What aspect of the text interested you the most?
I found the data tables themselves to be one of the most interesting aspects of this study. Having the influencing factors laid out in front of me along with their level of influence made the study easy to understand. The two tables which showed the the effect each factor had on a student's knowledge by grade level reaffirmed some of my own beliefs. I was not surprised to see that teachers who understand how to work with different student populations will see better results from their students. Nor was it surprising to see that higher-order thinking skills increase student success. The study reaffirmed many ideas for me and showed me in context why certain skills or qualities are important in a teacher.
How do you define the effectiveness of a teacher? In other words, how will you decide if you are an effective teacher?
An effective teacher is one who can teach a student how to learn and the importance of asking questions. Also, an effect teacher develops in their students a desire to discover the answers on their own. If you can get your students to engage with the subject by asking questions and seeking knowledge as well as teach them to draw thoughtful conclusions without simply parroting information you have succeeded. They will become life-long learners who will see success as students and in life generally. When a teacher becomes obsolete that is when they have reached the peak of success. A teacher's job is to guide a student towards knowledge not to give answers.
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I would say that the study was also an affirmation for me. I was not surprised either that higher level thinking increases student success. It would be nice if the things that we passionately believe about teaching were backed up by assessment procedures and standards, but even so, we need to do what we feel is best for the students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your philosophy, as you may have guessed. Education is not all about the content; it must emphasize a skill set or an ability to discern information. This level of thinking (critically) is too often ignored in order to cover an expansive curriculum of content. I think that learning should be challenging and it should be placed in the students hands. The teacher gives them the proper tools and opportunity and then they become invested in their own learning.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that it can be beneficial for the learning process for the teacher to become obsolete, at times. I do not think that it is beneficial or reasonable for some students. While it would be ideal for students to individually pursue learning, many students will need a considerable amount of guidance, as you do admit. I feel that effective teachers can guide students through the process without being a hindrance to gaining knowledge and developing skills.
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