This is a wonderful post by Mr. McClung. If you haven't read it already I suggest you do. In this post Mr. McClung gives a self-reflection of his first year of teaching and also shares tips that he has learned.
One of his points is "How to read the crowd." As a teacher we can get so caught up in making sure that we cover every little thing that we are supposed to that we forget who the lesson is actually for, the students. We should recognize them as our audience and make sure they are following the lesson. Another point that goes along with this is "be flexible". Lessons are not always going to go the way you plan, be willing to veer off course and don't beat yourself up if a lesson doesn't work out.
Another point he mentions is to communicate. I think this is so important for a teacher to take hold of. We should learn how to communicate with our students, coworkers, and students' parents. It should be a top priority to have an open line of communication in all of these areas. It takes a lot of effort on the teacher's part, but I think it is so worth it.
He brings out an excellent sentence about using technology. He says not to give up before you start. I know that technology can be very intimidating, especially when you, as a teacher, has never been encouraged or had the benefit of having a class like EDM 310, but technology can be your friend!
His last point I think is important for all of us to grasp, "It's never too late to change." I know that once you started on a certain path or begun teaching a certain way it can seem impossible to change that. But if you realize there's something better out there you should change it. As humans we should all be continuous learners, constantly changing and constantly trying to better ourselves.
0 comments:
Post a Comment