I narrowed my focus- so excited!!
My headings will be : Introduction, Read- Literature Review, Watch, and Learned- What I learned.
I also brought my introduction and literature review from 5 1/2 pages to 3 pages- excited about this too.
I would like you to look at my literature review to make sure is good for setting up my paper. I did a paragraph of my paper as well- this is also what I was working on during class.
Introduction:
Many researchers have conducted a
study about what makes an effective teacher.
The research is varied depending upon the author and what they observe. Most
research shows what a teacher does in and out of the classroom to make them
effective. I will conduct a study, using
the material from the text called Qualities
of Effective Teachers by James H. Stronge, to prove that a specific second
grade teacher in North New Jersey is an effective teacher. I will show that he is an effective teacher by
mentioning some facts using the headings: Classroom atmosphere, the teacher as
a person, and hands on learning. After observing the teacher two times,
according to the text, he is an effective teacher. In the literature review, I will talk about
Stronge’s notes on effective teachers relating to what I saw in my observations.
Watching the teacher made me realize
what makes an effective teacher. I want
to summarize those points to come to a conclusion of what I learned through
watching him teach. I will have three major points to this research: Read,
Watch, and What I learned. All of these
aspects make for an effective teacher.
Read-
Literature Review:
The teacher as a person
“Much
of the recent research on teacher effectiveness focuses on relating teacher
behaviors to student achievement.” (Stronge, 13) Effective teachers have
positive qualities like: caring, listening, knowing their students, fairness
and respect, interacting with their students, and promoting enthusiasm and motivation for
learning. Students respond positively to all these qualities an effective
teacher has. “Teachers who create a supportive and warm classroom climate tend
to be more effective with students.” (Stronge, 15) Students must feel
comfortable in the classroom if they will be willing to speak. Teachers who are
caring towards their students will be more likely to open up and be open to
learning new things. “Effective, caring
teachers know the students formally and informally” (Stronge, 15) Teachers who are
effective connect with each student and treats them fairly. Effective teachers
give all of the students in his / her classroom every opportunity to
participate and succeed. Teachers who
are considered effective listen to what the students have to say rather than
cutting them off if what they are talking about is off topic. “Effective teachers also have a good sense
of humor and are willing to share jokes” (Stronge, 17) This makes the classroom atmosphere more
relaxed and have the students be willing to let loose in your classroom. “Good
teachers realize and deal with the fact that some students prefer to sit
quietly on the sideline, but not stop involving them.” (Stronge, 18) These
teachers realize that some students may not feel comfortable talking in group
discussions, but feel more comfortable talking in smaller groups. Effective teachers do not force their
students to participate if they really don’t want to.
Classroom management and
organization skills
Strong
states that components of the organizational plan of a classroom include room
arrangement, discipline, the creation of routines, and plan to teach the
students how their learning environment is organized. (26) The better the
classroom is set up for the students / teacher’s needs, the better the
classroom will run during instructional time. “Doyle defined management as “the actions and
strategies teachers use to solve the problem of order in the classrooms” rather
than responses to disciplinary situations”.
(Stronge, 26) An effective
teacher has the whole day planned out so the students do not have time to act
out or misbehave. Effective teachers
also have a daily routine and procedures. An effective teacher has his / her room set up the best way it can be for
optimal instruction.
“ Most effective teachers admit that rules,
procedures, and routines take precedence over academic lessons during the first
week of school… When materials are organized, it allows for smooth transitions
between activities and increases the amount of time on academic tasks. Consequently,
as students focus on academic engagement, the potential for behavior problems
to occur is greatly reduced. (Stronge, 28)
Effective
teacher as well as plan their day, they also make sure to have the classroom organized. Effective teachers have “color coded bins and
placing commonly used materials such as scissors, staples, tape, hole punchers,
and crayons in easily accessible places” so the students do not have to
interrupt the lesson. (Stronge 28-29) Effective teachers handle discipline when
it happens, if and when it does.
Implementing instruction
According to the
text Qualities of Effective Teachers, “An
effective teacher plans and prepares for the organization of the classroom with
the same care and precision used to design a high quality lesson.” (Stronge,
23) Effective teachers “explain the material” that is learned in a specific
lesson. (Stronge, 43) Effective teacher
also have the students participate in hands-on activities. This helps the students remember the
information better but they also realize “that no one instruction is better
than another”. (Stronge, 45) Good teachers “encourage students to respond to
questions and activities that require them to discover and assimilate their own
understanding, rather than to simply memorize material.” (Stronge, 47) Teachers who also “use positive
reinforcement, praise students, and employ meaningful activities are more
likely to actively engage students in learning. “(Stronge, 49)
All
these techniques, if used correctly, will make for a great classroom
atmosphere. Being an effective teacher means watching and reading. A good teacher relates what he / she reads
and related it to the classroom experience.
Watch-
How watching a class reinforces student teacher learning:
Classroom atmosphere
A
good classroom atmosphere is what the teacher sets up at the beginning of the
year. The teacher, like I said in my
literature review, spends a lot of time on “first day” procedures. An effective teacher will spend time on the
procedures until all of the students understand. In the classroom, it looked to
me that the “first day” procedures too some time, not just one day. The students looked to be comfortable talking
in the classroom as well as being able to move around the classroom-within
reason.
The teacher as a person
Hands on learning
What
I learned:
