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Views of Educational Authorities on Effective Teaching
A Reflection on Professional Practice in a Secondary School
Effective teaching is a multi-faceted phenomenon. Authorities focus on different elements, but some of the common themes include the teacher's understanding of the learner, the teacher providing structure and focus and the teacher encouraging pupil participation.
Teacher and Learner
For effective learning to commence, the teacher must understand the learner and the process of learning. The teacher should be committed to the idea that every child is a learner and that he/she comes to learning with a cultural context. Learning is an ongoing process that is dependent upon how material is presented and by whom it is presented. Thus, the role of the teacher is paramount in not only in the sense of what they teach and how they teach it, but in the sense of who they are, what their attitudes and beliefs are and how they engage learners in a constructive learning environment.
The teacher creates an environment conducive to learning through providing challenge and support. The teacher should also be able to respond to varying socio-cultural contexts by implementing differentiation and promoting inclusion and tolerance. Additionally, it is beneficial if teachers can balance the amount of class discussion with allowing pupils a level of personal independence and responsibility for their work. It is the task of teachers to discover the ways pupils learn best and provide opportunities for learning. Teachers should be able to extend the ways that pupils learn and evaluate their learning in a meaningful way. They must implement elements of effective teaching as a foundation for building upon previous learning experiences.
Creating a Framework for Learning: Environment, Structure and Focus
Effective teaching also involves the teacher creating a positive environment in the classroom where all students are included and valued, and where they are encouraged to learn at their particular level of ability. Teachers should show significant levels of positive feedback, whether praise or rewards, and provide a work-oriented atmosphere where pupils regularly rise to intellectual challenges.
Effective teachers provide structure for classroom time, giving appropriate amounts of challenging but focused work and keeping the lesson at a productive pace. The idea of focus in the lesson is particularly important and is executed through a concise structure. For example, having students copy the learning objective down at the beginning of the lessons gives an immediate focus. Also, telling students what they are going to accomplish during the lesson and the tasks through which they are going to do this not only prompts them to begin to engage the working environment, but provides accountability for the teacher to manage his time effectively and adhere to the structure. Taking time at the end of the lesson to recap what has been learned helps to solidify the material and help students achieve a sense of accomplishment. One teacher I saw had cards with partial statements such as 'One thing I already knew was. . .' and 'One thing I learned was. . .' that she displayed at the end of the lesson and gave several children the chance to read and complete the sentence aloud in class.
The idea of focus also often means that teachers should focus on only one topic in the curriculum at any time.
Pupil Involvement
Effective teaching also involves pupil participation. It is generally believed that the more pupil involvement there is, the greater the impact of teaching. Successful teachers facilitate high levels of interaction between the entire class and regularly involve pupils in teaching tasks. Class discussions, for example, tend to make use of more complex thought process and higher-order questions, whereas a high level of one-to-one interaction between teacher and pupil tends to produce more mundane discussions. Also, high levels of class participation usually signals high levels of engagement with the curriculum, which produces positive results. (Reynolds and Mujis, 2005, p 3)
Other qualities associated with effective teaching are effective classroom organisation and presentation, creative use of ICT within the curriculum, extensive knowledge of and passion for the subject matter, targeted use of significant adults in the classroom, clear objectives for teaching and learning and successful planning and time management.
The Effective Teaching of Religious Education
Every subject has its own peculiarities, and Religious Education is no exception. Teaching religious concepts is challenging in any context, but requires particular effort in secondary schools, where the pupils may be largely non-religious. Even in Catholic or other religious schools, many students will be indifferent or antagonistic to religious ideas. It is paramount, therefore, that an RE teacher exemplify respect for self, others, truth and nature so that these qualities may be developed in students. (Watson, B, 1993 p 4)
Beyond this, there are many elements of effective RE teaching. One is explaining societal beliefs on moral and religious issues and allowing pupils the option of accepting or rejecting them. Another is the need for the teacher to encourage pupils to engage the claims of various religions in a manner that relates to their experience. Also, RE teaching should engender a sense of wonder, creativity and inner-searching. Further, it is important, especially in religious schools, that educating does not give way to dogmatic teaching, and that pupils are allowed to undergo a journey of exploration in their studies. (Watson, B, p 8)
Personal Reflection on Teaching and Learning
My own ideas regarding teaching and learning are beginning to take shape after my time in school. The question of whether teaching is good seems to depend on the outcome: have the pupils learned? And what is good learning? Is it being able to excel on an exam, or creatively express ideas about the topic in question, or being able to verbalise an opinion on a relevant issue? These were just a few of the questions I grappled with during my time at school.
Individuality
I think the answer will be different for each individual. It seems important to approach the students as individuals, each with their own background, ability and preference. Success for individual students should not be measured by what is viewed as normal, but should be judged with regard to the potential of each pupil. Here I saw the importance of National Curriculum levels and individual target setting.
Differentiation
Differentiation is important not only so that each child can work at his or her own level, but so that they can learn and achieve; whatever level they work at, they should have the opportunity to progress. One child I saw behaving in a disruptive manner in one lesson worked steadily through another when he was given work that he could manage and personal assistance by the teacher. Taking students for what they are can have an impact on behaviour and thus the flow of the entire lesson.
Attitude
One important observation that I made about teaching addresses teacher-pupil interaction at a fundamental level. When I was in a lesson where a handful of pupils were disruptive and classroom management was a struggle, I found myself negatively predisposed to the next group of students who came in. It seems that some adults have an antecedent assumption that children are bad and naturally against learning and teachers, but this is not the case. Most students want to learn and want to please the teacher. Even some of those who at first do not can be persuaded by a genuine interest in them, clear instructions and firm encouragement. In any case, it is best to give even the most difficult pupils the benefit of the doubt, to probe into what motivates them and try to address their educational needs from their level.
Preparation
Another observation relates to preparation. A well-planned lesson with engaging activities is crucial to maintaining pace and keeping the children's attention. The pace of the lesson works best when it is challenging but not overwhelming. If a teacher is well-versed in his subject and prepared for the lesson his energies can be spent encouraging, challenging and giving individual attention. It is surprising how writing the learning objectives and a few notes on the board before the lesson provides freedom for the teacher to concentrate on the dynamics of the lesson. One teacher I saw lost the attention of the class when she repeatedly stopped to review her lesson plan, and spent the rest of the lesson fighting to retain control of the class.
Evaluation: Progress and Development
Areas of Progress
One area where I feel I have made recent progress is in understanding the nature of the learner and the learning process. My experiences thus far has prompted many questions about the relationship of the teacher and learner and highlighted the challenging nature of teaching. While it is true that pupils need structure, clear guidelines and objectives, they also have a fundamental need for their learning processes to be understood by those who teach them. Teachers need to understand the individual needs of students as people and as learners if all are to access the curriculum.
Another area of progress is classroom management. The school I worked in has a behaviour management system, but it is not followed consistently throughout the school. This is frustrating, and means that I have to show the students what I expect of them through being firm and consistent. I have to be patient with myself and with the students, and find that classroom decorum improves after a few interactions. It is sometimes difficult to know what to let go and what to address. Ultimately, the goal is to accommodate the learning of the whole class through the smooth delivery of the lesson, so it is tempting to let low-level disruption go unaddressed in order to preserve the flow. Still, it seems best to be strict with a new class so that they are aware of their boundaries and the consequences of crossing those boundaries.
Areas for Development
One area for development is the area of structure and focus. With so much to think of when standing at the front of a classroom, it is challenging to include all the elements and maintain the flow of an effective lesson. Here, I think, is where preparation is key. If I am well prepared for a lesson, my mind is freer to concentrate on other things, to respond spontaneously to the ebb and flow of the class. I can better assess the progress of the lesson, as opposed to desperately grasping the lesson plan and waiting for the period to end.
Another area for development is integrating ICT into lessons. In one RE lesson, the class spent the lesson in a computer suite making advent calendars. They could design their own format and be as creative as they wished. They had to include a phrase or short sentence about the Christmas Story for each day in December leading up to Christmas. ICT is increasingly becoming a part of daily educational life in order to equip children for life in the information age. Many children engage with the curriculum more when they complete subject related ICT tasks. My time has prompted me to revisit some IT skills I have learned and to find resources that will help me meaningfully integrate ICT tasks into my lessons.
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Conclusion
The more I experience of the world of education the more I realise I have to learn. I, too, am a lifelong learner in an ongoing process and the more I teach the more I will learn about the ways that pupils learn, learning processes and how best to exploit them to maximise the sustainable development of my pupils. The challenges of teaching, and specifically RE teaching, require people with a commitment to the principles discussed above. As a teacher I know I bring my own values to the process of teaching and learning, which will be different to the values that some of my pupils hold. Acknowledging these variations in values and developing good practice through structures and tasks that respect these differences is yet another strand of my learning. I look forward to acquiring more knowledge to bring to my interactions with students and striving toward effective teaching.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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