Crowdsourcing Good Teaching: Current Students Reflect on Their Best

Putting the finishing touches on my first new post in too long.  In the meantime, I am going to turn to some people who have a clear and personal knowledge of the things that effective teachers do to facilitate meaningful learning.

I have been crowdsourcing feedback from long-ago former students in response questions about the traits of good teachers.

Today I am going to ask current students to think back through their education history and the best teachers they have had - not the coolest teacher, or the nicest teacher, or the easiest teacher, but the ones who made the classroom a place for meaningful learning.

No names, please, just descriptions of what it is the best teachers do.

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 31, 2013 at 8:46 PM

    A student can tell when a teacher cares- actually cares- versus when they're just teaching to teach and pay the bills. I've noticed lately that many teachers teach because that's what they love, and a lot of them will tell you that- but few focus on teaching students so they can LEARN, not just be taught. Sure, this is all in a perfect world.
    I also feel like I learn better from a teacher when I can connect with them on a personal level; I feel like we can being human beings together, not just a student to teacher relationship that's only tolerated for 45 minutes, 5 days a week. It makes me more interested when a teacher becomes personal, or transparent with their students, because suddenly that underlying intimidation mindset disappears, and it becomes two people working together, just with two different objectives; teaching and learning.
    I absolutely love when a student goes back to a teacher outside of class just to laugh or talk. That's a teacher and friend- and that's perfection- to me of course.
    I, however, have learned that when teachers either shuts down to their students, or lack any personal touch, then the class becomes a drag. It then becomes a mandatory event of a day, rather than another excursion on the daily cruise. There's no connection other than a nose pressed against a textbook, rather than the teacher/student relationship working harmoniously to educate and enrich each others lives.

    (Disclaimer: I adore teachers that are humble enough to say "I learn from my students, as well as teach them." Perfect example of a working relationship)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alice TchoudovFebruary 1, 2013 at 12:40 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jen Loughran February 2, 2013 at 12:07 PM

    A teacher who really teaches and helps students grow is one that can teach their subject, but also one who allows students to do things, and make mistakes. If the teacher understands their material and is able to present it in one way, then the teacher is alright, if they can teach it in two or more ways they are good, but if they can teach it so that the student is then able to teach someone else, that makes the teacher great. The only way that students really understand the material that they learn is when they are able to teach it to someone else. Teach it to a peer that is struggling or for a project. Once a student can teach it, they have mastered the skill.

    Another way that makes a teacher an outstanding one is that they allow their students to make mistakes. They allow them to try something and if they do not get it right, it is alright. They do not get mad; they just try to help the student to correct their mistakes themselves. They do not hover and correct the problem themselves, but they work with the student, guiding, not telling.

    Some of my favorite teachers have been teachers who have taught me, have taught their material, not for a test, but for the beauty of having students learn and really enjoy the material. They do not want their students to remember what they teach for a test and then forget it, they want them to just learn it and not worry about knowing it for tests. That helps for me to learn the materials. Teachers teach to help students, and I am really grateful to have so many that care and teach to learn, not to forget.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2013 at 9:41 AM

    A teacher that helps a student learn successfully is by standing by their side and walking through the steps. An instructor guiding someone through step by step and showing how to approach the material will imprint the student. When a teacher makes sure that the student knows how to advance through material, that's a teacher that knows how to teach- when they make sure that a student understands the process of the knowledge given. A teacher that presents material and moves on without knowing that students know how to tackle the subject is not successful.
    A teacher of mine last year wanted all of her students to get 100's on their tests. She always stood by our sides and went through the processes of getting the right answer. When people asked a question, she'd come over, not give the answer, but give the steps. The steps would stick on to us and she would encourage the class to memorize it. However, she always helped when she could and she always made sure we understood the material. She always wanted for her students to do a great job. Any teacher that encourages great grades, walks through the steps, and make sure all of the students understand the material is the best kind.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownFebruary 4, 2013 at 12:00 PM

    Truthfully, despite what many kids say about how teachers are terrible and do not teach them anything I more so believe it is the students that do not allow themselves to learn. Every teacher has their strengths and weaknesses, and their students that information comes easily to and those that have to struggle; but it does not mean a teacher is terrible. The part in some teachers that I think can help make students better is not giving students the easy way out! Some teachers seem to not want to deal with the extra work that is required to really teach students, so they take the easy way out with giving them the answers or ingnoring them as they witness the student glance at a classmate for the answer and the worst is taking half answers and grading things easily. In the end that is helping no one. The best teachers are those that teach their students numerous important aspects of life, not only educational. The ones that are their for their students (on a certain appropriate level obviously) but not only during class. In order to truly help and get through to your students you must listen to their intake because they can tell you from first hand experience.

    Also something that really would help me personally is grading assignments truthfully and handing them back soon after being completed. If I see a grade in the portal of a C and do not know my mistakes nothing will be learned. I will go back to my old ways and continue doing stuff wrong because I have never been corrected.

    To any teachers my intent is not at all to bash you, just to help with my honest opinion!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Feedback for learning (from students)

I have learned more from my students about being a teacher, and how to be a better teacher, than I have ever learned from an administrator’s observation. Formal and informal feedback is as critical to me as a learner as it is to them. I have started to go through some of the feedback students shared on the last day this year, now that I have a couple weeks distance. The other day I jotted down a note to the effect that in teaching, we cultivate the tone of the class from the very first day. That’s why I gave up the first day standards of going over the course overview and covering the rules and regulations. The movie Dead Poets Society came out in the beginning of my teaching career (so maybe I should have realized this sooner). I remember being so taken with the scene of the students’ first day with Mr. Keating (Robin Williams). They walk away from that class thinking he is weird, and they’re not quite sure what to make of the class, but they are engaged. I try to achieve so...
Read more

My summer note-writing project

As the days of June roll into July, and I have had a minute to breathe after the close of school, I sit down and write a short note to each of my graduated seniors. It’s something I started a bunch of years ago, then stopped for some reason I don’t remember (most likely laziness) But I resurrected the practice about 8 or 10 years ago. I try to finish my note-writing project by the middle of July - time to have a bit of perspective on the school year, but before they leave for college. I congratulate them on their graduation, and I thank them for all of the hard work they put into AP English, and all the contributions they made to our learning community throughout our time together. I include something memorable that they leave as a legacy to the spirit of our classroom. And I remind them that they have a fine set of tools to help them make their way in the world. Basically, I want them to know that their voice has been valued, and their presence has mattered. I hope that they have...
Read more

Happy School Year to All - Great Adventures In Store!

Tis the last of the summer, a bright sunny day With the kick off of school just a few hours away You would think, having done this 30-some times before That there’d be no excitement, that it could be a bore The paper is hung and the tables are clean, I’ve picked out lots of texts we’ll ask “What does this mean?” Writing tasks have been crafted to find out what you think And each 45 minutes will go by in a blink We’ll do research and blogging, journal all through the year, But the big question, always, is Why are we here? There’s the AP exam that we tackle in May There’s the SAT, ACT, PARCC with no play Maybe grades, or the challenge, or because your mom said, But none of these get to the why in my head I do not teach English for my love of the books Or the way when we write that our handwriting looks I am here because words and the baggage they bring Tell us how to be human - do the humanest things Like to love and be brave and show up in your life, ...
Read more