We all learn in a different way. Yes, I know. This is a redundant sentence which most of us know and which might have been said by the Captain of Obviousness. However, there are very few who apply this concept or at least try to apply it in our education systems in a coherent way. Is it lack of knowledge? Where is it that we fail as teachers? Is it lack of accountability? Why is it that at the end we tend to uniform our classes and expecting each student to produce the same results?
Howard Gardner has been really helpful in explaining the multiple intelligences and the varying styles of learning. Much more than that, we can find plenty of resources that provide lessons plans, curriculum designs and activities to implement in our educational institutions.
On the other hand, some of us are afraid of trying different things at school; scare of being ‘memoed’, ‘pink slipped’, or even ‘fired’. We are terrified by the standards and the standardized tests, the lawsuits, the security in our classrooms, and all sort of details we, teachers, must accomplish. And the saddest part is that these details take away much of the responsible freedom that both, students and teachers, can have in our endeavors. There is probably too much fear and little passion.
Howard Gardner has been really helpful in explaining the multiple intelligences and the varying styles of learning. Much more than that, we can find plenty of resources that provide lessons plans, curriculum designs and activities to implement in our educational institutions.
On the other hand, some of us are afraid of trying different things at school; scare of being ‘memoed’, ‘pink slipped’, or even ‘fired’. We are terrified by the standards and the standardized tests, the lawsuits, the security in our classrooms, and all sort of details we, teachers, must accomplish. And the saddest part is that these details take away much of the responsible freedom that both, students and teachers, can have in our endeavors. There is probably too much fear and little passion.
Being a teacher and being a writer are not easy career paths. They demand a lot of effort and commitment. Usually results don’t show in the short term and sometimes not even in the long term.
Along this path I’ve face all types of doubts and difficulties. Am I a teacher? Am I a writer? What can I teach to others? Do I have something to write about for others to read? Am I a good teacher? Am I a good writer? How can I become a better teacher and writer every day?
I have no special predilection for a single subject, type of learner, or age. I’ve taught students from third grade to last semester in College and also as a tutor; and also have had the opportunity of teaching different subjects to students with learning differences to the very gifted.
Along this path I’ve face all types of doubts and difficulties. Am I a teacher? Am I a writer? What can I teach to others? Do I have something to write about for others to read? Am I a good teacher? Am I a good writer? How can I become a better teacher and writer every day?
I have no special predilection for a single subject, type of learner, or age. I’ve taught students from third grade to last semester in College and also as a tutor; and also have had the opportunity of teaching different subjects to students with learning differences to the very gifted.
Besides the Golden Rules and the Core Values, here there are some conclusions I have been coming up which I would like to share with you:
All individuals like learning and discovering independently from their ages or levels of education.
Many individuals are capable of learning all sorts of things by themselves; so being a teacher, some who “shows” a subject also means being a facilitator. We give hints, provide opportunities to discover, or explain with clear detail. We are teachers to make things “easier” for the individual learner.
Among the many responsibilities of being a teacher there are:
Helping students know themselves better
Instilling a passion for learning in general and about a specific subject as well
Just because we are teachers, it doesn’t mean we are not also learners and willing to learn.
Although we teach in the present, our efforts should be focused mostly in the future. That requires vision and Imagination. This is student, how is she going to be in the future? What are his/her strengths or aspects to work on and improve?
Learning occurs individually and also as a result of paired and team work. We need consistency between the activities we promote and the type of learning required: Some activities require silence and individual thought while others are better by pairs or teams.
Every day our kids are more technologically oriented. They have cell phones, blackberries, i-phones, i-pods, laptops; they have Facebook accounts and play online games; they are software savvy and up-to-date with the new developments. Should we fight that? Should we be against it because it seems to distract our students from our educational endeavors? Is technology a problem in Education? I don’t think so. It just could be the opposite. We need to connect with our students and their interests. How can we incorporate technology in our learning-teaching processes? It doesn’t have to occur in the classroom necessarily.
Responsible freedom is a key ingredient in Education. Kids and teenagers today have more freedom than many of us and our ancestors had in the past. That has, of course, advantages and disadvantages.
We need to reconsider the concept of “cheating” and make real life simulations in our classrooms more frequently where people help each other.
When we are sick, we call our Doctor. If we need legal assistance, we call our Attorney. If we need to file our taxes, unless we are registered CPAs, we submit our files to our Accountant, and so on. Not everyone is good for everything. Students also learn from their peers. There are students who are more academically successful, who understand the subject and abstract matters easier than others while there are students who are more artistic or more sociable or more scientific.
Evaluation in education should be closer to the evaluation in business environments (Open system, round cycled, marketing research, surveys, data analysis, etc.) than to beheading practices of the Middle Ages. If a student fails a test, doesn’t that “failure” belong to the teachers, administrative personnel, system, and parents too?
All individuals like learning and discovering independently from their ages or levels of education.
Many individuals are capable of learning all sorts of things by themselves; so being a teacher, some who “shows” a subject also means being a facilitator. We give hints, provide opportunities to discover, or explain with clear detail. We are teachers to make things “easier” for the individual learner.
Among the many responsibilities of being a teacher there are:
Helping students know themselves better
Instilling a passion for learning in general and about a specific subject as well
Just because we are teachers, it doesn’t mean we are not also learners and willing to learn.
Although we teach in the present, our efforts should be focused mostly in the future. That requires vision and Imagination. This is student, how is she going to be in the future? What are his/her strengths or aspects to work on and improve?
Learning occurs individually and also as a result of paired and team work. We need consistency between the activities we promote and the type of learning required: Some activities require silence and individual thought while others are better by pairs or teams.
Every day our kids are more technologically oriented. They have cell phones, blackberries, i-phones, i-pods, laptops; they have Facebook accounts and play online games; they are software savvy and up-to-date with the new developments. Should we fight that? Should we be against it because it seems to distract our students from our educational endeavors? Is technology a problem in Education? I don’t think so. It just could be the opposite. We need to connect with our students and their interests. How can we incorporate technology in our learning-teaching processes? It doesn’t have to occur in the classroom necessarily.
Responsible freedom is a key ingredient in Education. Kids and teenagers today have more freedom than many of us and our ancestors had in the past. That has, of course, advantages and disadvantages.
We need to reconsider the concept of “cheating” and make real life simulations in our classrooms more frequently where people help each other.
When we are sick, we call our Doctor. If we need legal assistance, we call our Attorney. If we need to file our taxes, unless we are registered CPAs, we submit our files to our Accountant, and so on. Not everyone is good for everything. Students also learn from their peers. There are students who are more academically successful, who understand the subject and abstract matters easier than others while there are students who are more artistic or more sociable or more scientific.
Evaluation in education should be closer to the evaluation in business environments (Open system, round cycled, marketing research, surveys, data analysis, etc.) than to beheading practices of the Middle Ages. If a student fails a test, doesn’t that “failure” belong to the teachers, administrative personnel, system, and parents too?
What next new thing are you willing to do to improve our Education systems?
Thanks, this is very helphul
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