deploys depends on her professional qualifications. Her posture is
'Do this because I am the teacher and I know what's the best for you' (ibid)
The teacher∕student dyad is still asymmetrical but the difference between teacher and
student is based on the knowledge the teacher is willing to transmit to the student. In this
way, the teacher is authoritative rather than authoritarian.
Thus, exercising authority can mean two different things: either being powerful or
being knowledgeable. This distinction results in four different pedagogical situations (see
Fig 3.5).
+ power
+ knowledge
- knowledge
- power
Interactional authority
----Transactional authority
Fig. 3.5 Relationship between interactional and transactional authority
1) The upper right comer shows a completely authoritarian teacher leading the
teacher∕student relationship. The absence of knowledge refers to a teacher that shows no
sense of learning processes or pedagogy and makes the power element the only driving
force. The lack of respect for the learner results in the deployment of the teacher's powerful
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