Teachers Must Plan!

Teachers should define learning objective and they should be able to explain why it is important for a lesson to have clear learning objectives. Teachers should plan for instruction.

Teachers must plan for instruction in advance. Effective teachers have materials ready in advance and they align their curriculum with state standards. They should also state learning objectives and how students will demonstrate knowledge and skills. 

In addition, teachers should choose learning objectives. The Bloom’s Taxonomy of cognitive objectives is a useful tool for planning learning goals at six different levels of thinking: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create.

Then, to make sure that students have mastered information and skills, teachers can use three strategies: mastery learning, direct instruction, and computer-based instruction. 

Mastery learning is based on the idea that all students can learn school subject matter if given sufficient time; Teachers should present the lesson into small and discrete units and provide additional instruction and practice as needed. 

Direct instruction is an approach that uses a high degree of teacher control. Teachers should review the previous learned material before presenting the new knowledge in small and logically sequenced steps. Teachers should also provide independent practice and frequent follow-up reviews. 

Computer-based instruction is an important concept in cognitive learning theory because it reflects the behaviorist’s principles which are active responding, shaping, and reinforcement. 

Then, discovery learning is another teaching method which encourages the student to interact with their environment and derive information for themselves. By seeing something happening, students can encode it in their long term memory. 

Expository teaching promotes learning in several ways. First, students learn only when they are actively making responses. They also argue that students pay more attention when they are engaged in meaningful learning. Teachers should help students make meaningful connections among the things they learn by emphasizing its relevance to what students already know and to real-life examples. 

Then, teachers should also use computer-based instruction, online research, hands on and practice activities, cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching, and reciprocal questioning. 

Teachers must enhance students’ expectancies for success by trying to combine different kind of teaching methods. They should also provide the necessary support, resources, and strategies.

Field Trip: Legal Issues

A field trip is any trip, local sporting event or cultural activity that occurs off the school property and where the risks are low and fully manageable. Students love field trips because they have a chance to get out of the classroom and experience something new. Effective teachers should consider the process they would go through to plan a field trip. They should consider the legal issues before taking the field trip with the pupils.

Educators have the duty to meet the required standard of care to students. They should carry out activities that are suitable to the age, mental, and physical conditions of the participant. 

In addition, teachers should ask students to advise them of any special disabilities, problems or needs that need to be accommodated. Teachers should have a first aid kit and first aid manual. Then, teachers need to identify any special hazards or dangers on the trip that might affect the health and safety of the students. Teachers should visit the area where the field trip will take place. 

Equally important teachers have to obtain signed parental permission for all the minor students participating. The parents have the right to be fully informed when asked to provide consent for their child to participate on a trip. Teachers should include on the letter to parents a description of the field trip with information on the location, the date of the field trip and why the location was chosen. Thus, the school must insure the school bus for liability (injury to third parties and third party property damage) and physical damage. 

Furthermore, teachers should divide the class into groups of teams. Then, teachers should provide students with written information explaining what is expected of them prior to and during the field trip (packing a lunch, dress code and code of conduct). 

Also teachers should make sure that all children have ID badges or other org identifying labels. Then, teachers and students must agree on a place to meet if someone gets separated from the group. And they should never leave the area with an unidentified person. 

In the whole, it is very important to follow all the safety rules and legal issues before going on a field trip. Teachers have the responsibility to check all the legal issues before planning a field trip. It is imperative that teachers should be knowledgeable about the legal issues concerning any kind of field trip. 

          

My Teacher Education Program

My teacher-education program in the middle school seems to favour the subject-are curriculum. The subject-area curriculum is consistent with the essentialist philosophy of education. 

But I agree with John Dewey who encourages balance between the importance of the subject and the student. 

The students cannot construct their own meaning based on current and past knowledge and experience if they do not master the essential knowledge and values of society. 

I think that middle school educators should focus both on student and subject matter. We need to emphasize both learner-centered and subject-centered perspectives. We should provide exploratory programs that reflect students’ developmental interest, while reinforcing the content. 

We should provide students with learning activities to apply a variety of cognitive skills (computing and research). 

Therefore, I think that a balance between student-centered and subject-centered is the best. 

Effective teachers should use a variety of instructional strategies and a variety of motivational and classroom management techniques. A balanced curriculum is made of subject/teacher-centered (authoritarian) organization on one end and student-centered (democratic) organization on the other. 

In the elementary school, I would prefer the integrated curriculum. It tries to unite all the subjects under one topic or theme. For example, the story, “The Little Red Hen”: social studies would be included by learning about the farm. Science would be included through a focus on growing plants, math would be introduced with a discussion of measurements using in baking bread, a health component would have the children focus on eating healthfully.

The instructional approaches discussed in this chapter which best fits my teaching style are the mastery learning, direct instruction, teacher questions, cooperative learning, and peer tutoring. 

Mastery learning is an approach to instruction in which students learn one topic thoroughly before moving to a subsequent one. The objective is to learn knowledge or skills to mastery and students vary in the time they need to achieve mastery. For example, the teacher will have students practice 100 single-digit addition facts until they can answer all the facts correctly within five minute period. 

The objective of the direct instruction is to learn a well defined body of knowledge and skills. Students need considerable guidance and practice in order to learn successfully. It is a teacher-centered method that is used to convey information. For example, the teacher will explain how to add fractions with different denominators and give students practice in adding such fractions, both in class and through homework. 

The teacher questions instructional approach is also very useful in the middle school. The objective is to understand and elaborate on a topic in greater depth. The teacher can ask questions that promote recall and review of the previous day’s lesson or he or she can ask students for examples of how people in their community react to global warming.

The cooperative learning instructional approach teaches the students how to cooperate and how to listen and respect each others’ ideas. The objective is to develop the ability to work collaboratively with others on academic tasks. It emphasizes cooperation rather than competition. 

And my favourite is peer tutoring. I like to have students work in pairs to test each other on their spellings or how to ameliorate a story or to have some students help others work through history or geography questions. I think the most advanced students can gain increased understanding by teaching it to someone else.

My Educational Philosphy

An educational philosophy is essential to reflective and effective teachers. Our educational philosophy serves us as a guide and it will inspire us through our teaching career. Our educational philosophy reflects our own approach to education. 

I believe that teachers should be concerned with safeguarding and promoting cultural learning. I believe that teachers must be concerned about student morality and character development. So, the teacher has to display an intellectual rigor and good moral standards. 

The teachers who I have met during the past few years believe that basic values should be included in the curriculum. They think that a classroom is a mini community and children learn to function in society from their families but also in a school environment. They think that the basic values and ethics of being respectful, kind, and following the rules should be included in school.

In the same manner, I believe that an effective teacher must promote growth in all students through the integration of academic, psychological, physical, and social learning. Teachers should be concerned about student morality and character development. 

The essentialists maintain that moral development and character training must have a place in the curriculum. William Bennett (1993), former U.S. secretary of education, proposed the use of stories, poems, essays, and other works “to help children achieve moral literacy and acquire the traits of character that society most admires.” I agree with essentialists when they protests against the decline of intellectual rigor and moral standards in the school. Therefore, I believe in the philosophies of idealism and realism which are both embedded in the essentialist theory of education. 

I believe that if we want to see students perform better in schools, we must adopt a more essentialist form of education that promotes a strong body of knowledge which will meet state standards. This is an element that I would indeed appropriate for my own. I believe that the use of an essentialist philosophy of education will help students improve their performances. 

I believe that a teacher-centered method and contents would help pupils meet the state standards. An essentialist method would teach students the background knowledge they indeed need in order to acquire a strong academic foundation. I think that Dewey’s argument in favor of a system that is equally progressive and essentialist will work better in schools. This is another element of his philosophy which I would appropriate for my own. The student must relate to the subject in order to truly understand it. Therefore, the student needs some background knowledge in order to relate easily to the subject. 

I think that lectures are indeed an effective way to teach subjects but they should be accompanied by other activities such as collaborative learning, playing games, using computers, and interacting with the help of debates. 

In addition, the debate concerning the No Child Left Behind made me think a lot. I think that schools should not be punished because some students have failing test scores. I think that NCLB looks good on paper but it does not work to its full potential in practical life until all the schools will have equal resources. 

And not all students can perform well on tests, especially the students who have a learning disability. Teachers should not be punished because they really try very hard to promote their students’ learning. 

But I think that teachers should have high expectations in order to promote students success and they should be hold accountable for the education they are giving to the students. Teachers should use essentialist methods so that the important knowledge for the tests would be covered before the exams. 

I think that teachers should establish a comfortable, trusting relationship with parents. Students tend to be more successful at school when their parents are actively involved in school activities. Teachers should invite parents to an open house or musical performance. Parent involvement can happen during field trips, special projects, or individual tutoring during the school day. Parents can also be present and help their children with homework.

Essentialism is my personal philosophy and I am implementing this educational philosophy during my professional practice. For the essentialist, the primary purposes of schooling are to teach the basic skills or essential knowledge that all humans should know and are necessary for participating successfully in a democratic and technological society. Our culture and traditions of the past have a common knowledge that schools are obligated to transmit to students in a systematic disciplined way. 

At the primary level, the curriculum would include reading, writing, and mathematics. At the upper elementary grades, history, geography, natural science and foreign languages would be added. At the secondary level, the curriculum would insist on a common core that includes four years of English, three years of mathematics, three years of science, three years of social studies, and a half year of computer science. Essentialism is concerned with the teaching of the basic skills or essential knowledge that all students should know. An essentialist program teaches children progressively, from less complex skills to more complex.

As experienced teachers, I believe that education should not be the same for everyone. I believe that the study of educational psychology will improve the relationship between student and teacher. One compassionate moment of listening can help the student if he or she feels that they have been heard and understood. I try to use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. 

The most important role of the teacher is to produce a classroom environment which will be the most conducive to learning. As an essentialist teacher, I will not hesitate to incorporate other educational philosophy along my essentialist educational philosophy in order to create a classroom environment which will intrinsically motivates students to learn. The purpose of a teacher is to educate students in how to think. Teachers need to teach students basic skills, cooperative behaviors, and hands-on experience. Therefore, to meet these goals teachers should combined two philosophies: progressivism and essentialism. Students should learn basic skills that will help them through their problem solving and scientific enquiry. If teachers combine essentialism and progressivism in an effective way, these two philosophies can work side by side in the goals of the school. Progressivism focuses on real-world problem solving activities in a democratic and cooperative learning environment. But in order to focus on real-world problem, students should first develop disciplined minds and acquire a rigorous academic and moral training. The perennialist teacher favors subject-centered method with lectures or lessons delivered to students. Therefore, the teacher can ask questions about the lessons in order to have more active students. Also, the teacher can ask group work about specific topics related to the lesson he or she has been lecturing to the class.

Effective teachers are aware of the importance of giving a safe environment with a clear set of rules and consequences. Teachers should make sure that all students are assured a fair and equal treatment. On the whole, teachers should give students a desire for lifelong learning and to provide them with educational opportunities that will help them prepare for academic, athletic, and social success. 

It is very important for a teacher to understand the philosophies and theories of education. An effective teacher should be able to formulate a philosophy of education and he or she must also be flexible and able to revise their personal educational philosophy. Teachers should promote a high cognitive level of education but they should also be concerned with multiculturalism in the classroom. Diversity requires new curricular approaches that help students understand their differences as well as their common culture which makes them part of a nation.

Webb, L.D., Metha, A. & Jordan K.F. (2010). Foundations of American education (6^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson

Benin: Making School Safe for Girls

"In the West African country of Benin, harassment of girls in school has been commonplace. Approximately half of girls in Benin enroll in school and many end up dropping out because of the hostile environment created by continual pressure for sexual favors from teachers or fellow students. Girls who report sexual harassment often are accused of leading a teacher on and may be forced to drop out of school by parents as a result."

Wible (2004) found that 43 percent of primary and 80% of secondary students in Benin dropped out of school because of sexual abuse.

"In Benin, a small nation on the west coast of Africa, many girls opt out of school because they are sexually harassed by teachers," Neylon said. With no punishment for the men, some girls find it easier to drop out of school. About 50 percent of girls enroll in primary school and a majority of them drop out by secondary school, according to UNICEF. Only 25 percent of Benin women age 15 and older are literate. The Republic of Benin's National Assembly voted July 17 to pass the country's first comprehensive sexual harassment legislation aimed at protecting girls and women in schools, workplaces and in homes, according to the Women's Rights Initiative, a program of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Sexual violence to girls and women in schools is happening all around the world! Very few female teachers work in schools. Consequently, girls are likely to be sexually exploited by their male teachers. 

A study by Rossetti (2001, cited in Davies), found that 67 percent of students in Botswana schools had been subjected to sexual harassment by teachers. Twenty percent of these students were propositioned by their teacher for sex. In Ghana, 13.5 percent of girls in both primary and secondary schools were victims of sexual abuse at school (Brown, 2002). Amnesty International reported that 50 percent of Malawi girls experienced unwanted sexual touching by their teachers or male classmates. According to the World Bank, 8% of school girls from Cameroon were sexually abused by their teachers. A student in Uganda reported that one of her male teachers required that she wash his feet, take water to the bathroom, and when he appeared naked asked her to "help him as a man" (Action Aid).

Teachers need to be trained in sexual harassment, gender equality, and discipline procedures that are respectful of the dignity of women and men. Students must learn about sexual violence, female equality, good communication skills, boundaries and respect of gender differences. 

The schools do not operate in a vacuum! It is a reflection of society's mores and values. Each community should create their own solutions to the problem of gender violence. We have to use the mass media programs on radio, television, town posters, and the Internet. We must listen to students because they have some of the best problem solving capabilities about this issue. A holistic approach, integrating agencies, NGOs, governments, and individuals will give us the chance to get rid of sexual harassment.

We must STOP violence in schools! It is an overwhelming task which will require from us to change the cultural belief systems about patriarchy, masculine hegemony, and girls and women's values in our society.

Diversity in Today's Classroom

Today's classrooms are filled with a rainbow mix of diverse students from nearly every continent, making learning environments rich with experience, culture, language and history.

Children are curious about the world around them and how they relate to it. In order to better understand themselves and others, an exploration of cultures encourages cooperation and relationships.

Celebrating both similarities and differences, children appreciate what each person has to contribute, viewing themselves as empowered, global citizens.

Social psychological tendencies such as in-group/out-group bias, attribution errors and "us versus them" conflicts can be understood based on simplistic, rather than complex views of the world.

During my Social Psychology course, I have learned that mere contact alone does little to diffuse conflict between groups focused on categorization of "us" and "them".

Experience is made up of the successive construing of events. It is not constituted merely of the succession of events themselves. A person can be a witness to a tremendous parade of episodes and yet, if he fails to keep making something out of them, or if he waits until they have all occurred before he attempts to reconstrue them, he gains little in the way of experience from having been around them when they happened. It is not what happens around him that makes a man experienced; it is the successive construing and reconstruing of what happens, as it happens, that enriches the experience of his life. (Kelly 1955, 73).

George Kelly's Personal Construct Psychology

Teachers must incorporate diversity in the classroom. During the lessons involving world explorers, teachers should include a project researching African, Mexican, Indian, and Norwegian explorers in addition to the typical lessons on Spanish, English, and Portuguese world explorers.

Further, teachers should select textbooks and supplemental books that reflect culture, gender, and diversity within the world. Books should include children of different cultures, religions, disabilities, socioeconomic levels, gender preferences, and race.

Moreover, the students should be assigned art projects using traditional art around the world as examples. For example, if the activity is studying patterns and use of color, the teacher may use examples from Sioux, Celtic, Burmese, and Massa peoples. Teachers can also use music to stimulate the interest of their students.