Great Teaching Begins ...
I think that great teaching begins when a teacher is there to help you learn the materials that they have given you. I do believe that when you can connect with the teacher and your other peers more, that then leads you to learning more from the teacher and be open to receive help when you are lost. There is also a push on you to continue to learn and overcome the difficulties that you have in that class because the teacher is pushing you to overcome it. While it would be nice to have teachers being lenient with their policies, but it is nice to know that they are pushing you to be better while you are in their classroom.
I have had teachers that allowed us to collect our own materials that related to the content that we were covering, which was nice to have because of the biases that most content do have carter too. I believe that great teaching is where you allowed to give your feedback to your teacher about where we are in the content, meaning that some were lost and others understood the concept right away. Going more in depth about certain content in confusing concepts, instead of moving forward is another example of great teaching. The reason is that they were making sure that their classroom was receiving equitable education instead of leaving them behind for other students. I know that this can not always happen, but it is nice to see that teachers want to see you understand and receive different styles of intelligence methods because you are being recognized by them.
While great teaching is trying to be portrayed in pop cultures through the model of a "super teacher", but I think that they are missing the true nature of the teacher trying their hardest to understand the complex individuality of their students. Being great at teaching takes a lot of effort and re-evaluations of the teacher's method of teaching because one way does not fit all the students in the individual classrooms. Using the resources of the community, your peers, and students helps any teacher become great at teaching for that day because it is a day-by-day challenge. It also requires you to be honest with yourself about what you are doing for your classroom and how can you improve it in the moment or for the next class.
Hi Krista,
ReplyDeleteI love that you incorporated so many different aspects to what makes great teaching. I strongly believe that having a connection with the teacher is an important factor that way the student is comfortable sharing his or her concerns instead of being afraid to ask and clarify content. I also think that providing an equitable learning experience for all students is also great that way every students has an equal chance of learning. As we learn about teaching, we can see that it may be tough to be able to attain to all students that are behind but we can definitely put in the effort to make sure all students understand the concepts being taught. Teaching is a hard task to do especially when having to alter the lessons to go along with different intelligences. I think this is where the idea of being that "super teacher" comes from. We may not be able to constantly go above and beyond but it is the effort that matters. For teachers, asking for help among colleagues is also a step towards improving and trying to achieve a great teaching experience.
Hey Reanna,
DeleteThanks for the comment. I had also learned a lot from the course because of the reality that it has soon us that we as aspiring teachers need to be more aware of the students that we have in our classroom. It also brings into like that the teachers that we see in media are not the true representation of being a teacher in America because there will be obstacles that we need to conqueror both in the classroom and outside. I liked that you recognized that we can not always go above and beyond with students because we are humans as well as teachers.
Hey Krista! I love that you mentioned that great teaching involves feedback! I think this is a crucial part of teaching that many can be afraid of but it actually is so beneficial to continuing down the path to successful teaching. I would love to get feedback and hear about what I can do to make my classroom even better for my students. Resources are crucial and this can look like a number of things. Resources for teachers, for students, for schools. We all need help at times and so I think it is so important to recognize that it is okay to ask for help when needed and to be okay with the fact that we all need help at times. I know that when I am in my first year of teaching I know that I will be asking for help alot but I know that in the end I will be seeking after a successful school year for my students.
ReplyDelete-Kenzie Jones
Hey Kenzie,
DeleteThanks for the comment. Great that you loved the part where I was talking about feedback, because I feel like none of my teachers in Elementary, Middle, or High school really wanted to hear what I had to say about their teaching methods. I also liked that we are now more open to receive feedback from both our peers and students because our first year needs a lot of guidance as you had said earlier in your comment. I know that I will also need help during my first year because I am first generation teacher in my family and I only know people in my class and to know that I can ask my fellow teachers for help or ask my students to tell me how they are feeling during the lesson, makes me feel better about being a teacher.
Hey Krista, this was a great post. One thing that you wrote about that really caught my eye is when you said that a great teacher gives feedback. And I could not agree more. I think it's so crucial that we are open and transparent with our students to let them know about what they're strong in, and what they may be falling behind in. That way we can help them catch to where they need to be so they can succeed. Another thing I liked that you wrote is how real teachers work had to understand each individual student. Every student is different, and sometimes we need to go the extra mile for them in order to help them learn and grow. And I am glad that we both agree on that. There are so many diverse learners out there, and I am excited to reach out and discover the best learning techniques for them. You're going to be a wonderful teacher! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Maddie,
DeleteThanks for the comment. I am happy that we agree on certain statements in my post. I also want to learn more about the diverse learning intelligences as we learn more about our profession. While I know that they are not true indicator’s for student’s actions in your class, but I believe that they are nice start to understanding our students within the first weeks. I also thinks it’s good for us to understand how our own learning intelligence because we could incorporate it in lessons also.
-Krista
Hey Maddie,
DeleteThanks for the comment. I am happy that we agree on certain statements in my post. I also want to learn more about the diverse learning intelligences as we learn more about our profession. While I know that they are not true indicator’s for student’s actions in your class, but I believe that they are nice start to understanding our students within the first weeks. I also thinks it’s good for us to understand how our own learning intelligence because we could incorporate it in lessons also.
-Krista
Hi Krista,
ReplyDeleteI loved your post. I agree with you when you said that when you can connect with the teacher and your peers more then that leads you to learning more from the teacher and be open to receive help with they are lost. I have always reached out to my teachers if I was lost so I could at least get some insight and help for what I need it on. Another point you made was when teachers are covering hard material over a lesson, they go into more depth instead of just moving past it fast and how that is great teaching. I could not agree anymore to that, due to everyone having different learning abilities it can be stressful and overwhelming if a teacher doesn't go in depth over a hard topic. We should always go above and beyond to make sure everyone understands and if they don't they should ask for help.
Hey Bri!
DeleteThanks for the comment. Glad that you liked some points of the post. I also think that if we noticed that our students are struggling in certain topics, then we need to take them to the side to see where the disconnect is coming from. The reason is that sometimes they are experiencing a lot outside the classroom that effects their learning in school. Knowing that they are being effected by outside sources, also helps us know that we are not failing them really because we have no control over what happens outside our classroom, but we can help as much as we can.
Hey Krista! Loved what you had to say. I completely agree when it comes to pushing the kids to be the best version of themselves that they can be. I know I work better when it comes to being pushed in a motivating way by those around me. I feel like students can relate to these ideas as well. Being recognized by the teacher is also very important because it shows that the student was doing enough to be noticed. Teachers approaching the class with different learning styles helps too, because if we can get through to all of the students, that is what is most important. Teaching is an ever changing job and we never know what challenges we may face as a teacher. I had a teacher this semester that made the point "You should never be complacent in your teaching career, you should always be ready to make changes where you need to, no matter if you have been teaching 4 years or 24 years". I really liked what he said because as teachers we learn just as much as the students do. There is always room for improvement and I feel like that is important to understand.
ReplyDeleteHey Morgan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I liked the advice that your professor has given because I agree with that statement. I have also believed that being a teacher is not for someone that is complacent in the profession because it hurts the students mainly. I also thinks there are few bad students, only students that are misunderstood because I used to be a “bad” student my self, but really I was misunderstood and had a lot of outside reasons effecting my schooling really. If we improve our teaching methods then e help out students more, as you had said earlier.
Hi Krista!
ReplyDeleteI love your last point where you mention how important it is to truly understand our students on an individual level. True learning cannot start without trust. Interestingly enough, I learned in another one of my education courses that if a student does not feel safe in their environment for whatever reason, the brain enters a state that completely prevents the synthesization of information. This can be caused due to a number of factors, particularly when it comes to the students perception of their instructor. Students watch teacher behavior very closely to determine whether or not they can formulate trust with them. If a student feels disregulated and unsafe in the classroom, they cannot learn. It is our job as educators to ensure that we are approachable, caring, empathetic, and responsive enough to understand and meet the needs of our students. Not only does this foster true learning, it also provides students with a space in which they can be themselves and feel respected and understood.