The teaching-learning relationship depends upon the ability of the professor and the students to respond to each other. This ability to respond is what makes learning a dynamic and invigorating experience. First, it means that the teacher needs to design the course so that he or she can respond to the students, the students can respond to the teacher, and both can respond to the text or content. Whatever responsibilities students have for their own learning, teachers have the responsibility of fostering interaction and responsiveness on multiple levels. For example, the instructor is responsible for the structure and intellectual content of the classroom.
Structure refers to how what happens happens.
Chaucer can guide instructors here because what he praised in the Canterbury Tales is what needs to be valued in the classroom. The narrator states that the characters in the Canterbury Tales share a common goal, they are all going to Canterbury to thank the saint. The narrator begins the tales by presenting an overview of the participants on the pilgrimage and describing their rank and position. Likewise, instructors and students need to be aware of their rank and position, their preparation and ability to contribute. Chaucer also points out that tone, demeanor, experience and knowledge are important to understanding, sharing and learning from one another.