or the lack of it:

E: Sometimes we like the teacher because she says things in a nicer way, and
sometimes she doesn't know what she is saying. And there we are, taking notes
on everything!

which in itself is already a sign of awareness.

The reason for this awareness, according to the students, is due to a change, a
change in roles and attitudes on the part of the students:

A: The student has changed. Before we conformed. The mass media, the
individual development. Now, s/he is more demanding, s/he doesn't conform,
s/he is more eager to know and asks for more.

Gl: "Before we were passive. Now: 'Mr. Smith, you are wrong'. Before we
believed in everything, we accepted everything. 'I don't agree'. There is more
discussion. The character of the student has changed

X: "The new generations are more prepared. They are not the sheep they
used to be"

Some participants referred to specific experiences that exemplify this change. In these
cases there seems to be a power related issue in which, sometimes, the teacher wins:

Ga: I expected more from the teacher, so I gave my own opinion in a written
exam. He marked it and I failed it because what I wrote was different from
what he had said in class. I was not in agreement, but my priority was the
grade, I needed it to get the credit, so I gave up and did as the teacher said"

but sometimes she does not:

K: Claudia (a former teacher) knew a lot. Her class was interesting. But

She was very authoritarian and didn't respect the students. She didn't accept
other's opinions and she humiliated the students. At the beginning they
ignored her. They didn't attend her classes. At the end, the group reacted and
drove her out.

Within this context, the participants were able to depict the student in a different
way, not only referring to roles and functions but also in terms of metacognitive
processes:

Ga: Now, we verify what we hear: 'What are you giving me?' Then I
evaluate it: 'Do I agree with this?' The problem is that a lot of teachers

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