Week+1+Emily

This week got me thinking about the responsibility I am undertaking as a professional teacher. It highlighted that education can be an experiential process; not just a set of lessons on a whiteboard, which do not push the boundaries of curriculum. Very soon we will become teachers of people who will live in a world, which is very different from the world we grew up in as children. We will be preparing kids for a world of new technologies, rapidly changing environments, and international standards, many of which I know I find difficult to comprehend. Teachers are role models. We need to be passionate and creative in our teaching, and hopefully this passion in the classroom will encourage a passion in our students for learning. This week’s topic has highlighted the importance of keeping students engaged. We need to recognise, that every person is an individual, who has their own unique style of learning. Our teaching styles need to be dynamic and fluid, in order to keep students engaged. We need to relate what goes on in the classroom to our students’ everyday life. Be creative! I know from personal experience that I am less willing to learn, if I cannot relate a subject in some way to my experience. Learning does not have to be from a blackboard, and although some students may react well to this, others may need different stimulation to engage in a subject. Something that I’m looking forward to developing in this course is control of a classroom, without having to be a grumpy teacher! Greg’s comment on structuring the classroom enough to be creative without creating a riot rang true to me; I want to be a creative, stimulating teacher, however I admit to having some anxiety over ‘crowd control’. I look forward to picking up tips and techniques for this, and developing my confidence as a professional. Lastly, I think it is of utmost importance to always continue to learn. The Taoist quote in our readings articulates this succinctly: ‘knowing is the way of the fools’.

Emily Barrow 8 March 2009