Effective Teachers Essay

Effective schools make a big difference in student achievement. Effective leadership makes a positive difference, too. Effective teachers, however, directly impact student learning and achievement. It’s been shown that teachers who have a large repertoire of effective instructional strategies teach differently (Tyson).They’re more intentional in their objectives, strategies, and intended outcomes. And, have better results. Robert Marzano, an educational leader, conducted a meta-analysis of instructional strategies to determine which were the most effective. While Marzano’s nine strategies provide useful suggestions for instruction, they are even more powerful when accompanied by other essential ingredients for student learning. Towards that end, all technology can be used to address Marzano’s work. Each strategy can be addressed using a “tech tool,” which can make a difference in the learning experience of students. Technology has so many uses, therefore, much of their usefulness overlaps in categories.

Piaget’s cognitive constructivism also has its place in the classroom. As discussed by Kamii & Lewis (1990), students doing maths problems learn better by constructing them internally, by ‘playing around’ with numbers, using games and real life situations to link the base knowledge they need to fulfil the learning outcome with concrete examples. Students can relate more to these

Apart from learning theories, Piaget's theory of constructivism addresses how learning actually occurs, not focusing on what influences learning. The role of teachers is very important. Instead of giving a lecture the teachers in this theory function as facilitators whose role is to aid the student when it comes to their own understanding. This takes away focus from the teacher and lecture and puts it upon the student

Teaching is a highly skilled job and therefore requires adequate training and preparation on the part of teachers. Teaching is a complex set of attitudes, knowledge, skills, motivation and values. Effecting teaching varies from mere teaching. Additional learning in the above mentioned areas might lead to effective teaching and learning. The improvement of learning requires an awareness of the complex relational ship among faculty, students and institutions. In other words, we can say that there is no single method for effective teaching and learning. The contribution of all these factors will help better teaching and learning.

Social constructivism’s origins are largely attributed to Lev Vygotsky (1978). Vygotsky believed that social constructivism is the idea that learning occurs when people are socially active; in other words, learning is created through our interaction with others. In a constructivist style classroom, the focus shifts from the teacher teaching the students to the students teaching each other and having more control over what they learn by asking questions and coming up with their own conclusion on things (2016). This style of teaching can be very successful when the teacher provides enough scaffolding. In a typical classroom, you have a teacher standing in the front of the room lecturing to students while they sit and take notes on the information being given so they can spit it back up for a test they will have at the end of the unit. In the constructivist style classroom, the students are pushed to be more active and engaged in their learning process (Education Theory). The teacher creates an environment where students are urged to speak up and share what they think and have the class run more on a student run process. The teacher’s role in this style is not to sit and lecture information but rather engage students actively to find this information on their own and discover it so that it creates more meaning and provides a better understanding. The main goal in this type of learning environment is problem solving. This style of teaching promotes self-guidance and can even

Classroom management is a key element to establish a successful learning environment in any classroom. An effective classroom management plan creates a positive learning environment. Classroom management is affected by the characteristics of the students and their behavior. Students’ behavior is influenced by their age, academic abilities, goals, interests, and home backgrounds (Evertson, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006). Teachers need a diverse array of classroom management skills to facilitate learning. A classroom with a proper management plan will spend less time in disciplining and more time in learning. Students in effectively managed classrooms know and follow clearly defined rules and routines. A classroom management plan should provide

In my opinion, a good teacher should be one who puts her heart into teaching. This is because only by doing so will the students feel their passion and hard work. When a teacher strives hard for the students, students will put in their effort as well. If a teacher dislikes her job, goes to classes in a bad mood, her teaching would also be affected and students would not be able to enjoy lessons as well.

“Social constructivism is a theory of knowledge in sociology and communication theory that examines the development of jointly constructed understandings of the world that form the basis for shared assumptions about reality” (). This deeply connects with education because the theory focuses on the idea that human development is socially situated and knowledge is constructed through interaction with others. In a constructivist style classroom, the focus shifts from the teacher to the students. It is not the expert sitting there lecturing to a bunch of kids and expecting them to learn the information they are spitting out at them. In the constructivist style classroom, the students are urged to be actively involved in their own process of learning and participate in a more student run process.

Vygotsky’s theory is considered to be a component of the Constructivism philosophy of education which states that humans learn from experience.7,8 With this philosophy learning is considered to be an active process in which the learner “builds” knowledge based on personal experiences and social interactions.8 Several references emphasized the fact that Constructivism is not a pedagogy theory, and that the learner constructs knowledge through the exposure to a variety of pedagogical approaches.8 This philosophy was also influenced by:

Lev Vygotsky is one of the earliest proponents of a constructivist learning theory. Although he only lived through the early 1930s, his work was largely unknown in the West until the 1960s (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). His significant contributions to constructivist learning theory include three important distinctions. First, he purports in Mind and Society: the development of higher mental process (1978) that “social interaction between people plays the first fundamental role in the process of cognitive development” (explained in the Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). This means we first learn by watching others and discussing new information with others, only then do we attempt to use our own cognitive systems for storing that new knowledge individually. “Vygotsky focused on the connections between

Constructivism is a concept that is supported by all the major educational philosophers. Learners are actively in

“The good teacher discovers the natural gifts of his pupils and liberates them by the stimulating influence of the inspiration that they can impart. The true leader makes his followers twice the men they were before”. This statement by Dr. Freeman (1998) summarizes the reason teachers become educators and how good educators must think. As teachers, our number one responsibility that holds precedence over all other principles is the ethical responsibility to the children. We are committed to supporting children’s development “by cherishing individual differences, by helping them learn to live and work cooperatively, and by promoting their self-esteem” (Jalongo, 2002). These early

These last few weeks, I have discovered myself along with a few things about education and who I really am or who I hope, to be as an effective educator. I’ve looked back at my own background in order to discover who I am and what my differences are from those around me. What the differences have to offer to others as a teacher. I have been blessed with growing up in a diverse background with mixture of cultures and beliefs. As a teacher I will bring a fair playing field to my classroom in order to give every student the opportunity to reach their full potential through an ethical belief of caring for the student as a whole. But how?

Piaget was a constructivist theorist and had the belief that learning in school should be demonstrated through experiences and interactions within your surroundings (Fosnot, 2013). Vygotsky, another theorist, went further with his understanding of this, demonstrating social constructivism, with the belief that allowing social interaction with a group of children and adults would enable pupils to develop their learning and allow them to learn from each other’s experiences (Tucker, 2010). This social constructivist approach proposes that group work is therefore essential in allowing children to develop an understanding of aspects in maths. Vygotsky believes in the importance of interaction with other peers to develop learning (Muijs and Reynolds, 2001) and this collaborative learning approach would allow for this. However, Hansen (2011) explains that when children work in small groups they may misunderstand key teaching points and errors may occur in their work. For this not to occur the teacher must assist and observe each maths group effectively to make sure they each understand their work fully. It can also be argued though that to allow for errors in children’s work when working in a group would “encourage children to review their thinking, leading to self-correction” (Anghileri, as cited by Hansen, 2011, p.14). The teacher must therefore be the

so I thought it was a great idea to interview one of my high school