important for the reader to recognize that we are not proposing
being as the way to approach teaching and learning, nor are we suggesting
that every class session be filled with nothing but being moments. None
of our classes are totally being ones. Most classes are a mix of doing and
being. Some days are spent doing; some days are spent being. Some parts of
our courses are doing ones; some parts are being ones. All forms of teaching and learningdoing, doing with, and beingare valid and indeed
complementary.
We seldom operate at the furthest being end of the doing-being continuum, nor do we intend to. We find ourselves moving back and forth among
the modes regularly, easily, and intentionally. The important thing, we feel, is
to make explicit the choices about where to operate on the doing-being continuum and to strive to increase the number of being moments and being class
sessions. Our goal is to operate as far toward the being end of the continuum
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as we and the students are able. Our hope for the reader is that you will
increase the being moments in your classrooms and that when you are in a
doing mode, it will be from a perspective of awareness and informed choice
rather than default.
Because operating in a being mode is least common, in this article we will
primarily describe the being end of the continuum. We will use the terms
being classes, being class sessions, being class experiences, and being
moments as variations of using a being mode in the classroom.
Being moments and class sessions result more from states of mind than
from pedagogical techniques. Redefinitions are needed in how learning
occurs, the role of the teacher and students, and the nature of the classroom
interactions.
Redefinition of How Learning Occurs

Being classes do not mean that anything goes. They are structured, there is
a syllabus, and there are explicit expectations for learning and assessment.
All of these create what we later call the container within which learning
occurs. While there may be structure, being classrooms and being classroom
experiences involve a different view of the learning process. The belief that
students themselves control what they learn must be firmly embraced. Shifting responsibility for learning from the teacher to the student is not as easy as
it sounds, however. Despite being serious devotees of Parker Palmer and
Paulo Freire and active members of the Organizational Behavior Teaching
Society for many years, we have found it difficult to let go of the felt responsibility. As we developed deeper awareness of ourselves and our role in the
classroom, however, it became brutally clear how many of our previous
efforts were wasted onesenacted to make us feel like we had done our job
rather than for the sake of the students learning. When we accepted our
inability to do students learning for them (a foolish idea), or to ensure that
they learn what we are teaching (a vain hope), a plethora of things dropped
away: our need to cover every chapter, to try to control what happens in
classes, to do anything except learn along with the students. In many ways,
our work in the classroom became easier because of our willingness to
release control of the process.
A correlate to the understanding that students control their own learning is
acceptance that different students learn different things from the same learning experience. Despite the teachers best efforts, students learn in very different ways and filter any given learning experience through their own
unique set of past experiences. The best way to convince yourself that differ-
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ent students are learning different things is to ask them what theyve learned
at the end of class sessions. Whether you have just run an experiential exercise, or there has been a student presentation, or you have had what feels like
a good and focused discussion, ask students to write a brief paragraph
describing what they learned from the class session. Alternatively, reserve
some time at the end of class to go around the room and have each student
state his or her most important personal learning from the session. The technique is not important; what is important is paying close attention to their
responses. You may find yourself amazed at what some of them learn. What
was intended as the major learning may pass them by completely, whereas
some of their learnings may be unexpected, and unintended.
To increase the probability of everyone learning and help students develop
the ability to learn on their own, the definition of legitimate sources of learning must be expanded. Every person, every experience, every reflection,
every question asked of oneself or another, every interaction observed, every
element of the universe is a potential source of learning. Part of the challenge
in developing learners rather than passive absorbers of information is helping
students expand their repertoire of learning sources.
In an undergraduate leadership class, students were asked to check in
to each class by responding to a question posed by the teacher. Some
questions intended to expand students awareness of multiple sources
of learning included, What is one leadership act you observed this
week? and What is a leadership act you personally engaged in last
week? Out-of-class assignments requiring interviews of practicing
managers, Internet research, or structured observations also broaden
students views of potential sources of learning.
It is easier to encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning if activities in the classroom begin from what they already know. Starting
from what they know is empowering; it allows students to recognize what
they have already learned and to develop a sense of efficacy around their ability to learn more (Williams, Ramsey, & Perkins, 2003). Eliciting examples
and personal stories from students own experiences as students, part-time
workers, or organizational members (e.g., student clubs, church, family)
makes the concepts more meaningful and personally relevant. Moving
between and across social settings in this way helps students see the widespread applicability of the material.
Most of what is needed for learning is in the room with us: past experiences, present dynamics, and future potential. Everyday classroom expe-
340
riences are rich with learning opportunities, if the potential learnings are
allowed to emerge and are explicitly recognized. Using what is present in the
classroom as data and context for learning is not the same as developing elaborately contrived classroom-as-organization simulations, nor does it lead to
talk-about-anything discussions. It is simply looking for and acknowledging
what is already present and using it to enhance learning.
In a class that was otherwise informal and nonstructured, unannounced
quizzes were given. Eventually, students felt comfortable enough in
the class to ask why they were taking these quizzes. The answer was
that the quizzes were used to ensure that they were reading the material
and prepared for class discussions. Student reactions to this reasoning
led to a heated and passionate discussion of their motivation in and
commitment to the class. It was fairly simple to move this discussion to
an exploration of similar issues in the work environment. Students saw
that taking responsibility for their own and others learning (by being
prepared for discussion) was similar to contributing to a team project in
an organization. As intended, when students made a commitment to
being prepared for class, the quizzes were discontinued.
Understanding that students have ultimate control over whether and what
they learn and that teaching is only one source (and probably a minor one) of
what students learn necessitates a reexamination of the role of the teacher in a
being mode.
Role of Teacher in a Being Mode

In a being mode, the teacher shifts from talking at students via lecture, or
talking with them through debriefing or summarizing the learning from a
particular discussion or exercise, to simply being among them. No longer is
the conversation between teacher and students the most important one.
Instead, the more learning-filled conversations are among the students themselves. The teacher can be seen more as a servant leader (Greenleaf, 1977), a
coparticipant in the learning community being developed. Freire (2002), an
influential proponent of liberatory education, put it this way:
Through dialogue, the teacher-of-the-students and the students-of-theteachers cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-student with studentsteachers. The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is
himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught
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also teach. They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow.
(p. 80)
Planned-in-advance expectations of specific outcomes do not fit well with

being in the classroom. When the class is in a being mode, the teacher and
students are in the moment with each other in deep and genuine ways, and out
of these moments come the next right steps. There really is no predicting
what may occur. What Vaill (1996) concluded about individual creative
learning is equally true in the collective classroom setting:
When we are creating, we frequently surprise ourselves, and in that surprise is
the learning. As they view the final result, creative people are often as astonished by what they have produced as are others. The downside to this truth
about creativity is that it is a form of learning not really under our control.
(p. 63)
Being together in the way we are suggesting introduces ambiguity and

uncertainty into the classroom. Content emerges spontaneously, and often
serendipitously, from the process. There is no way to anticipate the learning
opportunities that may emerge. This unpredictability can be simultaneously
frightening and exhilarating. The teacher must be well grounded in the topic
area to encourage, mostly go with the flow of, and sometimes add to the discussion. Teachers must also be personally centered and grounded to help the
class draw on what is present in the room, make connections between themselves and the concepts under discussion, and value the emergent learning.
Flexibility and awareness are keyremaining open to all possibilities for
new learning and staying alert to opportunities for students to reflect on their
learning.
Team presentations are required in an introductory management class:
Students must be creative, draw on other talents (not usually thought of
as academic in a business school environment) such as musical, dramatic, athletic, or poetic ones, and illustrate some management concepts. The presentations are typically very creative, fun, and full of
learning for everyone. Recently, however, one group never quite got it
together. They had trouble meeting, they experienced a great deal of
conflict, and members couldnt be depended on to follow through.
Finally, they managed to put together a videotaped skit but failed to
check out the technology until a few minutes before class and did not
have the necessary adapter to show the tapea complete failure, yet a
potential learning experience. Class members suggested all kinds of
ideas for how they might salvage their presentation, but the team was
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too embarrassed to do anything other than describe what led to the

fiasco. In an effort to encourage learning from anything and everything, the teacher asked the nonteam class members to write brief paragraph descriptions of what they learned from the groups failure. The
group members were asked to write individual papers on what went
wrong and what each learned from the experience. Giving the group an
opportunity to receive credit for their learning, rather than punishing
their failure, reduced their defensiveness. The end result was that
everyone learned, even more, perhaps, than from some of the earlier
successful presentations.
Weve found that a different type of class preparation is required when
were operating in a being mode. Instead of reviewing our notes, getting our
handouts together, or thinking through how an exercise is going to work, we
are more likely to prepare by engaging in quiet contemplation or meditation
(Walck, 1997), taking a walk across campus, or listening to some soft music.
The form is not as important as the outcome: a state of presence and mindfulness, all other thoughts and distractions put aside. We approach that days
material differently too. We may review the reading assignment for an upcoming session, but less with the intent of conveying its meaning to others
and more in a curious and inquiring mode: What questions does it raise?
What examples come to mind? How do the ideas illuminate our own personal
and organizational lives? How can we encourage students to approach the
material in the same inquiring way? We walk in the classroom with the sole
agenda of learning as much as we can about the topic at hand. Parker Palmer
(1998) reminds us that our role is to create a space for learning: I need to
spend less time filling the space with data and my own thoughts and more
time opening a space where students can have a conversation with the subject
and with each other (p. 120).
Being interactions require students and teacher to bring more of themselves to the discussions and interactions. Thus, it is critical to create a classroom climate in which students will risk new behaviors and new ways of
thinking and being. Trust must be developed, but not through the use of techniques. The premise of Palmers book, The Courage to Teach (1998), is that
good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from
the identity and integrity of the teacher (p. 10). It is through this identity
and integrity that trust evolves. Trust is earned through the demonstration
of respect: respect for the students, who they are, and what they bring to
the class; respect for oneself and ones own limitations; and respect for the
subject.
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In a graduate class, early in the semester, students were asked to relate

details of their best team experiences. The stories told by the students
naturally illustrated characteristics of learning organizations, the topic
of the course. One semester, the class was larger than usual and at the
end of the class period devoted to this activity, there were a few students who had not yet told their stories. Even though enough experiences had been related to have made the major points, time was set
aside at the beginning of the next class period for the remainder of the
class members to share their experiencesa small act of respect, one
that made everyones story equally important. Appreciation of this
respect was noted by several students in their journals.
Slowing down the discussion process and ensuring that everyone has an
equal chance to participate and be heard reinforces the importance of every
individuals contribution to the class. Once more, the technique is not important; the goal is to consistently encourage everyones involvement, not just
that of the naturally outspoken ones.
The old technique of simply passing a koosh ball around, with only the
holder of the ball being allowed to speak, or beginning each class session with a check-in on the part of each student, reinforces the norm of
everyones voice being important. A similar result has been achieved
by rotating responsibility for beginning the discussion each class
session.
An important, yet often difficult, element of respect is to suspend judgment about students and their behaviors. A complaint we often hear from colleagues is about students who are unmotivated, have not done the reading for
the class, and are not prepared for the discussion, exercise, or activity. We
have learned to respect students choices about being prepared for class. A
likely alternative is to get drawn into a no-win negative spiral of control (us)
and resistance (them). In many cases, the depth, intensity, and relevance
of the class discussion leaves the student feeling excluded and leads to
increased preparation and participation. We believe that the choices to prepare, participate, and learn are and should remain with the student. In a being
class that works, most students willingly opt to come aboard. Those who
dont, choose to learn less.
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In one class, students kept journals. In an early entry, a student admitted that initially he was not keeping up with the reading. He soon realized he was missing out on the dynamic and learning-filled discussions
occurring among those who were better prepared. There was something he was missing that others seemed to find applicable and valuable
to their own lives and work settings; he felt left out. He changed his
study habits and quickly caught up.
Although the excitement of a class can draw students in, it also takes little
to turn them off, for them to decide that this is just one more boring class they
have to get through in order to get that important piece of paper. Students can
be alienated very quickly if the teacher does not honor their early contributions to the class. Student comments, especially early on, can be vague and
ambiguous; they sometimes have trouble articulating what they mean. Responses to these initial attempts to contribute to the class discussion have significant influence on whether uncertain participants will try again. Ignoring,
dismissing, or in any small way devaluing anyones input quickly muzzles
potential contributors. Giving students positive reinforcement for their comments, before following up with a probe for further clarification, helps.
Appreciation and encouragement lead to increased involvement.
Listening is one of the key behaviors required of teachers in a being mode.
Greenleaf (1977) says that listening is perhaps the fundamental characteristic
of servant leaders; we believe it is a fundamental behavior in being classes.
Students soon become aware of the respect inherent in that listening and
begin listening to one another as well.
Students are sensitive to inconsistencies in our behaviors. In our experience, if we do not truly respect students, it becomes quickly evident; they
pick it up in a heartbeat. If we see the students as learners, and ourselves as
primarily teachers instead of learners, that too becomes clear early on. If we
believe the students are unmotivated and uninterested in learning, they meet
those expectations. If we profess the goal of reducing power inequalities but
ask students to do what we are not willing to do ourselves, our lack of authenticity is heard loud and clear.
The goal is authenticity or congruence. Carl Rogers (1980) defined congruence in terms of the extent to which the teacher was genuine in relationship to the students (p. 307). He defined genuineness as being a real person,
being what he or she is, entering into relationships with the learners without
presenting a front or a faade (p. 271). In a being class, the major role of the
teacher is to be, as authentically and openly as possible.
We try to remain fully aware that students are learning more from what we
do, and how we are with them, than from what we say. We believe that what
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we do in the classroom is inevitably connected to our being, whether we recognize it or not. The being comes first and the doing derives from it. Who we
are, what we believe, and what assumptions we hold about students, the
material, and the world significantly affect what we do in the classroom, no
matter the course content or teaching style. Recognition of this provides the
major impetus to continually question and rethink who we are in the world
and what we want our relationships with the students and the subject matter
to be.
A being mode requires modeling the process of discovery and learning. In
being classes, we continually learn about ourselves, our roles as teachers, our
interactions with others, and the topic. A statement or interaction may spawn
an idea for a future activity or class, or relate to a current writing project. A
student insight may lead to a deeper and more complex understanding of
what before seemed like old material.
When were in a being mode, we are concerned primarily with what we
are learning from the class discussion and activities, what new insights we are
obtainingwhat Vaill (1999) calls coinquiry:
I am talking about professor and students achieving a genuine collaboration in
seeking to understand the subject matter of the course or program. The presumption is that everyone both wants to learn and has a lot to learn; and that the
only differences of any consequence for learning among members of this
learning group are the relative amounts of experience with the subject matter
they bring and the uses to which they intend to put their learning. (p. 3)
In our experience, when we are learning, students are learning. Thich Nhat
Hahn (1987) said, If we cannot smile, we cannot help other people to smile.
If we are not peaceful, then we cannot contribute to the peace movement
(p. 80). In the present context, we would add, If we are not learners, we cannot help others to learn. This learning must be evident, not just professed.
Learning journals have long been a way to walk the talk around
learning. More can be done with them, though (Ramsey, 2002). In one
class, students were required to make weekly journal entries and post
them to an electronic discussion board. The learning could come from
the readings, from some experience related to the readings, from observations in class, or from personal reflection. The teacher also posted
weekly journal entries. Having to write journal entries forced her to
stay in a learning mode so she, too, had something to write about each
week.
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One of the most difficult tasks in creating being classes may be that of
eliminating uniform expectations: of what students should know, how they
should think, how they ought to interpret what theyve read. It is essential to
recognize (and accept) that everyones level of knowledge and understanding
will be differentat the beginning of the semester and at the end. What may
seem like status quo for one may be a great leap forward for another. In full
being classes (at least as far on the being end of the doing-being continuum as
we have ever operated), learning objectives and goal achievement are individually and mutually determined by the instructor and students. The difficulty in operationalizing the learning objectives and assessment may be what
keeps many classes closer to the doing end of the continuum.
In our experience, the key is to articulate (and to mutually agree on) clear,
challenging, and realistic learning goals for each student within the context
of the particular subject matter. Some learning goals may be nonnegotiable; a
minimum standard of knowledge and skills may be dictated by the discipline,
accrediting agency, or prospective employers. The ways in which students
engage in the necessary learning, the rate at which they do so, and the ways
in which they demonstrate their knowledge or skills can be more flexible,
however.
Examples of individual assessment of learning include individualized
learning contracts in a graduate course, mutually negotiated between
the student and teacher, that specify what each student wishes to learn,
how she or he wishes to demonstrate that learning, who will measure
and evaluate the achievement of the learning goals, and what criteria
will be used to assess this achievement. On a smaller scale, in an undergraduate leadership class, students select a single personal leadership
learning goal and negotiate a contract with the teacher. Achievement of
the mutually agreed-on personal development outcomes is evaluated
based on clearly stated and mutually agreed-on criteria.
Assessing individualized learning, of course, requires individualized
feedback. Student-specific feedback can be very time consuming. It also
requires that we be authentic and learningful as we respond to their work.
Increasingly, we find our feedback based in a philosophy of appreciative
inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivasta, 1987), helping students recognize their positive contributions to the class and their own learning, rather than focusing on
what they dont know. Feedback is not just one way. Through the quality and
intensity of the class discussion, students provide learning-filled feedback to
the teacher, as well as to one another. Thus, feedback becomes more like
347
engagement or dialogue, heightening awareness of our mutual influence on

one another. In this way, a learning community is built.
A common method used to reinforce the importance of learning is
allowing students to redo their work when they receive a grade lower
than they desire. As an example, in a teambuilding course, teams may
redo their team contracts and project proposals and individuals may
redo their personal development plans until they have met the criteria
for the grade they wish. The option of redoing the work can apply to
take-home exams, papers, homework, or any type of assignment. The
criteria for this developmental grading are crafted in a way that makes
learning inherent in meeting them. It is the learning that is considered
important, not whether it is demonstrated the first time around.
Explicitness about the class process is important. By defining the course
content, selecting and assigning reading material, determining the assignments and activities for the class, and developing evaluation mechanisms and
criteria, the teacher sets expectations for how the course will operate. We are
essentially creating the container within which the course will unfold. By
doing so, we shape the respective roles of the teacher and students and the
nature of the interactions that will occur. Containers set the boundaries
which may be physical, organizational, or conceptualfor self-organizing
systems. The container establishes the semi-permeable boundary within
which the change [learning] occurs (Olson & Eoyang, 2001, p. 12).
The container of a being class is designed so that the students can selforganize within it. Because self-organization is the goal, it becomes even
more critical to explicitly and clearly define the boundaries of the container.
To illustrate this, the appendix contains an excerpt from the syllabus of a
graduate course, a course that comes closest in the authors experience to a
full being class. Expectations are quite detailed and explicit. Making the
boundaries clear leaves the students and teacher free to maximize their learning in a being mode.
Role of Student in a Being Mode

Students are asked to shift their roles too. Being classes recognize and
honor interbeing: I am who I am because of who you are with me; our beings
are in relation to one another (Nhat Hahn, 1987, 1991). Interbeing is interconnectedness, interdependence, mutuality. All of these are emphasized in a
348
being mode. The goal is mutual learning; everyone exerts influence on and
contributes to everyone elses learning.
Mutuality is enhanced when everyone brings more of their being to the
classroom (Lindsay, 1992). Being experiences engage the whole person.
Being classes require that all aspects of individualsintellectual, emotional,
physical, spiritualbe valued and viewed as sources and recipients of learning. Intellect, emotions and spirit depend on one another for wholeness,
says Palmer (1998, p. 4).
Students are asked to put themselves in the picture, see themselves as part
of what is being studied and as an integral part of the process of engaging in
that study. They are asked to go beyond intellectual understanding of the subject matter, to take the additional step of applying and illustrating the concepts to their own personal and professional lives. In being classes, students
are expected to grow and develop personally beyond where they are at the
beginning of the semester. Their connections to the subject matter are not distant, abstract, or something to be used some day. The concepts are meaningful in their present lives. The learning community affirms who they are and
enhances their personal and professional development. The increased selfconfidence is visible.
In an organizational behavior class, students were asked to complete
the standard course/teacher evaluation toward the end of one semester.
As they began to fill in the Scantron sheets, some students began to
mumble, This doesnt come close to reflecting what this class is
about, what we learned, or how it was taught. The graduate student
administering the evaluation saw the undergraduates begin ripping up
the forms and throwing them in a nearby trash can. Students then took
out pieces of their own paper and wrote individual evaluations they felt
more accurately described their experience in the class. After everyone
was finished, they proceeded to the department heads office, en masse,
and deposited their evaluations on her desk. The students explained
that although not intending rudeness, they simply could not use the traditional forms to describe a learning experience like no other.
Compliance is sufficient in traditional classrooms, cooperation is required
in experiential ones, but in a being mode, commitment is the goal. Enthusiastic, willing commitment to ones own and others learning may be novel
demands, ones not often made of students.
349
In an undergraduate class, the teacher codifies commitment to the

course in a written agreement that students read, sign, and bring to the
second class of the semester. Students are asked to commit to preparing
for each class, participating actively in class discussions, contributing
to classmates learning, cooperating with team members on the
required project, and so on. It is not surprising that some students are a
little skeptical and distrustful, even resistant, in the beginning. One student admitted, On the first day of class, I went running to advisement
to see if I could possibly switch sections. Now that I am finished with
the class, Im glad there was no other place to escape to.
Obtaining students commitment, rather than mere compliance, doesnt
occur just by signing agreements. As the class shifts over time into more of a
being mode, however, students get caught up in them. They feel valued and
part of something important. Most come to see the benefits for themselves, as
the following comment demonstrates:
Ever have a really great late night conversation with a friend? Thats what
almost every day in his class was. Ever feel like a door was opened in your head
when you puzzled out a problem? Sometimes learning things believe it or not
makes you feel good. Do you like challenges? Not stupid stuff like carrying
logs up a hill, but things you accomplish and make you feel better about who
you are. This is not the place to go if you want to fade into the back of the classroom and let others get involved. This is the place to engage, share, debate and
feel good for doing something. (verbatim student comment voluntarily posted
on a faculty evaluation Web site)
In a being mode, we ask students to engage with us in the exploration of

ideas. We invite them to stretch themselves intellectually and to operate from
a place of openly not knowing (Raab, 1997). Legitimizing not knowing in the
classroom is not easy; students have seldom been rewarded for not knowing.
Students and teacher must be in the question together and remind each
other that there are no wrong responses. Norms must be developed that value
asking questions over having answers.
Nature of Classroom Interaction in a Being Mode

The nature of the interactions in being classes is different. Sometimes
being classes are noisy with conversations and nonstop activity. Other times,
interbeingness is experienced in the quietness of each others presence. In a
350
being mode, silence is appreciated and quiet presence is valued (Gardiner,

1998); things are allowed to unfold simply and naturally. Author bell hooks
(1994) describes what happens when we really begin hearing one another in
the classroom:
Hearing each others [sic] voices, individual thoughts, and sometimes associating these voices with personal experience makes us more acutely aware of
each other. That moment of collective participation and dialogue means that
students and professor respectand here I invoke the root meaning of the
word, to look ateach other, engage in acts of recognition with one another.
(p. 186)
For students to engage in acts of recognition with one another, to really

hear and appreciate one another, it is often necessary for the teacher to make
conscious efforts to get out of the way. We refer to this as sitting on our
hands (King & Ramsey, 1991): resisting the urge to jump in to facilitate the
conversation among students or to correct someones misinterpretation or
misapplication of a concept. We have learned that students can be trusted to
eventually correct themselves and one another. Sometimes, left to their own
devices, students seem to get off track, but we have found them amazingly
adroit at returning to the topic, often making links we would not have seen.
One semester, after about 4 to 5 weeks of class meetings, the teacher
entered the classroom, placed his materials on the desk, and took his
seat in the circle of chairs. He then busied himself looking through the
book, occasionally looked around and smiled at students, and then
returned to his reading. He waited patiently until someone began the
discussion (it only took a few minutes). He remained quiet for the
entire period. During the next class period, he joined the discussion
much like any other student and summarized the discussion at the end
of class. A more explicit approach would be to announce, I am tired of
hearing myself talk. After I finish this sentence, I am going to remain
quiet for the remainder of the class because I trust and respect you to
know and discuss what is important.
In a being mode, all of the action is in the moment. As a result, discussions
are different. Spontaneity is encouraged, empty space is created, the flow
of the group is sought and followed. Being fully present is an essential element of being. Everyone works hard at being open and receptive, nonjudgmental and caring, rather than closed, defensive, critical, or distant.
351
As weve experienced them, interactions in being classes that operate near

the being end of the doing-being continuum are characterized by
engagementteachers and students are involved in the activities of and learning from the class;
commitmentstudents and teacher see the learning that is occurring as important and are committed to it;
intensityinteractions are intense and require sustained concentration; and
closeness and caringthere is a level of caring and support for one another that
is readily apparent.
When the being mode works, everyone feels engaged. Everyone feels
very present. Commitment is evident in the struggle to come to grips with the
course concepts and ideas. Because the raw materials of the course are the
course participants, there is an appreciation of the importance of this struggle
and students are instinctively more likely to get involved.
The outcome of the process is seen as personally meaningful. Learning is
valued and seen as worthwhile. There is a general sense that something
important is occurring. The realness of what is being learned together increases the intensity of the experience. As a result, there is little clock watching; many are surprised when the end of class arrives. Some have described
the experience as a time warp. It is not all serious business, however; there is
playfulness and humor as well. There is also closeness and caringthese
develop naturally and are readily apparent in the interactions of class members. This closeness, in turn, leads to more openness. Everyone becomes less
guarded. There is less holding back out of fear and vulnerability. Personal
issues become more easily and naturally intermixed with the academic. The
result is an unusual level of intimacy and mutual appreciation that leads to the
out-of-class activities and the desire to stay in touch after the class ends as
described in the opening scenario.
We find that as we let go of our preconceived notions and expectations of
what the experience should be like, and as we increasingly trust in the process, we deepen our appreciation of what others contribute to our learning. It
becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. In being classes, the path to developing a
learning community is not always a smooth one. Once it has evolved, however, students and teacher know they played an equally important role in creating it, and most students indicate that they have no interest in going back to
the traditional classroom. In fact, many openly question, Why dont all the
professors in the College of Business teach this way?
352
Some Additional Considerations

This section of the article deals with some of the questions raised by our
colleagues when we describe the being mode. As we indicated earlier, not all
of our classes are being ones nor do we intend for them to be. What makes the
difference? The primary difference is class size and, perhaps to a greater
extent, our limited perceptions of what is possible.
Class size is, we believe, a limiting factor. Once classes get larger than 35
to 40 students, it is very difficult to engage all the students to the degree necessary for a being experience. Michaelsen (1992) has, however, demonstrated that it is possible to have very successful doing with classes even when
enrollments exceed 100. Even in large classes, there can be some being
moments as students engage with the material and each other in a team learning environment.
Have we ever tried to have being classes and failed? Of course. Like many
of our colleagues, we have students who are sometimes unprepared or uncooperative with efforts to create a being class. If the class doesnt seem ready
to move into a being mode, our solution has been to move back to doing with.
As we work to move a class toward a being mode, we often use doing with
techniques. Many of the methods described in this articleensuring that
everyone participates in class discussions, respecting everyones contributions, asking questions to encourage students to apply the material to their
own lives, encouraging discussion among the students themselves while
resisting the urge to facilitate or move the discussion in a certain direction,
practicing listening more closely, and othersare doing with methods for
the purpose of helping the class move toward being. Most important, when
we have classes that dont seem to be working, we resist blaming the students
(or ourselves) and instead call forth a renewed faith in students abilities and
good intentions. Students invariably live up to our expectations, positive and
negative. Having (and not being afraid to demonstrate) a deep caring for students goes a long way toward nudging what seems like a recalcitrant individual or group a little further along the doing-being continuum.
There are also times when we purposely choose a doing with class, perhaps when the emphasis of the class is on skill building. There may be
moments of being in a skill-based class, but the predominant mode is doing
with: providing structured opportunities for skill practice. There may also be
times when a doing to mode is chosen intentionally: when there is need for
the development of a basic vocabulary, memorization of certain facts, or the
development of specific problem-solving skills. It is unlikely, however, that
any of us wish to operate in a doing to mode for any length of time. There is
353
always a chance that we are allowing our assumptions to limit what is possible in achieving different learning outcomes. Thus, whenever we choose
something other than a being mode, we engage in serious reflection (and
where possible, discussion) about our underlying assumptions.
We find that we must continually assess where we are personally. Sometimes we get stuck in a role of helper, coach, source of wisdom, facilitator,
conflict resolver, or some other. Our beliefs, our definitions of our role as
teacher versus learner, and our attitudes toward students motivation, capabilities, and potential are the principal influences on where we operate on the
continuum of doing-being.
Where we are on the continuum, however, depends on the time in the
semester and where the class is in its development. At the beginning of the
semester, as were setting up the course, deciding on reading requirements,
and writing the syllabus, we are definitely in a doing to mode. We move to a
doing with mode as we engage students in unfreezing activities at the beginning of the semester and begin to help them see us more in the role of coach or
facilitator. It may be only when trust has developed that we can let go (i.e.,
allow the learning community to emerge and just be together). It is not always
a linear evolution; often, we find ourselves moving back and forth between
these modes of teaching and learning.
Some have asked whether there are student or institutional characteristics
that make being classes less likely. Success depends more on attitudes, we
believe, than on institutional characteristics or perceived constraints. Faculty
(yes, even untenured ones) already have the power to operate in a being
mode. Constraints may simply be in the eyes of the beholder. Students who
have experienced being classes and the learning that occurs in them are their
best supporters and reflect this favorable reaction in their course evaluations.
Others have questioned the relationship between the need to suspend
judgment in a being class and the need to use judgment to evaluate student
work. There can be a tension between the two, but it is ameliorated somewhat
by placing the emphasis on learning rather than performance through individualized feedback and developmental grading. In our experience, trust
around issues of grading can be developed through suspension of judgment
about student motivation and behaviors, through openness and clarity with
regard to expectations, and through support in helping students meet those
expectations.
A final issue raised by colleagues is a fear that a being class will not adequately cover the material or fulfill the objectives of the course description.
Such a fear assumes that students will get off track and stay off track. We have
never had that experience. The container created by the course description,
354
syllabus, and reading assignments provides the boundaries within which a

being class occurs. To be sure, in a being mode, students are more likely to
bring in what may be seen as tangential issues, but are they really tangential?
The management discipline has been fairly arbitrarily divided into discrete
components. Being classes are more likely to go beyond these artificial limits. We see this as a good thing, one that helps students see the connections
among the various topics and courses that are part of their degree programs.
Conclusion
All forms of teaching and learningdoing to, doing with, and beingcan
be effective. What we advocate here is active and overt choice about where to
operate on the doing-being continuum. Our personal goals are to continue to
make conscious and self-reflective choices about who we are and how we are
in the classroom, based on clear understanding of what we believe about
teaching and learning.
Being is not just nondoing. Being classes have purpose, structure, and a
clearly visible process to them. Exams are administered, papers written, presentations made, and grades assigned. Being classes also are filled with
enthusiasm, humor, and caring as students see the connections between the
course content and their own lived experience. There is less physical and
emotional distance among students and between the student and teacher
because we all sit together and learn together. There is more intimacy in a
being mode because we share parts of ourselves with others in the room as we
build a community of learners.
To engage in this way of being in the classroom, we have to give up our
need for predictability and uniform outcomes. Probably the most significant
shift in philosophy required to move to a being mode is acceptance that learning cannot always be specifically predicted and predetermined. The course of
personal growth and development cannot be charted precisely in advance;
each individual starts from where they are and progresses in a way appropriate for them. Learning occurs in being moments and lots of it. We just need to
let go of our need to determine and describe in advance what that learning is
or should be.
Being is about letting go, trusting the process, not knowing the outcomes,
and being comfortable in this state of not knowing. Letting go requires a great
deal of trust that there will indeed be outcomes: trust in the students, trust in
the process, trust in the group dynamics, trust in oneself. Only experience
can build that trust. Once this trust is developed, however, the learning far
exceeds anything we might have imagined.
355
Appendix
Creating the Container: Minimum Expectations for
Students in a Being Graduate Course
Excerpt from Syllabus
Minimum expectations for your active involvement in your own and our collective
learning include
regularly attending class;
reading and thinking about the assigned reading material prior to each class
session;
participating actively in class discussions by sharing your understanding of the
concepts in The Fifth Discipline;
taking your turn facilitating class discussions;
posting a journal entry each week on the electronic discussion boardno later
than Friday of each weekreflections on your learning from the reading, application of the concepts to your personal and professional lives, and your progress
toward your personal learning goals;
reading my weekly postings on the discussion board, the weekly postings of
your classmates, and the summaries of class discussions posted by the facilitators, and posting responses to at least three of themno later than Monday of
the following week;
submitting the first draft of your learning contractby the due date on the
course calendar;
checking your e-mail on a regular basis and responding to my querieswithin
48 hoursespecially with regard to your learning contract;
finalizing your learning contractby the due dateafter having engaged in
several weeks of back-and-forth e-mail discussion with me;
submitting a summary of your understanding of the five disciplinesby the due
date on the course calendar; and
doing everything agreed to in your learning contract.
At the end of the semester, you will submit a self-evaluation of how well you met these
expectations. A form for this purpose is available online.
References
Bilimoria, D., & Wheeler, J. V. (1995). Learning-centered education: A guide to resources and
implementation. Journal of Management Education, 19(3), 409-428.
Brown, G. I. (1970). Human teaching for human learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Cooperrider, D. L., & Srivasta, S. (1987). Appreciative inquiry in organizational life. In R. W.
Woodman & W. A. Pasmore (Eds.), Research in organizational development and change
(pp. 129-169). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
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Ferris, W. P. (2002). Students as junior partners, professors as senior partners, the B-school as the
firm: A new model for collegiate business education. Academy of Management Learning and
Education, 1(2), 185-193.
Freire, P. (2002). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.
Gardiner, J. J. (1998). Quiet presence: The holy ground of leadership. In L. C. Spears (Ed.),
Insights on leadership (pp. 116-125). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and
greatness. New York: Paulist Press.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress. New York: Routledge.
King, T., & Ramsey, V. J. (1991). A new and improved learning experience: As simple as sitting
on your hands. Paper presented at the Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference,
Bellingham, WA.
Leonard, G. (1968). Education and ecstasy. New York: Delacorte Press.
Lindsay, C. (1992). Learning through emotion: An approach for integrating student and teacher
emotions into the classroom. Journal of Management Education, 16(1), 25-38.
Lyon, H. C., Jr. (1971). Learning to feelfeeling to learn. Columbus, OH: Charles Merrill.
Michaelsen, L. K. (1992). Team learning: A comprehensive approach for harnessing the power
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Nhat Hahn, T. (1987). Being peace. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.
Nhat Hahn, T. (1991). Peace is every step: The path of mindfulness in everyday life. New York:
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Olson, E. E., & Eoyang, G. H. (2001). Facilitating organization change: Lessons from complexity science. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.
Palmer, P. (1998). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teachers life. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Raab, N. (1997). Becoming an expert in not knowing: Reframing teacher as consultant. Management Learning, 28(2), 161-175.
Ramsey, V. J. (2002). Learning journals and learning communities. Journal of Management Education, 26(4), 380-401.
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teaching and learning. Journal of Management Education, 18(2), 139-161.
Rogers, C. R. (1969). Freedom to learn. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill.
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Journal of Management Education

Being in the Classroom

OBTS Teaching Society for Management Educators

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BEING IN THE CLASSROOM

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JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION / April 2005

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Everything and everyone as potential sources of

Mutual responsibility for learning outcomes

Creation and manipulation of experience

Teacher primarily responsible for learning

Learning (being with mode)

Facilitation of opportunities for learning in a

Teaching and Learning (doing with mode)

Teaching (doing to mode)

Three Modes of Teaching and Learning

Ramsey, Fitzgibbons / BEING IN THE CLASSROOM

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Redefinition of How Learning Occurs

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Role of Teacher in a Being Mode

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Planned-in-advance expectations of specific outcomes do not fit well with

Being together in the way we are suggesting introduces ambiguity and

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too embarrassed to do anything other than describe what led to the

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In a graduate class, early in the semester, students were asked to relate

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engagement or dialogue, heightening awareness of our mutual influence on

Role of Student in a Being Mode

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In an undergraduate class, the teacher codifies commitment to the

In a being mode, we ask students to engage with us in the exploration of

Nature of Classroom Interaction in a Being Mode

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being mode, silence is appreciated and quiet presence is valued (Gardiner,

For students to engage in acts of recognition with one another, to really

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Ramsey, Fitzgibbons / BEING IN THE CLASSROOM

As weve experienced them, interactions in being classes that operate near