Into the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Starting Student Teaching

Chapter 13: Boring Teachers

Chapter 13 Boring Teachers No teacher admits to being boring; yet, boring teachers abound. In fact, the proportion of boring teachers seems to increase with grade level. I do not know anyboringkindergarten teacher—grumpyyes,boringno.Kindergarten teachers use a variety of methods and strategies to teach children through their five senses. Universities at the other end of formal education, however, are home to myriad boring teachers. At the university level, we often rely on assaulting only the sense of hearing using a barrage of concepts, ideas, and examples mixed together into a lecture. So where do all these boring professors and teachers go wrong? Let us examine some possibilities (See sidebar 13.1.) New teachers tend to teach in two general patterns. They either imitate the way they were taught, or they teach as they learn best (Ebeling 2000). I see student teachers presenting lessons in the same way they were taught the lesson four to forty years ago. For example, they drill students on spelling lists orally. Thiswayofteachingspellingisprobablyarelicofthenear-paperlessclassrooms and spelling bees of previous centuries. Today, we rarely spell anything aloud; wewritebyhandortypeintoacomputer.Itmakessensetoteachchildrenspelling in a manner that reflects the way they will use the skill in life. Sometimes, tradition has an inappropriately strong influence in today’s classrooms. The second pattern new teachers fall into is teaching in the way they learn best. For example, some students learn well by reading a chapter and then answering the questions at the end of the chapter to check their comprehension; others learn most effectively by reading the questions at the end of the chapter and then digging through the chapter to find answers. In the end, both types of students learn the material equally well. However, a new teacher may insist that students read the chapter and then answer the questions because that is how the teacher learns best. (In chapter 14, “Not Everyone Learns the Same Way You Do,” I discuss learning styles and describe some of the many ways people learn. You will learn how to teach to engage many types of learners.) 116 The Bigger Picture These two patterns of teaching—teaching how you were taught and teaching how you learn best—do not form an adequate teaching repertoire. Good teachers apply a complex set of skills. Good teaching, by the way, is based on the application of the results of rigorous behavior, learning, and brain research. Idonotexpectyoutolearnaboutthisresearchduringthisinitialperiodinyour teacher-education program, but be assured that good educational practices are more than someone’s opinion. Child and Adult Perspectives on Teaching The practice of teaching is quite different from the perception of teaching that we had as children and adolescents. Adolescents may envy the power teachers have over students and classroom activities, but teachers facing a classroom of students for the first time—with thirty pairs of expectant eyes on them—feel anxiety, not power. As you step into the role of an instructor, reflect on how your perception of teaching has changed since you were a child. Do not forget your childhood perceptions from the other side of the desk; they will help you gain insight. Teaching in the New Millennium The image of teachers pouring information into a student’s head is outdated. Todaywe think ofstudentsasactive,notpassive,learners.Studentsareencouraged to create their own knowledge through active involvement in the learning process(forexample,constructivism).Thisprocessishighlypersonal.Eachindividual has a unique combination of strengths, weaknesses, and preferences in learning. Also, each student filters new information through her/his life experiences . In today’s classroom, good teachers try to celebrate and honor diversity . In years past, students were supposed to learn in whatever way the teacher dictated.Today,wetendtogivestudentschoicesonhowtheywanttolearn.We teach through a variety of methods so students have the opportunity to excel using their academic strengths and to grow by developing their weaker skills. Today,studentsareeducationalconsumers;gonearethedayswhentheywould sit through whatever class their guidance counselor, parent, or advisor recommended . Now, students actively seek good learning situations for themselves and complain if they do not get what they want or need. Although passive students still exist, the proportion is decreasing. As students take a more active approach to learning, the teacher’s role is also changing. Teachers must be able to use a variety of instructional methods (for example, interactive lecture, discussion, hands-on activities, simulations, Boring Teachers 117 and group work) and assessment techniques (for example, essay exams, group projects, laboratory practical exams, portfolios) in addition to the traditional...