In reading this paper "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?" I have considered how I originally viewed teachers and how I now believe teaching could be done better. I also have thought about my own teaching style and why it matters to teach well.
I'm an enthusiastic learner. Since middle school, I have been able to enjoy a variety of teaching styles including ones that made many of my classmates disinterested, furious, sleep, complain, etc. I have sat through classes where students went around the room reading from a textbook one paragraph a piece. If we were quick we would do our homework worksheet until class ended. There were no projects, no group work, and little-to-no feedback from our teacher. When we finished a unit we would take a multiple choice test and go to the next section. I'm certain I learned the least from this class than from any other in my life, but I didn't hate it. I had other teachers with similar styles though they were more interactive and less predictable.
I've also sat in classrooms that blew me away. Teachers that had me from start to finish and left me wanting more. One teacher taught us in units with worksheets and textbooks, but she presented it in a positive, adventurous kind of way. Now that I think about it these two examples of teachers had a lot in common but were polar opposites in execution--which is what this paper is all about.
I knew before from my student experiences what made a teacher that students like vs a teacher that students avoid. At LDSBC I had one teacher that was new to the school but was an experienced teacher. She was given an overfull Book of Mormon classroom. She had high expectations of us and graded our 50-question mid-term and final very cautiously. There was no skating by or resting in her class and students thought she was unfair and just horrible. During the mid-term self-grading in class people were openly berating the questions for their nit-pickiness to the point where our teacher found a reason to step out of the room for a moment. Another student stood up and lectured us all that we were the students and how ashamed we should be in our behavior. I see now from this reading that she did make a mistake--not in expecting excellence of us but in not realizing how unfair everyone perceived her to be.
All my best teachers did what Ivers describes. They told stories with relevant examples. They could be liked and demand good behavior and excellent work at the same time. They were great orators--with the ability to capture our attention just by talking. I want to be a teacher like that. Someone who knows that my students are always more important than whatever it is I'm trying to teach. When my focus is in the right place then I believe I will be able to teach at my highest capacity. I hope as I learn what I need I can get better at speaking confidently with voice control and that I can follow the suggestions of Professor Ivers.
It matters to teach well because that is what makes the difference in how students retain information. Students will remember more and be more open to the subject matter as the teacher follows the suggestions given in this article. The students are there to learn. They deserve the opportunity to get the most out of a class as they can. I want to be an invitational teacher and push the standards of optimism, trust, caring, intentionality, and respect to the forefront of my teaching style.
I'm an enthusiastic learner. Since middle school, I have been able to enjoy a variety of teaching styles including ones that made many of my classmates disinterested, furious, sleep, complain, etc. I have sat through classes where students went around the room reading from a textbook one paragraph a piece. If we were quick we would do our homework worksheet until class ended. There were no projects, no group work, and little-to-no feedback from our teacher. When we finished a unit we would take a multiple choice test and go to the next section. I'm certain I learned the least from this class than from any other in my life, but I didn't hate it. I had other teachers with similar styles though they were more interactive and less predictable.
I've also sat in classrooms that blew me away. Teachers that had me from start to finish and left me wanting more. One teacher taught us in units with worksheets and textbooks, but she presented it in a positive, adventurous kind of way. Now that I think about it these two examples of teachers had a lot in common but were polar opposites in execution--which is what this paper is all about.
I knew before from my student experiences what made a teacher that students like vs a teacher that students avoid. At LDSBC I had one teacher that was new to the school but was an experienced teacher. She was given an overfull Book of Mormon classroom. She had high expectations of us and graded our 50-question mid-term and final very cautiously. There was no skating by or resting in her class and students thought she was unfair and just horrible. During the mid-term self-grading in class people were openly berating the questions for their nit-pickiness to the point where our teacher found a reason to step out of the room for a moment. Another student stood up and lectured us all that we were the students and how ashamed we should be in our behavior. I see now from this reading that she did make a mistake--not in expecting excellence of us but in not realizing how unfair everyone perceived her to be.
All my best teachers did what Ivers describes. They told stories with relevant examples. They could be liked and demand good behavior and excellent work at the same time. They were great orators--with the ability to capture our attention just by talking. I want to be a teacher like that. Someone who knows that my students are always more important than whatever it is I'm trying to teach. When my focus is in the right place then I believe I will be able to teach at my highest capacity. I hope as I learn what I need I can get better at speaking confidently with voice control and that I can follow the suggestions of Professor Ivers.
It matters to teach well because that is what makes the difference in how students retain information. Students will remember more and be more open to the subject matter as the teacher follows the suggestions given in this article. The students are there to learn. They deserve the opportunity to get the most out of a class as they can. I want to be an invitational teacher and push the standards of optimism, trust, caring, intentionality, and respect to the forefront of my teaching style.
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