Paul,
I teach five sections of a course that students have to take in order to get their teaching certificate. To say they are excited about coming into the course would be an understatement. The fun part for me is to change their mind set and get them to see the value of what I have to offer not only just in the content area but in application to other aspects of their lives. As this transformation occurs they become more engaged and excited about coming to class and participating in course activities. It is a lot of work but the reward for me is that I was able to convince students that didn't want to be there that the course had value and that they could have a good time learning. The result of this efforts and given me a number of teaching awards and honors and the credit goes to passion for the content and enthusiasm for teaching about it.
I wish you continued teaching success as you strive to help your students see the value of good communication skills at all levels.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In 'teacher school' I had to take several waste of time classes.
From the start I wanted to teach adult education, but I had to take several courses (maybe a third of the classes) that dealt with primary grades.
There was no way I could engage in those classes, even though I also do teach some primary English classes.
The problem seems to be that while we know there is no "one way" to teach, there seems to be a "one way" to grade teaching classes.
Even in my MFA practicum I had to submit 6-10 page lesson plans. No teacher writes such detailed lesson plans--and every teacher knows that.
But for the class we had to build those ridiculous lesson plans.
Why is it busy work seems to be the norm for grading teachers performance?
Paul,
You ask a great question that to date has not been answered by the field. Much research and effort still needs to be extended to find a valid and accurate way of measuring teacher effectiveness. In many cases it seems that volume (number of pages) is the method used for measuring effort such as in your 6-10 page lesson plans.
My question would be since you seem to feel that your time as been wasted in your teacher preparation classes and your MFA practicum and that educational leaders do not have a realistic understanding of how to facilitate the training of educators, what is the answer? What is the right way to grade teacher performance as you see it? Thanks for your input on this.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my humble opinion, educators should practice what they preach. If they teach their students not to assign busy work, they should not turn around and assign busy work themselves.
As far as classes go, since there are teachers who plan on teaching elementary school, and those who plan to teach adults, construct different courses for the respective fields instead of relying on the cheaper but inefficient one-size-fits-all curriculum that is used by most schools of Education.
The fact that using a one-size-fits-all curriculum is strongly taught against in the very schools using it themselves. For some reason, they think the students do not notice. They do, and they feel very disrespected when they point it out, and are dismissed out of hand.
Since the mentors overseeing the student teaching do not prepare those ridiculous step-by-step lesson plans why do they require them?
If they teach, they know that the best laid plans of mice and teachers gang aft a'gley.
If they really want to see if their student teacher is effective in the class room they need to monitor more of the classes. Most visit once or twice in a semester.
I admit--that would not be as easy as assigning extensive lesson plans that are not going to be assessed in detail anyway, but it certainly would be more effective.
Paul,
Thank you for your input on how educators should practice their profession in terms of expectations and requirements. I direct the Cadre for Human Resource Development at a major land grant university. The Cadre strives to do what you are proposing in that we prepare teachers in foundational educational principles and learning and as they move toward their upper level courses we tailor the content to reflect the learning needs of the student population they are interested in teaching. This eliminates the one size fits all and gives them opportunity to develop knowledge and skills targeted for the students they will be teaching. We have had excellent results with this approach based upon the ease that our graduates have in getting hired and the satisfaction that students have with their teaching methods.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Paul,
Having been a teacher educator for a many years I have seen many different fads come and go in relation to instructional strategies and deliveries. I can appreciate your comments about the fact that the mentors do not prepare lesson plans yet require them of their students. Direct observation as you mention is an excellent way to get an accurate picture of how teachers are doing in their classes. Feedback from these observations really enhance the growth of teachers as well as increase their effectiveness. I also encourage my teachers in training to get feedback from their students throughout the course so they can make adjustments as needed rather than getting feedback from the end of course evaluation. These end of course evaluations serve, in my opinion very little purpose since they are done at the last minute when students are trying to finish up course requirements. The students do not really focus on giving input they just want to be done with the course, yet these end of course evaluations are often the only thing used to determine teacher effectiveness. Truly not an accurate picture by any means.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I talk a lot about what my chosen industry has given me back in life, the challenges it brings and the fulfillment it has given me, most of my students are looking to create a good life for themselves and their families and I talk about how this type of work will give them that life they dram of.
Grant,
I think this type of reflection with your students helps them to see their field in a more diverse way. They start to realize that they soon will be in this field and that it can provide them with both professional and personal satisfaction.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Julie, this is a very good point. Student motivation varies greatly depending on the age and the reasons behind their taking the class specially with non-traditional students.
One thing I have found that works in most cases is to showcase the positive aspects of the student's comments or projects. Making them feel they are contributing to the class motivates them to keep working.
Some factors I have found that contribute to student motivation are:
Career Advancement - getting promoted
Starting a new career
Starting their first career
Student motivation has a lot to do with the profession they have decided to enter in. I tell the students from day one they motivate their future.
Michael,
These are key motivators because that is why the students are in school. They are preparing to enter or grow in their careers. They need to understand this so they will take their classes and learning seriously.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Judith,
Good way to transfer their success to themselves. They have enrolled in school to learn the essentials of a career area. They need to understand their future is dependent on their self discipline, effort and internal motivation. They will not be able to blame others if they are not successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think that student motivation can be increased by having an instructor who is passionate about what they are teaching. This engages the students and wants them to learn and be involved.
Some of the strongest student motivators go back to their reason(s) for going to college. One of the exercises that I do the first day of class focuses on getting to know the students. I have them fill out a survey that asks questions along this lines of: Why did they enroll in college? Why now? What/who motivated them to make the decision to start? What do they already know about the subject? What do they hope to accomplish by completing the class?
I am able to refer to these surveys throughout the course when I see students struggling. I will pull them aside or after class and go over their reasons. I have found that a lot of students want to succeed but they get overwhelmed by all they have going on. I encourage them to reach out to their support networks (family and friends) for help. If this isn't an option for them, I help put them in touch with some partners they can use for classwork.
James,
Great plan for providing support to your students. The results I know are many and varied so you are able to reach your students in ways that will help them to move forward in their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
There are many intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contribute to student motivation. Some students are motivated by a good grade, others by potential success at work (a rise or promotion). Some students are mysteriously intrinsically motivated, instructors do not know exactly what motivates these students, but they are driven to succeed. Some students enjoy the status of being a college student. Others the praise from others about contributing to their future in a positive manner. Every student is unique in the factors that motivate them to come school and do the work. It is important for the instructor to determine what motivates a student so that they can incorporate it within the instructional methods to continuously motivate the students.
A factor that increase student motivation is an promoting an atmosphere of respect,both student to student, and student to faculty. Well prepared, organized learning activities that are relevant to the end objectives of the program keep a student motivated. It is important that we give positive feedback for small milestones in learning a highly technical task. Successful application of new skills in a lab settings helps the student see them selves in their chosen role.
Students can be motivated by realizing that they are getting closer to their goals. As the student gains knowledge and proficiencies in the subject matter and are recognized for these they become motivated to continue to reach their goals.
