Essential Question: How can we facilitate and design excellent teaching and learning?
The further into my education I have gotten, the more I have come to decide that teaching is one of the most difficult yet rewarding careers out there. Teachers, especially agriculture teachers, do so much more than stand in front of a classroom and talk all day. The amount of behind the scenes work is surprising and can definitely seem overwhelming. So how, as pre-service teachers, can we learn to make this work seem less daunting? How can we be effective teachers? I set out this week to figure that out!
Through our assigned readings, I latched onto a few ideas that stood out to me on the topic of effective teaching.
People who do things right are efficient. And People who do things right over and over again, consistently, are effective.
The effective teacher affects lives.
Principle #3 of Teaching and Learning: Students must be motivated to learn. Learning activities should be provided that reflect the wants, needs, interests, and aspirations of students.
Principle #6 of Teaching and Learning: Students are motivated when they attempt tasks that fall in a range of challenge such that success is perceived to be possible but not certain.
Principle #8 of Teaching and Learning: Behaviors that are reinforced (rewarded) are more likely to be learned.
Principle #11 of Teaching and Learning: To maximize learning, students should inquire into rather than be instructed in the subject matter. Problem-oriented approaches to teaching improve learning.
So what's my takeaway? It's going to take a long time before I will be considered an expert teacher but I can be an effective teacher! This semester at Penn State I will be given the tools and the know-how on student expectations, classroom management, lesson planning, and more, I will learn how to be an effective teacher. From there, it is up to me to show up every day and give it my all until I go from being efficient to being effective!
You are the only person on the face of the earth who can use your abilities. It is an awesome responsibility.
Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S. (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Wong, H.K. & Wong, R.T. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (4th ed.). Mountain View: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
The further into my education I have gotten, the more I have come to decide that teaching is one of the most difficult yet rewarding careers out there. Teachers, especially agriculture teachers, do so much more than stand in front of a classroom and talk all day. The amount of behind the scenes work is surprising and can definitely seem overwhelming. So how, as pre-service teachers, can we learn to make this work seem less daunting? How can we be effective teachers? I set out this week to figure that out!
Through our assigned readings, I latched onto a few ideas that stood out to me on the topic of effective teaching.
People who do things right are efficient. And People who do things right over and over again, consistently, are effective.
The effective teacher affects lives.
Principle #3 of Teaching and Learning: Students must be motivated to learn. Learning activities should be provided that reflect the wants, needs, interests, and aspirations of students.
Principle #6 of Teaching and Learning: Students are motivated when they attempt tasks that fall in a range of challenge such that success is perceived to be possible but not certain.
Principle #8 of Teaching and Learning: Behaviors that are reinforced (rewarded) are more likely to be learned.
Principle #11 of Teaching and Learning: To maximize learning, students should inquire into rather than be instructed in the subject matter. Problem-oriented approaches to teaching improve learning.
So what's my takeaway? It's going to take a long time before I will be considered an expert teacher but I can be an effective teacher! This semester at Penn State I will be given the tools and the know-how on student expectations, classroom management, lesson planning, and more, I will learn how to be an effective teacher. From there, it is up to me to show up every day and give it my all until I go from being efficient to being effective!
You are the only person on the face of the earth who can use your abilities. It is an awesome responsibility.
References
Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S. (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Wong, H.K. & Wong, R.T. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (4th ed.). Mountain View: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
Victoria, thanks for clearly identifying the points and themes from this readings this week that stood out to you and how they connect to past experiences you've had as a student. However, don't forget to include the "why" as well as examples of how you can connect to future practice or the agriculture education classroom in general. I also really like how you use the essential question to guide your post!
ReplyDeleteHey Victoria, I loved what you picked up on. I noticed we both pointed out "Principle #3 of Teaching and Learning: Students must be motivated to learn. Learning activities should be provided that reflect the wants, needs, interests, and aspirations of students. "
ReplyDeleteI wanted to ask your opinion, because I'm still unclear, How do you think we can tackle gaining student motivation in assigned content areas that our students may not be interested in? A hypothetical example: my Intro to Ag students love animal science but I have to jump into intro to soils in the same class.
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteI think you captured these points really well and brought out the importance of being an effective teacher!