EDUC 2130 LESSON 2

In lesson two of Education 2130 we watched a podcast by Anita. After watching the podcast we had a set number of questions to answer. We then had to provide a research question, reference, research analysis, and a research summary. This podcast was to help us identify teachers who helped us or who stuck in our minds. This lesson was really good to help me to remember the characterists of the teachers who had the greatest impact on my life.

Think of a teacher you had who influenced you. What made this person a good teacher?

The most influential teacher I ever had was my high school agriculture teacher Mr. Mike Tanner. I had always been in FFA even from sixth grade, but I had never really gotten fully involved with the program until my sophomore year in high school. When I first met Mr. Tanner I thought this guy is weird but the more time I spent around him the more and more he began to influence my life. The more he got to know me the more he seemed to expect out of me and eventually he approached me about becoming a FFA officer and getting involved in many CDE’s, career development events, throughout the program. Mr. Tanner was such a good teacher because he pushed each student and also stretched himself to make our greatest potential reality. It goes without saying that he coached us into a very good team. We won numerous awards in poultry judging, land judging, and our floriculture team rarely left without a first place trophy or plaque.

•Students often identify teachers who were not very personable or approachable as among their most effective teachers. Is it possible to be personable, caring and effective? When would it be a liability to be personable or approachable? When would it be an advantage?

I believe it is important to seem personable and approachable as a teacher, but I also understand why the teachers who seem not so personable make effective teachers too. My senior of high school I took calculus with Mr. Rick Smith and he was far from a likable person. He was that the teacher every one dreading having. He had an unbelievable ability to humiliate and downgrade even the best students, but I quickly realized that I was learning more under his teaching than any other math teacher before him. I believe that a teacher being too personable and/or approachable can be a major liability. Many students try to take advantage of the nice teacher and don’t take anything he/she says as serious.

What does Anita describe as the goal of educational psychology?
- Anita makes mention that the goal of educational psychology is the go beyond personal experience and to study teaching systematically and scientifically. To study systematically is to study teaching in a method form. There are always ways to do things and if a teacher can learn a special way or method to teach they will better equipped to influence the teacher. To study scientifically is basically the same thing, a teacher must learn a method or principle in teaching to be most effective.

•Anita mentions some compelling research. What was the research and how did it affect the students?

Anita’s research followed students from third grade to fifth grade and also followed the teachers each child had. The research showed that students who had an effective teacher from third grade to fifth grade scored in the 96th percentile on standardized test while students with lessas effective teachers only scored in the 44th percentile. It also showed that the students who had the more effective teachers also were more motivated to do and complete school work and were a lot less likely to drop out. The study also showed those students felt more of a sense of belonging.

•Anita describes 8-10 methods teachers could employ to help create student success. These methods help to foster what she describes as the single most significant predictor of student success. In your opinion, describe 2 or 3 of the most important methods she mentions in her Podcast.

Of all the different methods mentioned by Anita I believe the most important three are to try and make class interesting, making sure all students understand material, and to build trust and respect with the students. The most important of the three to me is to build trust and respect with the students. Every teacher wants the students to respect them, but it is also equally important that the teacher respect the student. Each and every student is different they come from different homes and different backgrounds and it is important that the teacher respect that. An interesting class is always better than a boring one and students tend to do better in the interesting class than in the boring ones.

Summary:

Through watching the podcast by Anita I’ve gained much insight into teaching students and maintaining classroom edicts. I was very surprised by the fact of students with interesting teachers scoring so much higher on the standardized test. I had always known they done better but I did not realize that they were almost double as successful as students with just regular teachers. From this lesson I’ve learned great methods to maintain a positive classroom environment. I’ve also learned that it is ok to be concerned with the student’s life away from school and to develop relationships and trust with each student.

Research Question: What makes a good teacher good?

Reference(s): http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/79-what-makes-a-great-teacher.gs

Research Analysis:

Many different students have had many different teacher, some good some not so good, but the real question that always kept me wondering was what made the special teachers so special. During my research I found many different characteristics that made good teacher be good teachers. The very first characteristic mentioned is to set high expectations for the students. Another characteristic is that they have clear written out objectives. These special teachers carry a characteristic not possessed by many individuals organization and being prepared.

Before you can become a great teacher you must first establish strong relationships with your students and their parents. When parents feel like the teacher is concerned with their children they’re more out to encourage their child to try harder to do better in that class. These teachers are also the ones who are willing to stay after school and help their students to do better and better. They’re also willing to go above and beyond the normal to better prepare their students to be their best. A good teacher has many different great characteristics, but they’re always willing to do more than just required.

The arguably most important thing for a teacher to be a great teacher is for the teacher to know the subject he/she is teaching. You can’t be a great teacher if you don’t know what you’re teaching. Teachers with deep understanding are more able to teach efficiently. Teachers who not only know the subject but also know the history of the subject can deepen their student’s knowledge.

Research Summary:

Through my research I’ve learned many different characteristics that cause great teachers to be great. I’ve learn that they aren’t declared to be great until they are able to stand and say that their children are the higher percentile in the grading formats. I also learned that it is ok to build relationships with students. I hope that one day in the future my students will talk about how great of a teacher I was and how I widened their knowledge of whatever subject I’m teaching.