I've posted many actions of an effective teacher on the side of the blog. Take a look at this list that my Tuesday 9:30 class collected and think about the value of each characteristic. After you've reviewed the list carefully, please post your response to the following question...
Congratulations! You've just landed the teaching position of your dreams. You begin packing your things to fly to the new school district and realize, due to the increased costs of gasoline, you can bring with you only three suitcases. Each suitcase can hold only ONE action of an effective teacher...which three would you take with you and why? Please feel free to choose another action if you do not see the one you want on the list.
Don't forget to also post a response to at least one of your peers. Happy Writing!
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If I could pack three actions of an effective teacher to take with me to my new school district I would take 1) Diverse in teaching style 2) Supports students 3) Offers help.
ReplyDeleteI believe strongly in teachers needing to have the ability to change up their style of teaching. Personally I learn differently depending on what subject it is...so I know that it is difficult trying to pick up something when the teacher does not seem to be communitcating the material in a manner that a student can relate to. Teachers who refuse to change their styles are not good teachers in my opinion. As teachers it is our job to do just that and if a student does not understand something then they are not being taught. In order for all students to be able to learn it is in the best intrest for all parties to approach topics in multiple ways.
Supporting students is something that I also find very important. If a teacher supports her students then they are more likely to want to learn and participate in class. A teacher who does not care about her students is not going to have a very possitive response from the students. Support allows students to learn and build confidence about what they are learning.
Offering help is a sensitive subject for me. I have had so many teachers that say they are open to helping students but it is just a lie. I have had teachers that when I approach them for help they never have time or they make me feel dumb because I do not understand. I think in order for teachers to actually be helpful they must have the two previously mentioned qualities. If a teacher is unable to change their approach to a subject it will not be helpful. Everyone has had that moment when we don't understand something and we voice our confusion and the teacher says the exact same thing. Somethings just cannot be learned through repition. Also being supportive is important because if a student comes to a teacher for help and the teacher is not supportive and makes the student feel stupid then the student will not likely ask for help anymore and will fall behind.
If I were to pick three actions I would choose: Respectful, Organized, and Cares for the students.
ReplyDeleteBeing a respectful teacher will not only make you an ultimatly better person, but you will gain respect from your students. When the students respect you, you will notice that you will get the most productivity out of them.
When you are a teacher organization is one of the key things to being effective. There is no way you can continue to teach and lead your class in a positive way, if you are over and over again confused on what you are doing, or where something is. Not being organized will slow everything down, and in turn lose the concentration of a student.
If you do not care about your students, do you expect them to care about your class and you. Once again like everything else I have listed, what you do reflects on how well your class participates and performs. If the students know you care, that will make them want to do good in your class. Students grades always comes back on the teacher.
Kimberly, I am in full agreement with everything you have stated. You have made good points. A teacher being able to adapt and change for students is seriously key to becoming and being an effective teacher.
ReplyDeleteThanks Will... I also think that you made very valid points as well. It is so true that if a teacher doesn't respect their students that they will not get respect from their students. Being organized is also sooooo important. It has always been something that gets to me when a teacher is unorganized. It makes me frusterated and sometimes it makes it hard for me to focus!
ReplyDeleteIf I were to choose three actions to pack I would bring: challenges students, organized, and shows how the subject matter applies to life.
ReplyDeleteWithout a challenge students will get bored and they will not give the work their all because it was so easy for them. The students will feel like they are not learning anything and if you don't start challenging them now life after school will be a shock for them because they will not have had the experience of working hard for something.
I think that organization is key in teaching. If you do not have a plan going in then you will just sound like you are rambling and no one will be following you because there is no focus point. Another part of organization is keeping track of the assignments students turn in. I do not know how many times I have had a teacher that has lost an assignment I had turned in: it can be a bit frustrating.
Showing how the subject matter applies to life is extremely important to me. Just think back to some of the classes that you have taken and you never thought the information was going to affect you after you complete the course.Now I see that I was wrong in that thought, and if the teachers apply class work with real life situations it will help the students learn better because they are more invested in the things that will help them after school.
Kim, I fully agree that changing your teaching style is important because if the students do not understand it one way, they will not get it the second time you explain it to them if you use the same style. Therefore, it would not be effective teaching.
ReplyDeleteMy three suitcases would be filled with 1. Inspiring students, 2. Passion for subject matter 3. cares for students.
ReplyDeleteI picked these three things because I feel that if a student knows and feels that the teacher cares about them they will try harder in the classroom. Also its nice to feel that someone is there for you that they really care about you. My subject will most likely be art and I am very passionate about art and I want to be able to make my students love art too. I want them to think it is fun and have the same passion for coming to my classroom as I do. I want to be able to inspire my students to be the best they can be not only in my classroom but as people. Im there to help them, to teach them something new. If I can teach them life lessons then that means I can help them more than I thought I could. My focus is the students and their well being and them doing well in my class or in any class, even though I might not teach them more than one subject.
I feel it was hard to pick three because I would want to bring more than these three things.
Em J,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and I agree with kim on her points too. But it is very frustrating when teachers lose stuff or aren't prepared for class that day, organization is a key to being a teacher. I think that since you want to be a PE teacher that it is great to challenge your students and help them relate it to real life especially with the obesity rate so high in todays society. Teachers should always challenge their students and you made great points about that one. If its easy they will get turned off from it.
If I were to pick three things to take with me I would choose, respectful, Diverse in teaching styles, and passion for subject matter.
ReplyDeleteBeing respectful toward your students will go a long way. If you give them respect they will have respect for you in return. If there is a mutual respect then you are able to accomplish more in the classroom.
Diverse in teaching styles is also very important. Not all students learn the same way, so to have multiple ways to teach a subject you are able to help more students. It is also important because it mixes things up so your not doing the same thing everyday and making the students bored and not willing to learn about the subject.
Passion for the subject you teach is very important, especially at the secondary level. If a teacher does not like the subject they teach then they will not teach that subject very well. students will also not learn as much in that particular subject. They also might not enjoy that subject or going to your class.
Kellen D
ReplyDeleteI would pick speaking clearly meaningful assinments, and orginazation. i think speeking clearly i key to helping kids understand cause if there busy trying to understand what you say they wont learn anything. orginazation because i want to beable to get my work done fast and know what im doing for the rest of the week
i like what kim has to say on her choices with inspiring students cause the teachers you learn the most from are the ones how inspire you to learn
ReplyDeleteI would pick challenging students, showing how the content applies to life and diverse teaching styles as my effective teaching tools.
ReplyDeleteI believe challenging the students is an important part of a teacher's job. Not challenging students to their full potential is letting parts of their brain go to waste. There are always those classes that students take because the professor is "easy" and they do not want to work hard to get an A, but how much does the student actually take out of being in that class? Basically nothing. If all teachers challenged their students, A's would actually be worth something when report cards come out.
Showing how content applies to life is another important teaching tool. Students are more likely to be interested in a topic if they know how and why they will use it in other life settings. Students are not going to want to learn if they do not think they will need the information later on in life.
The last teaching tool I would bring is diverse teaching styles. Being able to explain a concept in multiple ways allows you to help those students who may learn in different ways than everyone else. It also gives those students the confidence to ask for help when they need it because they know you are able and willing to help them.
Kimberly Ruth
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said, especially the part about offering help. I have had those teachers that make you feel stupid when you ask a question and those kids never asked a question again. Students should feel comfortable in the classroom and should not have to worry about being embarrassed infront of their peers.
If I had to pick only three I would pick respectful, organization, and offers help.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why I picked respectful is because I will require respect from my students. Why should they give me respect if I do not even give it to them? I know as a student I do not like the teachers that don't treat me the right way.
The second one I picked is organization. I picked organization because just as a student i hate not knowing where everything is. If I were to be unorganized as a teacher it would be even worse because I would lose things that the students did not just my own work. By me losing the students work I would be forcing them to redo the paper that they already finshed once. Me as a student I hated when teachers lost my papers.
The last one i picked is that I offer help. I know how frustrating it can be when you do not understand something and the teacher does not help or does try but not very hard. I want to be that teacher that the students know they can come up or raise their hand and I will be there to answer their question.
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI think the one about challening the students is very good because I know those teachers that made the class so easy that I did not do anything and all I did was tell people how I didn't really learn anything in that class. I would not want to be the type of teacher that is known for that.
If i could pick three effective teaching characteristics they would be 1) interacts with students 2) knows their content and 3)shows how content applies to life.
ReplyDeleteIf a teacher fails to interact with their students then the student will quickly lose interest in the teacher, and the material he is trying to teach. even if a student is interested in the topic, if the teacher fails to interact with the student then it becomes hard to show enthusiasm.
it's also important for the teacher to know their content, this one is self explanatory. if a teacher does not know what they're talking about then how are the students expected to learn anything?
I think it's important for a teacher to show how their material applies to life. If im learning about something that has nothing to do with my life then why would i be interested? id probably just forget what the teacher was talking about knowing that i would never have to use the information im learning in the real world.
STEVE BELFI
If i had to pick three actions I would pick 1) inspires students 2) organized and 3) offers help.
ReplyDeleteBeing organized is very important for a teacher. They have to know where everything and have things in on time. If your not organized as a teacher you can lead your students to be disorganized too. I had a teacher that was very disorganized and it made me hate the class. We never got our papers back when we needed them and she would lose things all the time, it was very frustrating.
Inspiring students is also a big one for teachers. Teachers are that fire in kids telling them to reach for the stars. Teachers that i've had in the past that have been inspiring to me have been my favorites. The ones that show you that you can do anything if you try hard enough. It's important for kids to know that they can be whoever they want to be, and if they are not inspired to do so, they might give up on trying.
Offering help seems like an obvious trait of a teacher, but you would be surprised at how many teachers do not help students. If a student is having trouble learning something, you have to help them get through it or they will never know how to do it. It is your job to teach kids things they do not know, and if they do not have help they still are not going to know.
Ryne,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on that a teacher need passion for the subject. Kids are not going to want to learn something is the teacher is even bored by it. They need to be shown that what they are learning is exciting and teachers should make it fun so they want to learn it.
If I could only pick three actions of an effective teacher I would pick 1) organized,2)Respect, and 3)a diverse teaching styles. I believe that these three teaching actions would help to perfect the learning environment for the students.
ReplyDeleteI first choose organization because a teacher who is not organized is no help to the students. Being ready and or prepared for class is crucial. Also being organized allows you to teach the students rather then you trying to find your lesson plans or worksheets during class. This allows the students to have time to learn and ask questions. Respects is another effective teacher methods which I think is a must have in every classroom. As a teacher you expect to be respected by the students, but if you do not respect the students then their will be no respect given to you. A diverse teaching style was my third chose because all students learn differently. As a teacher you must be able to adjust to your students learning capabilities. Allowing all the students to fully understand the material being taught to them is the most important part of teaching. All teachers should want the best for their students.
Jamie s
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with you three choices,as a theacher you must be organized before and during class. The stundents do learn from the peers. I also enjoyed my teacher who truly inpired me to learn and it helped me when they offered any extra help before or after school. This helped me to see hoe the teacher wanted everthing done.
If I could only pack three things to take to my new district as an effective teacher I would pick 1)Give meaningful assignments, 2)Respectful, and 3)Interacts with the students.
ReplyDeleteThe first I would choose, give meaningful assignments, is a way to prove that not only are you teaching but the students are learning. Many times through school I felt myself doing "busy-work" that didn't lead to any long-term learning skills. Even talking to friends about assignments through school, it was more of "how much the teacher can assign for homework" versus "what the students actually learn from the assignments". I also remember key points from lessons if I spent time working on meaningful assignments instead of just doing relentless worksheet after worksheet.
The next thing I would pack to be an effective teacher would be being respectful. Respect when working with others is a huge part of being successful in the workplace. Being a teacher is no different than that needed level of being respectful. Not only do you need to be respectful of your students and their individual needs, an effective teacher also needs to be respectful of their colleagues, administration, and even parents of their students. If you are respectful, others will respect you. "Treat others as you would want to be treated."
The third and final thing I would pack as an effective teacher would be interaction with the students. This one should probably have been my first thing to pack because it is the one thing I have seen in my teachers in the past and gives me the ability to decifer between effective, good, or just bad teachers. A teacher who just lectures from the front of the room, especially at a younger grade level, is not being an effective teacher. I personally know that I have learned more from teachers who have not only been interesting but have actually made the effort to work with the students and show them you are not intimidating.
To KimberlyRuth:
ReplyDeleteI noticed your comment when I was scrolling down to post my own. I DEFINITELY agree with your statement that an effective teacher must be open to offering help. I too have been told that a teacher is willing to help, but have asked questions and made feel dumb for ever asking.
Heather M - I love that you mentioned giving meaningful assignments! I think that students can appreciate doing an assignment if they know it will be on the test. I hate doing busy work myself and then have it end up not being on the exam!
ReplyDeleteI would bring along Passion, Creative, and Organized.
ReplyDeletePassion because I think over time it is hard to still be motivated! You have been teaching the same things over and over! I hope that I am still Passionate about my subject 30 years from now! If I am not passionate about it then my students won't be.
Creative because I really want to be a teacher that makes learning fun! And to be able to do that you need lots of creativity!
Organized because I will have many students to keep track of! Assignments, tests, lesson plans, etc all have to be kept track of and graded on time.
Three effective teachings I would bring are being an inspiration to my students and being open to them for mentoring or anything else.I would love to be a guide and help my students as much as possible. The second thing I would bring with me is passion.I want to have my students connect with the subject by the seeing how passionate I am about the subject.I think the more passion I would show the more they would buy into the skills and information I am teaching them and have it be meaningful to them.The third and final thing I would bring is some fun. Fun as in a professional and mature type manner. I bought into a lot of teachers I had fun with because it made me grow closer to them.It help me buy into the teacher and subject even more as I was having fun. I think having fun will let the students be more creative and be thereselves. Some teachers didn't let me be me.I want my students to be there own character. What better way to get them out of there shell then to have some fun and do some fun hands on activities.
ReplyDeleteMonica
ReplyDeleteI agree with your three choices.I think passion is a huge thing when it comes to teaching so i agree with you completely.I like that you put creativity down because I want my students to think of learning as fun too.
Andrew S- I agree with all your points. Being organized is crucial. If the teacher is not organized they can not be as effective with helping out the students. Diverse in teaching styles is also very important because every kid does learn differently
ReplyDeleteThree actions of an effective teacher that I should take with me would be Inspires students, Passion for subject matter and Diverse in teaching style
ReplyDeleteInspires students - For me I have had some teachers that have inspired me so much, even though maybe their subject may have been subjects that I really don’t care about. Through their teaching they actually have given me different perspectives on things in life, and that have helped me develop as a human being!
Passion for subject - Students usually are not interested in every single subject, that’s why I think it is very important for a teacher to have passion for the subject they are teaching so that students can be able to have fun while learning. If the teacher is not passioned about the subject, then why would the student be?
Diverse in teaching style - Just looking back from my own experiences with teachers it is really annoying when I have had a question in math and just got the exact same example explained to me all over again when I didn't understand the first time. Each individual need to be able to relate to the subject in their own way and it is the teachers responsibility to make sure everybody understand.
Emily J, I totally agree with you that teachers have to challenge students! It is important to push students so that they can develop, and to prepare them for “the real life” after school.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pick 3 things they would be inspiring students, giving meaningful assignments, and organized.
ReplyDeleteI chose inspiring students because from my past experiences when teachers would inspire me, I would be much more attentive and care more about what we were working on.
I chose giving students meaningful assignments because I always have thought that any assignment given, should have a close connection to the subject matter.
I chose organization because I really believe that it is important in every aspect of life. If you are organized, things will be easier to find and run much more smoothly.
Therese,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that a diverse style of teaching is important, especially when it comes to something like math. If every teacher used the same techniques then school would get so boring.
STEVE BELFI
I agree with Heather M about respect. It's always important to respect not only the students, but everyone around you. Respect never gets old.
ReplyDeleteIf I could only choose three, I would choose diverse teaching style, offers help, and supports students.
ReplyDeleteI chose diverse teaching style because If a student was ever having trouble learning something I would definately want to teach them a different way since the first way did not work. I would never want to leave a student confused and not be able to help them catch on.
I chose offers help because I feel that getting help from a teacher is really important if a student needs help. I would want to be a teacher that lets students feel comfortable coming to me for help or to ask a question.
I chose support students because with out supporting them, I feel that the students will struggle.
It was hard just picking three, but I feel that these are the three most important ones to me!
Therese,
ReplyDeleteI agree on your diverse teaching style. I too had trouble in math because my teacher would alway just re-explain the same thing!
The three things I would take would be passion for subject matter, inspires students, knows their content.
ReplyDeleteFirst having passion for the subject is very important. Displaying that passion for the subject will get the students attention and gain their intrest of the subject. Showing the students that you are not just teaching them something to just meet the standards but letting them know that you take pride i your subject will get them to work harder and strive for the best grade possible.
Second would be inspring students. Teachers are more likely to have a greater impact on students than parents in some cases. If a teacher can influence a student to work to their maximum potential the sky becomes the limit for that student.In most cases the teacher knows the students better than the parents so they have a better idea of how and what needs to be said and done to get the students rolling in the right direction.
Third the teacher must know their content. There is know way the teacher will be able to fully get their lesson across to the students unless they fully know the content they are delivering. Another reason why a teacher must know their content is so that when students ask questions the teacher will be able to answer and give clear examples so the student have have a clear and better understanding
I would agree with Emily J with the idea of challenging students. If you never challenge your students you will never know how much they can really do and what areas that you need to improve in as a teacher. Ultimately our job as teachers is to prepare students for after they leave our classroom and enter the real world. aif we do not challenge them and let them just get by they will not know how to survive once they enter the real world and will be almost impossible for them to survive in society
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher and coach I think the main three things I would carry is: respect, inspires students and supports students.
ReplyDeleteRespect, in my opinion is one of the most valued characteristics for all individuals. Without respect for yourself or for others this world would be a cruel world.
As a coach I have had many inspirational teachers who have pushed me to become a better athlete as well as individual.
Lastly, supporting students, is a value that is really important to me, and I will make that my priority to always make sure to support all my athletes that I coach as well as other athletes.
Emily and Therese,
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of them, because challenging students would have been my next thing if could have brought more that three.
As a coach, giving students a challenge is always a positive thing
andy,
ReplyDeletei would pack with me. care for the students. because if you didnt care whats the point of teaching. also i would pack speaks clearly, because nothing is worse than a teacher who studders all the time. and finally i would pack to be a fun teacher, because those are the only kind of teachers that made an influence in my life.
Amy,
im glad that u want to be a coach, that is also what i want to do. i hope that coaching is the strongest point in our teaching career.
test
ReplyDeleteRyan Gross,
ReplyDeleteI would pick Diverse in teaching, Cares for students, and offers help.
I feel that a teacher must be diverse in their teaching style to adapt to the numerous different types of students out there. They all learn differently and you must be able to adapt in order to fully teach them and for them to fully learn the material being taught. My second choice was cares for students because if a teacher cares for his/her students than they will support their students, be interested in their lives, and interact with the students. I feel like this is a very important part of a childs learning is knowing that they have a teacher that cares about their learning and wants the best in them. I know for me as a child i could tell when i had a teacher that taught just to get the material out and be done with it, but then i also had teachers that cared if i really learned the material and wanted to see me succeed. The third thing is offering help. A teacher must offer help because there is a whole lot of students that are scared to ask questions in front of the whole class and if you offer help than they will feel safe asking you those questions after class. I was that kid and i know there are a lot more out there.
Lauren Burmester,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all three of your actions. I feel it is very important to be very versatile and flexible so that all the kids will be able to learn and also to help support the students. Some students don't get that support from home and they need someone in their life encouraging them. Also with offering help, they must have an outlet to go to if they can't figure something out. I hated when teachers pretty much made me teach myself by forcing me to read the book.
In my three suitcases, I would bring organizational skills, respect, and challenges for my students. If I am not organized, then I do not have a clear head and I am easily distracted by things. Thus, I cannot teach effectively. When I know that everything is put in the right spot, then it would be very difficult for me to lose a student's assignment, such as a paper. Also, I abide by the saying, "To get respect, you must earn it." If I expect my students to show up everyday on time and ask questions, then I must do the same and be ready to teach. There is no such thing as a dumb question, therefore I respect all curiosities of methods, and I will do my best to assist the student and not embarrass he or she. Finally, it is important to push kids beyond what they think they can do. When I give homework, I might add a couple problems that we didn't go over in class, just to see if they will try and seek outside resources for help. I believe critical thinking is the key to success so I will challenge my students day to day with advanced problems.
ReplyDeleteKelly, I liked what you were saying about challenging the students. It is true that far too many A's are handed out on report cards because the class was a "blow-off" class. Students need to be pushed out of their comfort zones to see what they can actually accomplish. Also, the concept of diverse teaching is a great tool to have. Last semester, my math teacher would allow us to ask questions. However, he seemed to get annoyed when students actually to advantage of this and asked their questions. Everytime, he would answer the student's question the same way he explained it the first time. It was if he was confusing the question that the person asked, "What'd you say?" instead of "What do you mean? I don't understand."
ReplyDeleteThe three actions I would choose would be passion for the subject being taught, patience towards students, and being able to show how things relate to everyday life. Teachers need to be able to be patient with their students and understand that everyone learns at different speeds. Students also need to be taught by a teacher who shows passion for what they are teaching. This will help students gain a passion of their own in particular subjects of school. Also, students need to be shown how things they learn can be used in everyday life. If something thier learning about cannot be used in their life what good is it? Students will lose focus much easier because of this.
ReplyDeleteThe 3 actions that I would choose would be inspires students, challenges students, and knows my students. I believe that for a student to want to succeed they must be inspired. An inspired individual is much more enthusiastic in what they are learning and much more devoted that they will get a lot farther in their education. I also believe you should challenge your students. Challenging students makes them have to work harder to get the grades they want and in working harder they will learn more. They will be putting more time and effort into their school work that it will stick more. The last action i would take would be knowing my students. For you to be a truly effective teacher you must know each and one of your students. Each student has their own unique way of learning and for each student to fully understand what you are teaching you have to be able to make the lesson apply to each student. A truly effective teacher will try and adjust their lessons so that everyone understands and now just stick to one way and not care if their students grasp the information or not.
ReplyDelete