One of the things I would like to change would be that in some schools things are the way they are because they've always been that way. Change is good, and as we learn all these new things about our field and our students, teachers should be eager to apply them instead ignoring them because they would be more work. I know that there are teachers out there who are innovative and willing to use new things, but I also know that there are teachers out there stuck in their old ways. Not only is it more fun and engaging for the students if the teacher is excited and teaching a new way, but if we have new strategies, techniques, ideas, etc, that are better, the education we are giving to our students is better. It isn't just individual teachers, either. Sometimes a school might have a curriculum that is old and outdated, but it isn't changed because no one will put in the time and effort. The students could benefit so much from an updated curriculum.
Another thing I wold like to change is the way children are learning. Again, I am sure there teachers out there who allow children freedom to learn in their own style, but there are also teachers who teach one way and insist the students learn it that way or not at all. I hope to allow my classroom to be a place where students can explore and discover things in many different ways instead of me just telling them how it needs to be done.
I realize there are probably much bigger and more pressing issues in schools today, but these are two things that I would like to see changed.
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3 comments:
Jodi,
I'm with you all the way. It is vital for teachers to be open and receptive to their students' learning differences, despite their preferences in teaching strategies. Hopefully, we choose to be teachers because we are interested in our students' needs rather than our own inclinations.
I agree with you that change in the schools is a good thing. If we are constantly changing our strategies and lessons, we have more data to work with as far as how well our students respond and the efficacy of each particular lesson/strategy. If we give in to laziness and choose to keep lesson plans for the sake of simplicity, we will not grow as teachers, and our students will be deprived of the kind of education that they all deserve.
Very well done.
Cody B
Hey Jodi,
I also agree with you 100%. The students that we will be teaching come from such a different background than even what we came from. They will have different learning styles and will be wanting the change that we wanted a long time ago. The students will know different ways of learning and will know what works best for them, so why force them to learn one way. Hopefully as new teachers get jobs, slowly the traditions that have been set will be changed. By that I mean the ones that do not work in the classroom. There are many traditions that do work, so why change something that isn't broken.
This was a great blog.
Jaime
One of my biggest pet peeves is when a teacher does the same lessons every year verbatim because they already have them done and therefore do not have to work at teaching new and innovative ideas to their students. You hit the nail on the head with this post. I cannot stand it when I hear students tell new teachers that "we did that this way because Mr. Smith always did it that way!" These are the students who need a bit of a change of attitude, and new and fresh ideas can do that if implemented properly. I for one will not stand by and let any student or teacher stick in the same routine for year after year. I realize we are all creatures of habit, and I do not advocate completely removing every aspect of the previous teacher's teaching, but I advocate teaching the way you believe the students need to learn.
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