The responsibility of a teacher goes beyond just relaying an academic subject matter to students. According to the book Subjects Matter by Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman it is about creating a "community of learners". Students must feel somehow connected to their teacher, fellow classmates and the subject which they are learning. Modern day education is not just about rote memorization, but rather focused on being able to work cooperatively with others and have a more focused understanding of a subject matter. The authors cite research which varifies that providing "social support" is the best way to do this (167).
Many of the pieces of advice which the book pointed out are things which my high school teacher, Mr. O'Malley took to heart. As suggested in the reading, he listened to what his students had to say, valued their opinions, and also took time to share pieces of his own life with us. In doing this he was not only an authority figure, but someone who we felt we knew and respected as a person. I did not enjoy studying Spanish as a high school student. The majority of my teachers did not discuss Spanish beyond just the language itself. It was not until I began college and began traveling that my interest began. I think it is important that I share this with my students so that they understand my struggles. I also want them to be able to approach a Spanish class from various different angles, and not just see it as a one dimensional class consisting only of grammar and vocabulary. I think fostering this type of exchage with students will help to foster the "community of learners" model.
In addition, Subjects Matter speaks about "connecting learning with students lives and and the larger issues around them" (169). This is also very true in a cultural sense. I know that as a Spanish teacher I will have the opportunity to discuss culture. As an Anthropology major, I am looking most forward to this aspect of teaching. I would like students to be able to experience latin culture in some sort of authentic way, by a guest speaker, visit to a foreign country, interaction with exchange students, or some other way. I hope that through this students will also have the opportunity to examine their own culture. This will help them to better understand where we differ and also in what ways we are alike.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Two Characteristics of My Most Effective Teacher
During my Senior year of high school I had a teacher named Mr. O'Malley. He was a history teacher, but I took his Public Issues Forum class as an elective. The format of the class itself was unique in that there was a lot of freedom in the class curriculum. We were not preparing for standardized tests, and luckily Mr. O'Malley did not have specific guidelines as to what he was to cover during the course of the semester. Instead he was able to pick topics which were of interest to him, and also to interest to us students as well. I think Mr. O'Malley's greatest strength was that he followed his own interests.
Often teacher's can feel bogged down by being confined to teach a set curiculum. Even in Mr. O'Malley's regular classes however he made sure to incorporate issues which were of interest to him. We talked about social issues such as the School of the Americas (training camp for "terrorists" in the United States), sweat shops, and the importance of voting. They are all topics which he has felt passionately concerned about in his own life and he was able to better relay these subjects to us because of his strong sentiments. It is a rare occassion (at least in my high school academic experience) that students are able to openly discuss topics and debate their importance. This type of learning allows students to discuss critical thinking skills as opposed to using rote memorization methods often found in schools. Mr. O'Malley was genuinely interested in hearing the opinions of his students and although he surely had command of the classroom it still felt like an equal exchange of ideas and opinions. In expressing his own strong views he was able to bring out the views of his students.
Another strength Mr. O'Malley brought into the classroom was that he incorporated current issues and our community into the curriculum. There were many guests that came into speak to our class about a wide variety of topics. There was a women who spoke about having a shared bedroom where her entire family slept together, and there was also the national high school storytelling champion. I actually went to speak to his public issues forum class this year about the importance of young people voting. For me it was a great opportunity to thank him for cultivating a new way of thinking about learning as a young student. We went to see speakers and musical performances at URI and AS220 in Providence. By his unique teaching style we began to see the world as our classroom as opposed to just the hours we were confined to our school.
I hope that as a Spanish teacher I will be able to incorporate both of these aspects into my classroom. I have spent much time traveling in Latin America and I think sharing my passion for both the language and the culture will help to ignite interest in my students. Also, I want to make sure that I bring the community into my class and my class into the community. The Spanish language is not brought to life for most people until they are able to experience it in some authentic way. With Latin culture so present in our community there are many opportunities to make connections between students and Spanish language outside of school.
Often teacher's can feel bogged down by being confined to teach a set curiculum. Even in Mr. O'Malley's regular classes however he made sure to incorporate issues which were of interest to him. We talked about social issues such as the School of the Americas (training camp for "terrorists" in the United States), sweat shops, and the importance of voting. They are all topics which he has felt passionately concerned about in his own life and he was able to better relay these subjects to us because of his strong sentiments. It is a rare occassion (at least in my high school academic experience) that students are able to openly discuss topics and debate their importance. This type of learning allows students to discuss critical thinking skills as opposed to using rote memorization methods often found in schools. Mr. O'Malley was genuinely interested in hearing the opinions of his students and although he surely had command of the classroom it still felt like an equal exchange of ideas and opinions. In expressing his own strong views he was able to bring out the views of his students.
Another strength Mr. O'Malley brought into the classroom was that he incorporated current issues and our community into the curriculum. There were many guests that came into speak to our class about a wide variety of topics. There was a women who spoke about having a shared bedroom where her entire family slept together, and there was also the national high school storytelling champion. I actually went to speak to his public issues forum class this year about the importance of young people voting. For me it was a great opportunity to thank him for cultivating a new way of thinking about learning as a young student. We went to see speakers and musical performances at URI and AS220 in Providence. By his unique teaching style we began to see the world as our classroom as opposed to just the hours we were confined to our school.
I hope that as a Spanish teacher I will be able to incorporate both of these aspects into my classroom. I have spent much time traveling in Latin America and I think sharing my passion for both the language and the culture will help to ignite interest in my students. Also, I want to make sure that I bring the community into my class and my class into the community. The Spanish language is not brought to life for most people until they are able to experience it in some authentic way. With Latin culture so present in our community there are many opportunities to make connections between students and Spanish language outside of school.
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