Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Bad Teacher Challenge
I recently read a blog from Michael Schultz and he makes a very good point that 99% of blogs talk about great things happening in school and/or the idealistic views somebody has. I thought it was very interesting how he challenges us to blog about something not good.
So I'm up for the challenge.
Think about it for a minute. If more teachers write about those terrible lessons or how they neglect to modify or accommodate students learning. Don't you think we can learn from other peoples mistakes?
This blog really had me thinking about teaching moments that went bad. As educators we are taught and expected to reflect constantly on how we teach. Look back at teachers college. How many reflections did we have to write after every lesson we taught? As teachers, we need to re-evaluate our teaching to meet the needs of those individual students. What could we have done differently in the lesson so that the students clearly understood the concept being taught. No one is perfect and what might work in one classroom with a group of students might not work in the other. So, a good teacher after reflecting, will make those adjustments and changes. Would you agree?
Looking back at a time when I was a "bad teacher". I had just finished teaching a math lesson on fractions. I assigned students seat work so if they had a troubles with a question I was there for help. I often catch myself offering the help but then turning the students away because either I get busy with something else or just lose my patience.
I challenge you to share a "bad teacher" moment too.
So I'm up for the challenge.
Think about it for a minute. If more teachers write about those terrible lessons or how they neglect to modify or accommodate students learning. Don't you think we can learn from other peoples mistakes?
This blog really had me thinking about teaching moments that went bad. As educators we are taught and expected to reflect constantly on how we teach. Look back at teachers college. How many reflections did we have to write after every lesson we taught? As teachers, we need to re-evaluate our teaching to meet the needs of those individual students. What could we have done differently in the lesson so that the students clearly understood the concept being taught. No one is perfect and what might work in one classroom with a group of students might not work in the other. So, a good teacher after reflecting, will make those adjustments and changes. Would you agree?
Looking back at a time when I was a "bad teacher". I had just finished teaching a math lesson on fractions. I assigned students seat work so if they had a troubles with a question I was there for help. I often catch myself offering the help but then turning the students away because either I get busy with something else or just lose my patience.
I challenge you to share a "bad teacher" moment too.
Once when teaching a lesson on genetics to grade six students (supply teaching, so I did not know all the students personally), I asked a girl of Chinese descent what attributes she shared with her parents. Her reply? "I don't know, I'm adopted!" Oops! She was great about it, but I was so embarrassed! Lesson - Get to know your students!
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