Thursday, April 15, 2010

Top 5 Tips For Teachers

Well first off I would like to thank you for replying to my blog so quickly :).


The top 5 things that I would say to a teacher to try and get students to learn to maximum potential are the following:


1." Relevant learning"

When I say relevant learning I mean try and teach the subject so that it will fit into the students everyday life. You also have to make the lesson fun for the student especially if they are like me and cant focus on one assignment for 45 minutes unless its something that keeps us moving and active so were not thinking about how boring school is for us.



2. "Motivate your Students"

Now for motivating your students, im not sure about everyone but I know for myself when a teacher is really open with the classroom and dosn't mind cracking some jokes or letting the students have some fun but to a certain point. Im not sure if this really answers motivation but for me I get more motivated to go to a classroom when i know the teacher is flexable with me and my learing needs and is not afraid to put some of his/her time to help me achieve that credit.



3. "Mutual Respect"

I dont know why I didn't put this one first considering its my biggest passion in the school system and I mean this in the way that when I walk into the classroom I can say hey whats up Mr or Mrs whatever and its not all wierd and awkward

2 comments:

  1. I think you have some important things to say about the school system and it's great that you've set up a blog. Maybe if more people like yourself not only spoke up in a public forum like this, but actually got a public discussion going, they system could change so that kid's like my son (who has ADD and a hearing problem) would have an easier time. Like you, he is also very intelligent and articulate and needs to shine in his own way. Best wishes for the blog!

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  2. Hi Tim,

    I think the work you are doing educating teachers and the rest of us is superb and I look forward to reading more.

    I'm curious if you have heard of the Montessori Method? Your description of an ideal learning environment sounds exactly like it. Only in the last year did I discover it for my own daughter and what has attracted me to is:

    -The ability to move about freely in the classroom.
    -The ability to choose the work you want to do throughout the day.
    -The ability to focus on your work for as long as you want.
    -The ability to choose to work individually or with others.
    -Multiple age groups in one classroom
    -Learning within context, where facts are not separated into subjects but are learned as part of a whole, interconnected process.
    -The teacher is not a lecturer, nor the be-all, end-all of information, but rather a guide who leads the kids to discover appropriate sources of enrichment in their projects.

    Unfortunately, although Maria Montessori spent over 50 years developing this method for ages 0-12, she died before she could come up with a comprehensive program for the adolescent and high-school levels. The two main Montessori associations, AMI and AMS, have been trying for the last decade or so to develop a program for highschool students that follows her vision of it as an introduction into adult independence (as oposed to a continuation of the elementary learning style).

    Although many traditional schools have adopted aspects of Montessori education, they are really bandaids applied to a system that was created without understanding human behavior and how people learn best.

    I sincerely hope that more students such as yourself continue to speak up and shake some sense into what has become a dysfunctional system.

    Keep up the excellent work!

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