The Teacher as a Learner

“LOVE AND MARRIAGE- GO TOGETHER LIKE A HORSE AND CARRIAGE….”

Teaching and learning are processes that are inseparably linked together. Teachers are professional learners. Good teachers are able to incite students with a desire to learn. Effective teachers are able to stimulate students to learn specific types of things. You cannot learn somebody something. Teaching is guiding another person to opportunities for them to learn something. Designed properly, these experiences will result in learning with the desired outcome. There are a number of factors involved in designing the learning experience. Most often teachers need to rely on their own instincts to develop these learning experiences.

I teach- you learn. It sounds like “caveman” talk. You can “teach” all you want but without the pupil involvement, there is no learning. Pupils have to be sold on learning. Teachers are salespersons. As any good sales person will know, there are four steps to a successful sale. First the customer must realize they have a need. Second, a means must be shown to satisfy their need. Third, the means leads to this particular product as the product that best fulfills the need. Finally, the salesmen must show that the customer needs this particular product now and close the sale with a purchase.

Teachers perform these basic four steps of salesmanship. Teachers must convince their students that they have a need. Education can satisfy the need that they have. Learning this particular aspect of education fulfills their need. And learning it now closes the deal. This goes to the heart of an educational principle: All children have a basic human drive to learn. Like the person who has their heating system fail in the middle of winter, not much is needed to demonstrate that they have a need. A child is not very much different, this child has a basic need to learn. A salesman convinces that a furnace fulfills that need and this brand of furnace will be just right. The teacher’s job is to convince the student that education fulfills that need and learning in this classroom is the brand of education needed Both the salesman and the teacher has to sell the “customer” that the solution is now and here!

Parents, friends and teachers mold what children learn. The age of the child determines the relative influence of each group. In the past thirty years, television and the Internet have to be added to the list of influences. Recent research has indicated that these electronic sources may have a greater influence than what is desirable. In this writer’s opinion, the human influences far outweigh the electronic influence. When the human influence is lacking or inadequate, the electronic influence dominates. In order to be effective as teachers, these electronic influences must be incorporated as learning tools. Both TV and the Internet must be exposed for what they are- phenomenal opportunities for learning when used properly.

Children are sitting in the classroom eager to learn (whether they know it or not!). Teachers must now provide the opportunities for these students to channel their need into a constructive learning experience. Teachers need to understand the age group that they are teaching. Principles of learning theory are instrumental for teachers to create successful experiences for their students. It is important that the teacher understands how a student learns. Piaget has become a “buzz word” in education. This Swiss psychologist provided a framework of appropriate levels of learning. Vygotski’s Social Development Theory indicates a cultural twist to Piaget and provides the social aspect to learning. Good and effective teachers are aware that there are many theories of learning. These theories were developed for the most part by psychologists. Successful teachers are aware that no one theory has all the answers. Teachers utilize whatever aspect of the learning theories work for them and their students.

Most teachers are aware of Pavlov, Skinner, Gardner, Gagne and the list goes on and on. Teachers are artists and scientists. They put these scientific theories into practice in the classroom and observes what works for them and their pupils. The artist in the teacher creates the environment that these scientific practices can work in. Of course, the salesmen in the teacher sells the pupils that what they are doing will work. When the teacher puts it all together it will result in a amazing miracle- a child learning!

Teachers are the expert learners. They must transfer their abilities of learning to their students. The single most important consideration to keep in mind is that students do learn in different ways. There has been a wealth of studies performed about this idea. Teachers have always known that students do learn in different styles. Multiple Intelligence, Right-left side of the brain, constructivism- the list goes on and on. Each of these theories carries something of interest for the teacher. Gathering little pearls of wisdom from each theory the teacher is able to develop a personal learning theory that works for them and their pupils. Teachers have been accomplishing this for years.

Teachers must also remember that a classroom is a social setting. It is designed for human interaction. Utilizing the basic human instinct of socialization, the teacher can forge this to the advancement of learning in the classroom. Social skills vary widely in children. Cultural, genetic and family conditions strongly dictate an individuals social ability. The teacher must become a teacher of social skills. It is an underlying aspect of effective teaching. Teaching the curriculum through the development of social skills elaborates a student’s learning capabilities.

Children enter the classroom with basic knowledge that the teacher has to build upon. An effective teacher can tap into these past experiences and help a child construct a broader concept. Learning does not begin with a blank mind. This is a point of many classroom difficulties. Children who lack a concept of letter shapes cannot be expected to learn reading until the letter recognition is present. Any good teacher knows this! Yet the demand for “standardized test scores on level” have created a pressure to assume that this has already been constructed and the teacher begins building a foundation-less structure. Teachers need to be careful not to be swayed by the external influences to achieve successful learning in their classrooms. Given valid opportunities, children will learn.

Children learn through experience. Today’s buzzword is “hands on” experiences. This is hardly new, as are any of the learning theories. Good teachers have practiced many of these ideas for years. Children learn by doing. How did a teacher learn their material so well, they taught it! If a person wants to learn something, teach it to someone else. They learn by doing. Children learn to read by reading. Children learn math by doing math. Children learn to think by thinking! Children learn social skills by socializing. Students learn through experience!

In conclusion, the role of the teacher is to effectively excite a captive audience to learn. Teachers are actors. They perform each and every day in front of a captive audience of another generation. The teacher is a learner each and every minute of their life. Listen and observe your pupils and learn. Years of teaching has shown that I am still learning.

The Teacher as The Communicator

Teachers are communicators. In fact, communication is what teachers do! Successful teachers go hand in hand with good communicators. Effective teachers communicate in more than one way.

What is Communication?

Communication is the exchange of information between two humans.(Of course, in today’s world, computers communicate but that’s tough! Humans rule!- I hope!) Of the two communicators, one who will receive the information (listener) while the other provides the information (speaker). Standing in the middle of a forest explaining one’s personal philosophy of education is like the proverbial sound that no one hears. There are many teachers who suspect that they are standing in that forest each and every day! Communication is sensory; that is, it is based in the senses. Information can be exchanged through five dimensions: auditory, visual, tactile, aromatic and flavorful. Communication is the exchange between two people in one of these five ways.

How do Teachers Communicate?

Since at least two people are involved, social skills are required. Teachers are expert communicators because they have excellent social skills. Teachers convey academic information to students in a social environment. All teachers, by their nature, are teachers of social skills. Inexperienced teachers often fail to realize this and are doomed to frustration as a result. Sad to say, some veteran teachers still have not realized this basic idea. Primary level teachers have known all along and, as a result, children learn at a phenomenal rate. That first grader steps into the classroom on the first day of school barely knowing what a book is and by the time June rolls around, she is able to read it. Primary teachers more than any other teacher use many means of communicating. Learning is accomplished when communication occurs at several levels. The role of a teacher is to help a student learn. This is often accomplished through communication in several different dimensions. Each learner is different. Some learners are better at visual while others are better at auditory communication.

Although flavor and aroma are less familiar means of communication, they are forms of communication. If a class of high school teens return from a gym class, there is a communication transmitted. Most of these forms of communication are best left for the teacher’s lounge discussions. They do not play a major role in learning communication.

Tactile communication is vital in learning Braille. Tactile communication was important in the regular classroom at one time. A touch often emphasizes a point. A student unconsciously tapping a pencil can be stopped with a gentle tapping on the shoulder. Teachers, in the past few years, have moved away from tactile communication for obvious reasons. Touching is no longer an appropriate means of emphasis. A pat on the back or a handshake is still a strong enforcer of important feelings. Children still need hugs and kisses but in today’s world, the reality is that this needs be left to the parents only!

Visual communication is commonly used among humans. Artists communicate abstract thoughts in their paintings. Mona Lisa’s smile says a lot. A picture is worth a thousand words. The Internet began as a visual means of communication. The written word is potent, as in; the pen is mighty than the sword. Teachers use textbooks, handouts, worksheets, posters and bulletin boards to communicate. Teachers use hand signals and body language more often than realized. An incorrect answer often results in a facial expression in response from the teacher. A teacher’s hand in the air requests quiet or raise your hand to answer. Body language and hand signing are extremely effect means of communication. The teacher needs to be aware of this and use it to teach this form of social skill to the students.

Auditory communication is perhaps the most recognized form of communication. Sounds in the form of language or music convey information. The most common form of a teacher’s method is lecture/discussion. This involves speaking and listening. Teachers who use this method must teach listening and speaking social skills: look at the speaker, raise your hand before speaking, look at the person being addressed, listen, and speak clearly. Failure to teach students these social skills results in chaos during lecture/discussion sessions. The best way to teach this, and many other skills, is by modeling. Practice what you preach!

Effective teaching requires the use of more than one form of communication. Combining auditory and visual signals increases the opportunity to communicate with more students. It is the basic idea behind multimedia. The Internet has exploded in popularity with the addition of sound to the visual presentation. Teachers who use the overhead or chalkboard or PowerPoint presentation are increasing the scope of communication. Use of tactile communication emphasizes a visual or auditory expression. Effective teachers use more than one form of communication and these teachers often use them simultaneously.

Why do Teachers Communicate?

Teachers communicate to perform six necessary functions:

Set direction for the learning (goal setting)
Provide relevance for the learning (motivation)
Guide the learning activity (methodology)
Indicate when the learning is successfully accomplished (assessment & evaluation)
Manage classroom environment
Engage in social activity

First, teachers have to convey to students what the teacher expects the student to learn. Effective learning needs to provide a direction to the learning activity. Imagine the football coach who fails to tell his team that the goal of the game is to score more points than their opponents. Each set of plays is designed to result in a touchdown. Each play within that set has an objective to gain so many yards. Like the football team, the students need to have a grasp on what they are expected to learn. The teacher sets the learning goal and informs his students.

Next, in order to accomplish the learning, it is necessary to have some reason to learn. “If I was interested, I would try harder.” The teacher must provide the interest. Motivation is the key to successful learning. Effective teachers provide the motivation that will carry students toward learning goals. Motivation takes many forms and is not always the same for each student. The overriding motivation used by teachers is grades. You learn this and you get a good grade. That works well for many students. Many students ask how is this going to help me in life? Good question in many instances. This writer asked that question quite often in High School Geometry. The teacher never provided the answer. Years later the logic of proofs aided in understanding the contract bargaining issues. It is vital that teachers motivate in as many different forms as possible. This increases the chances of motivating many different students. Don’t overlook the easiest yet, in many cases, the most sought-after motivation- “Good work!”

There are students who can learn on their own. Given a goal and a reason to strive for the goal, self-learners can be left on their own. However, most students require direction. These students need guidance to reach the planned goal. Teachers in most states are required to take the “methods course” as part of their preservice training. This is where the ideas learned in those courses should be applied. Methods used by teachers vary greatly. A future posting will deal specifically with methods. It is far too broad a subject to take up in this post. The most common method used by teachers to guide their students toward the learning goal is lecture/discussion. It is not always the best method but it is efficient.

Teachers must provide feedback as students are learning. This is a means of helping the student know that he is on track and when he has reached the goal. When the football team scores, the fans cheer wildly. Feedback can also be used to redirect the student toward the desired learning goal if the student has gotten off-track. Another old adage: Once learned it is very difficult to unlearn. The teacher will have to unteach the erroneously learned goal and then try to reteach the desired goal. Teacher monitoring of student learning and providing feedback will help keep the students on track. There are a variety of ways of monitoring feedback. The quiz is one commonly used method. Spending time going over errors with the class as a group or individually with a student provides feedback.

Teachers use communication to manage the classroom. Besides learning issues, teachers need to provide directions about movement or seating or behavior or other informational items. These are management issues. A common management communication example is redirection to different learning task. Redirection can use various communication styles. A look, hand signal or even a bell can cause a redirection. When the teacher wants students to close their textbooks, a hand sign is useful. When it is time to move to a routine to end class, a bell or light or hand in the air will signal the start of an established routine. Students are easily distracted during learning activities. Teachers need to continual watch to maintain the student’s focus. Teachers are ever vigilant for students who need refocusing. The proverbial “eye in the back of the head” is a reference to the need teachers must have to maintain the focus on learning activities. Management communication is necessary to keep the learning activities flowing in the direction desired.

Finally teachers use communication as a social tool. Teachers talk to students about non-curricular things. “How did you do in the volleyball game last night?” This type of communication demonstrates an interest in the student as an individual and not just a learning machine. Teachers need to listen to students. Far too many teachers hear but fail to listen. Listening is a social skill that is vital to survival as an effective and concerned teacher. Students are more than just sponges thrown into the classroom to absorb knowledge. They are real human beings with feelings, concern and abilities. Teachers who get to know their students have a better chance to find the best method or motivation for that student to learn. Social communication provides opportunities for students to develop social skills.

Communication is a skill that separates a mediocre teacher from the professional educator. Effective teachers are skilled at more than one plane of communication. Communication occurs at various planes as indicated in this article. Teachers use communication for everything that occurs in the classroom. The role of the teacher as communicator is vital to the success of that teacher.