Professor Alex Moor.
What is a good teacher? The professor resists to answer. A teacher should focus on the questions like what he/she is, is she/he happy with that, how can he/she improve that, rather than thinking more about "Am I a good teacher?". Surprisingly, it might never happen! :)
Focus on good teaching rather than a good teacher.
Obvious things about a good teacher. He/she can:
- plan lessons appropriately, carefully and thoroughly,
- communicate well with the students;
- be sympathetic to students' need, recognize people with a different way of learning in big groups,
- have a good knowledge in the area he/she teaches, etc.
If a teacher is focused on becoming rather than being, than he/she should be adaptable, flexible.
We should remember that we are not working alone. Unfortunately, teachers now tend to isolation with their classroom and also with their problems.
Working as a team is a very important characteristic of a good teacher.
We should constantly evaluate our teaching and think on how we can do it better. What is good in one situating may not work in another.
How can I do my teaching better? I'm going to sleep now with this question in mind :).
... part 2
Teaching is not only about a list of certain competences as many people tends to think (in fact sometimes standard methods don't work). But why did it happen that teaching is often reduced to standardized methods, tests and so on? The professor thinks this is caused by an idea that everything has to be measured. What if something it difficult to measure? We either remove it from the list of competences or invent some complex strategies to measure it, but they may not work for everyone.
So such important thing as managing emotionality of you as a teacher and your classroom cannot be measured, but it is highly important.
Another thing is the language we use. It is very crucial for teaching. And I do need to reflect on it. Which words would I use for certain situations?
Also, the professor spoke about questioning and answering. When we focusing on "becoming" rather than on "being" questioning becomes the most crucial tool. However, standard teaching approach values answers prior questions: "give me an answer", every question has only one correct answer and so on. In order to come to something new, we should be able to ask new questions. Many people understand that, and problem solving games in small groups are becoming more popular.
It was difficult to understand the professor as his speech was full of new words and complex grammar constructions. I enjoyed this challenge :). I will ponder the subjects mentioned in this video: the language I use and its effect on my students, emotional climate in my classroom, and how can I raise the value of questions.
What is a good teacher? The professor resists to answer. A teacher should focus on the questions like what he/she is, is she/he happy with that, how can he/she improve that, rather than thinking more about "Am I a good teacher?". Surprisingly, it might never happen! :)
Focus on good teaching rather than a good teacher.
Obvious things about a good teacher. He/she can:
- plan lessons appropriately, carefully and thoroughly,
- communicate well with the students;
- be sympathetic to students' need, recognize people with a different way of learning in big groups,
- have a good knowledge in the area he/she teaches, etc.
If a teacher is focused on becoming rather than being, than he/she should be adaptable, flexible.
We should remember that we are not working alone. Unfortunately, teachers now tend to isolation with their classroom and also with their problems.
Working as a team is a very important characteristic of a good teacher.
We should constantly evaluate our teaching and think on how we can do it better. What is good in one situating may not work in another.
How can I do my teaching better? I'm going to sleep now with this question in mind :).
... part 2
Teaching is not only about a list of certain competences as many people tends to think (in fact sometimes standard methods don't work). But why did it happen that teaching is often reduced to standardized methods, tests and so on? The professor thinks this is caused by an idea that everything has to be measured. What if something it difficult to measure? We either remove it from the list of competences or invent some complex strategies to measure it, but they may not work for everyone.
So such important thing as managing emotionality of you as a teacher and your classroom cannot be measured, but it is highly important.
Another thing is the language we use. It is very crucial for teaching. And I do need to reflect on it. Which words would I use for certain situations?
Also, the professor spoke about questioning and answering. When we focusing on "becoming" rather than on "being" questioning becomes the most crucial tool. However, standard teaching approach values answers prior questions: "give me an answer", every question has only one correct answer and so on. In order to come to something new, we should be able to ask new questions. Many people understand that, and problem solving games in small groups are becoming more popular.
It was difficult to understand the professor as his speech was full of new words and complex grammar constructions. I enjoyed this challenge :). I will ponder the subjects mentioned in this video: the language I use and its effect on my students, emotional climate in my classroom, and how can I raise the value of questions.
