Thinking Man. May 26, 2007 By: tshein, Flickr via Creative Commons
I’ve never taught in a classroom before. I’ve given presentations at middle schools and high schools in previous jobs, but I’ve never actually taught a lesson plan. Leading up to beginning the MAT@USC program in September the #1 thing I think about is developing classroom strategies to make my students’ experience the best it possibly can be.
I’ve been piecing together a list of ideas for the last few months, trying to come up with general, structural principles that would lead to a better experience for my students and me. These ideas come from lots of places: common sense, my own experience as a student, reading education-related books, websites, and blogs, my time in classrooms with other jobs, and from talking to other people (teachers, parents, and students) about their experiences in the classroom.
Here are a few things I’ve jotted down so far:
Students and teachers want the same thing (to differing degrees). We both want to have a classroom where lessons flow smoothly and interesting things are discussed and learned, we both want to do well on tests, and we both want to have as much fun as possible. What’s important is realizing that you, as a teacher, are not some kind of authoritarian dictator making sure the unruly masses fall in line. We are, students and teacher, “all in the boat together,” as a former teacher of mine used to say. Students can tell when their teacher realizes that, I think. And I think they respond by treating that teacher with more respect. This idea leads me to idea #2.
Clarity about goals and methods is helpful for everybody. Students who know what is expected of them and how I plan on getting them there will be much better listeners and learners, I think. Anybody anywhere will tell you that having clearly defined goals and methods for achieving those goals makes things easier and leads to a much more efficient and successful process.
Students need to know why they’re being taught what they’re being taught. How many times do students roll their eyes and think to themselves “Why do I need to know this?” in a given day? Probably a lot, sadly. Sometimes they’re even right. Does a student need to know the date that shots were first fired at Fort Sumter, SC, starting the American Civil War? No, of course not. But they do need to know why shots were fired at Fort Sumter (on April 12, 1861), why men were willing to fire those guns, why other men were willing to fire back, how it all came to that moment, and how that moment changed our country. Memorizing the date is, let’s be honest, just a way to make them read their assignment. I want them to know that and to know that I know that.
A teacher can’t make a student learn anything, but they can make them want to learn it. I think focusing on “selling” the subject is almost as important as teaching it. Without a student’s help, they won’t learn or retain a thing you teach them. But, if you convince them that they have something to gain from learning about the past, they’ll become an active partner in the education process. It’ll make them a lifelong learner and a better citizen, too.
These are just a few things I’ve thought up as I try to decide what my guiding principles will be as a teacher. I can’t wait to refine and develop my ideas with the professors at USC and test out everything in an actual classroom. I’m sure I’ll discard some ideas, rethink some, and learn new ones, too!
