Speaking the language of education and being aware of different teaching methods is part of being a successful educator. Thorough understanding of developmental stages (4), respecting each student’s unique learning style (1), and a willingness to do whatever it takes to reach every student is what truly makes a great teacher. These implicit abilities are what make a teacher special. Education is one way a student can succeed. Success for all is not assured and many children fail academically because they get labeled troublesome or incapable of learning. In real life children mature through a series of definable but not exact stages (4), and instruction should include activities at the developmental level of students. A flexible curriculum needs to incorporate activities to meet multiple intelligences (1), student aptitude, student interest, and all along respecting cultural diversity. The best starting point for true learning is the students' real interests and previous knowledge. Student led investigation trumps covering arbitrary content. All students can be successful in my classroom. Students, as Howard Gardner has described, whose learning focuses on thinking and thought, their senses, and communication should all have equal opportunities to be successful in my classroom (1). A classroom should be active, have concrete, hands-on learning experiences, and have open lines of communication between students and the teacher. Students also need time for reflection and time to conceptualize their learning experiences. Simple to the most complex learning, as described by Bloom (2) and expanded by Marzano (3), can take place if the right opportunities are presented. It is my job to clarify concepts and ideas in a way that makes sense to my students. If my students don’t understand it’s not their fault. I must provide each student with his or her ideal opportunity to learn. Many students will only give you what is required so it is important to set the bar high. Expect the most from your students and you’ll get it. Challenge your students, give them choices, and make them responsible for their own learning. Treat your students the way you want to be treated. Expect them to not only be good students but to be good people. Manners and moral behavior are a must in my classroom. Discipline students consistently, fairly, and firmly. Rules, procedures, and consequences should be clear from day one. I cannot take the place of a stable home with strong, caring parents, but I can promote responsibility, accountability, and respect. The community, parents, students, and educators are all essential elements of learning. The goal of all parties involved should be to prepare literate, disciplined, independent, original, and confident lifelong learners. Students should achieve academic success while building character, integrity, and a positive outlook. Each student is an individual. He or she needs room to develop his or her individuality. My ultimate goal is to provide them with a place where they can flourish as a student and as a person. I see there being two types of technology instruction. The first type of technology instruction is a direct instruction approach. This is learning the basics of computing and using educational software that requires a student to answer simple questions. Examples of this would be learning how an operating system works, how to use a web browser, how files are structured, how to use Microsoft Office, how to use a digital camera, and playing a math game to solve problems. Although some concepts and questions may be difficult, they are generally lower order thinking skills. In contrast, the second type of technology instruction makes the student think. This would be taking basic computing skills and applying them. Some examples would be researching via the internet an open ended question and making one’s own conclusion about the topic, creating and giving a presentation or creating a movie to assess a student’s understanding of a topic, or leading the students on a WebQuest (5) or quest on myprojectpages.com (8) rather than or in addition to reading a chapter in a book. All these can lead to higher order thinking, collaboration (6), and can engage (7) a student making them more responsible learners. Nothing can ever take the place of a great teacher in a classroom. Books, manipulatives, educational materials, computers, and computer peripherals should never be introduced as the savior of education. They are tools that can enhance a student’s learning and thinking. That being said, technology is one of the fastest moving developments in the world and it will most likely affect the future of a student. As a teacher, I must integrate technology into my teaching to enhance subject material and learning experiences for my students. Our students must learn to use technology to their advantage for research, communication, organization, productivity, efficiency, and to create superior work. When they can use technology to their advantage to do these things, they have the ability to seek out needed information and will hopefully continue to do so throughout their educational career and personal life. As a technology coordinator and instructor, my hope for myself, my school, and my students is a better meshing of curriculum and technology. In the school, I hope to build a reliable, organized, relevant technology system. In the classroom, I must make it a priority to inform and help teachers use the digital resources available to create better lessons, get students more enthusiastic about learning, and to use computers in our school as one of many avenues for information and creation. In a lab setting, students should not just learning technology for the sake of technology education. They should be learning technology while applying it to educational topics and real world scenarios. By doing these things, I can make my school a place where we not only have large amounts of technology equipment but are equipping are students with the knowledge and tools necessary in the future. 1. Smith, M. K. (2002) “Howard Gardner and multiple intelligences”, The Encyclopedia of Informal Education, http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm2 |
