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Important qualities of an outstanding educator
Qualities of an outstanding educator
Effective teachers characteristics
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Seldom in our lives do we encounter an individual or two that impacts our lives in ways that stretch far beyond what we conceived possible. Throughout my life, however, I’ve been incredibly lucky enough to encounter not one, two, or even three, but a handful of these extraordinary individuals. These people have not only ingrained themselves within my memory, but have also helped to shape the type of person that I would like to be in my life. Often times, accomplished careers are guided by the wisdom and generosity of these selfless individuals, known to most of the world as teachers. For me, my high school AP literature teacher is one of these very distinct and memorable teachers who has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on my life since …show more content…
Looking back on it however, it seems to stand that the teaching style of Hallberg rests on a bed of constructivist philosophy. A philosophy that implies students will benefit more from a class that makes them contemplate as opposed to one that force-feeds facts. A part of being an excellent teacher, I believe, has to do with allowing individuals to learn for themselves. An educator should not be the human equivalent of an almanac; they should read like the pages of Woolf and Faulkner, great writers that offer no clear and precise answer but rather ones shrouded around philosophical …show more content…
Often times it’s dry and dense and you feel like you should be the one that earns the paycheck. It’s uncomfortable and stuffy, you spend most of your time reading books you don’t fully understand and then writing towards specific prompts you didn’t know existed within the novel in the first place. The class was ingenious like that, which certainly provides a testament to her extensive teaching skills. To be a good teacher, one must set and hold standards for their students, and within these standards is one for students to challenge themselves and their learning. I am a firm believer that being comfortable leads to complacency, and this path to laziness doesn’t usually end up leading to a rewarding destination. The only time I feel like I’m truly learning is when I’m uncomfortable with what’s being asked of me and feel as though the confidence I have in the subject that I’m working on is threatened. Throughout my educational experience, I have been constantly trying to keep myself off balance as much as possible. I loved being a student, but being a student meant walking into jungles when I knew my compass wouldn’t work and didn't know where the path would end up or where the lions lurked. Being with Hallberg made me grow to appreciate that fleeting danger. I believe what made Hallberg as effective as she was in the subject she taught was her knack for introducing risk into the course- If only to keep her students
Wallis, Claudia. “How to Make Great Teachers.” Time Online. 13 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 March 2011.
Prior to my observation in Mrs. Reddout’s classroom this Fall, I thought that the children in my class would be a lot less creative and spunky than they actually are. It also surprised me just how in depth their emotions and feelings are for their age. I was definitely incorrect with my previous expectations, and I’m glad for it. When I learned that my cooperating teacher was the team leader for 8th grade, and the Teacher of the Year, I was really nervous; I didn’t think I’d measure up to her expectations of me. She has since told me otherwise, and that my fears were completely misplaced.
Throughout our lives, we have the opportunity to interact and learn from scores of individuals. Whether it is our friends, family members or co-workers, each person has the ability to make an impact on our lives, both positive and negative. One individual who has had a positive impact on my life is Mrs. Shannon Winchester, my former Advance Placement United States History teacher at Weddington High School. Yet, after I concluded my time in her classroom, she not only became a person I deeply admire, but someone who I aspire to become one day.
Teachers continually learn about ways people learn – the processes of learning and how individuals learn best. They learn about their students and individuals, and learn with as well as from their students when they seek knowledge together. (Principles of effective learning and teaching, 1994). Through continually discovering new and exciting ways to help mould a constructivist classroom, the students will be able to achieve their outcomes with great ease and learn to enjoy education.
Over the years I have spent working on my education, I have encountered numerous teachers who have had a significant impact on who I am as a person and how I conduct myself. One such person was an English teacher of mine Mrs. Schwartz. She was my teacher for honors English 10 and advanced placement English 12. Mrs. Schwartz was always a very kind woman. She always encouraged us and pushed us to do our best. She was like a mother figure to those in her classroom; it was obvious she cared about each and every one of us and how to help us reach our educational potentials. I still remember when we were assigned our end of the year portfolio, I chose a short story by Neil Gaiman to analyze. Unbeknownst to me, Neil Gaiman was a favorite author of
A teacher can easily be one of the most influential people in a student's life. This was even more obvious after reading the book “Tuesdays with Morrie”. The book is about the author, Mitch Albom reconnecting with his beloved college professor Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of ALS. Soon after meeting again Morrie and Mitch both decided to do one last thesis together. From that day forward they decided their Tuesdays to each other going through all the hard topics from love, loss, and undeniable truth of the future, past, and present. The emotional rollercoaster for Morrie and Mitch resulted in a best selling book, and later a movie that left people all over the world shocked and touched by the sociology
Constructivism theorists believe that learning is an ongoing collective application of knowledge where past knowledge and hands on experience meet. This theory also believes that students are naturally curious. If students are naturally curious, their curio...
The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.
Mrs. Kari Brandon is the teacher I aspire to become. She is passionate, smart, and driven. This is a teacher who knows that paper and pencil are not the only way to teach a child. She aims to be a teacher who makes a difference in a child’s life by teaching them to love themselves and school. She goes above and beyond every day in her classroom and devoted her life to teaching. The world needs more people like this who care and can make a difference—not just with how she teaches school, but also how she stood up for that little girl that suffers every day at home. She showed her that she is loved, she is valuable, and she is smart. Brandon’s teaching style goes to show that there are multiple ways children learn and being active and moving
Pro: By using a constructivist approach to teaching, students will be “fully engaged in their own learning” (Rhinehart Neas). This allows the students to make sense of what they are doing by relating it to the real world and where they could use the information in their future.
Among many teaching styles and learning theories, there is one that is becoming more popular, the constructivist theory. The constructivist theory focuses on the way a person learns, a constructivist believes that the person will learn better when he/she is actively engaged. The person acts or views objects and events in their environment, in the process, this person then understands and learns from the object or events(P. Johnson, 2004). When we encounter a certain experience in our life, we think back to other things that have occurred in our life and use that to tackle this experience. In a lot of cases, we are creators of our own knowledge. In a classroom, the constructivist theory encourages more hands-on assignments or real-world situations, such as, experiments in science and math real-world problem solving. A constructivist teacher constantly checks up on the student, asking them to reflect what they are learning from this activity. The teacher should be keeping track on how they approached similar situations and help them build on that. The students can actually learning how to learn in a well-planned classroom. Many people look at this learning style as a spiral, the student is constantly learning from each new experience and their ideas become more complex and develop stronger abilities to integrate this information(P. Johnson, 2004). An example of a constructivist classroom would be, the student is in science class and everyone is asking questions, although the teacher knows the answer, instead of just giving it to them, she attempts to get the students to think through their knowledge and try to come up with a logical answer. A problem with this method of learning is that people believe that it is excusing the role of...
Who are we? What are we? A lot of what we are was implanted in us as young children by teachers who cared enough to teach it to us. Throughout my life I was taught many of the values I have today by my educators. I was instilled with the skills of how to get along with my peers, knowing right from wrong, and realizing that the best way to get what I wanted was to respect others first. The teachers I’ve had along the way have inspired me to become a better person. They have made me recognize how I wish to be like them. I too want to help children realize their full potential. I want to be a person in their lives that they can look back on and say she helped me hope and strive for the best that I could be.
We must first look at the need for a constructivist approach in a classroom, to do this we think back to our days in primary school and indeed secondary school where textbooks we like bibles. We were told to take out our books, look at the board, and now complete the exercise on page z. This approach in a class is repetitive, the teacher holds authoritarian power and learning is by no means interactive. “In a traditional classroom, an invisible and imposing, at times, impenetrable, barrier between student and teacher exists through power and practice. In a constructivist classroom, by contrast, the teacher and the student share responsibility and decision making and demonstrate mutual respect.” (Wineburg, 2001) This approach focuses on basic skills and strict adherence to the curriculum. Children are being forced to learn through repetit...
While attending Chinook Middle school I had interviewed my mentor and field experience teacher Ms. Kennedy who is a 7th grade English teacher at the school. During the interview I found out some background information on Ms. Kennedy, Ms. Kennedy has worked at Chinook middle school for 12 years. She’s also worked at North Thurston school district for three to two years. As well as was a self-contained 7th grade teacher, for which she taught all subjects. She choose teaching profession because she believed that all children can learn. She did not want her students to endure the hardships of having a teacher Who did not care about them, or if they were learning. Ms. Kennedy’s Philosophy of education is she believes that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure,caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially. It is her desire as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites you shouldn’t of ideas. The teacher acts as a guide, allows natural curiosity, and promotes respect for all people.
When I was growing up, I remember attending elementary school, learning a new language seems to be difficult at first, but I was able to learn the English language because of the dedication of one of my teachers. Now, as I reflect on this experience, it is obvious that she was dedicated and enjoyed teaching her students to be successful. I know today that she made a difference in my life as I navigated through my education experience and high school years to present.