A Teacher's Perspective
As a teacher, I often stop to ask myself – Who am I teaching? What am I teaching? Why am I teaching? These questions remind me of my role as an educator and my responsibilities in a classroom. The answers, however, are not straightforward.
There is no doubt that you want to teach each and every student in the classroom, but the question remains whether you can reach them all and provide them equal time and attention on the same day. How does one set up the lessons such that each student learns something from the process? This was not an easy thing to do in my first year of teaching.
Sixteen years ago, I walked into the classroom wanting to connect to each individual student, but ended up addressing a group. I sought to pay attention to each student, but was pulled in several directions at once. Every instruction had to be repeated several times and in many different ways and even then I had to provide personal attention to help students understand the task or solve the problems. The students were restless and inattentive, fiercely resisting new knowledge and creating chaos in the classroom. Class management was a major challenge.
Some of these early experiences have reinforced my belief that firstly I must know my students. I must recognize their motivations, their abilities and their deficiencies. I must learn to distinguish between the group dynamic and individual behavior. I need to impress upon the students my seriousness in providing them every possible opportunity to learn. Lastly, I must show them that I am a constant learner too, who uses the resources at hand to expand her knowledge.
The learning environment is the second most important consideration. Do the students feel safe to express themselves in the classroom? Do they fear being ridiculed or praised? Do they feel challenged by the curriculum or find the material too easy? Are they afraid to ask for help or do they ask for help all the time? Are they effective independent workers or do they need support for all their tasks? The answers to these questions help me decide how to set up the learning environment.
Over the years, I have created opportunities for hands-on learning, cooperative learning, paired groupings, independent work and timed testing. I've initiated differentiated tasks based on interest and ability levels. I've prepared students to read and answer questions as they would in a testing environment. I've invited outside guests to share their knowledge of a subject, which bought real life perspective to the students. I've taken the students on field trips to extend their learning from the classroom. I've integrated technology in the classroom for instruction and for students to conduct online research. Students have initiated technology based projects that combined developing software skills with writing skills. I've created PowerPoint games to assess student learning and used online websites for assessment and instruction.
In the future too, I would use all these approaches to learning. I notice that surprising students with a variety of activities keeps them interested and motivated. Students today have shorter attention spans and are unable to focus on a single lesson for a long duration. This requires the teacher to provide a mix of activities and change the lesson format so that students do not get set into a routine that they learn to ignore.
Some of my original ideas related to teaching have been modified through the experience of teaching in an urban environment. I have recognized the need to modify my lessons without lowering my expectations. I have realized that students in this environment contend with bigger problems than what’s happening in the classroom and are often distracted by those events. Therefore, making them see the importance of their presence in the classroom and getting them to enjoy the experience is crucial.
In whatever environment I teach, I would challenge my students but provide ways for them to succeed. I would give them independence and hold them accountable for the results. I would remind them that they are responsible for their own success and have the ability to solve any problem, but they can count on their teacher to provide them the tools.
I want to help my students discover their talents and develop a sense of self-worth and self-reliance. These traits have to be cultivated and cannot be specially taught with words. By providing students the opportunity to create student designed projects, discover new information independently and feel a sense of pride in their work, I hope to achieve those goals.
