Effective Teaching - Essay and Lesson Plan
Introduction
Teaching is a profession that is considered to be a rewarding challenging and complex role. An effective teacher does not simply teach knowledge their students and instead aims to arm students with the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes that will prepare students for life-long learning. The constructivist theories developed by Piaget and Vygotsky have impacted on the way that teachers teach and this has changed the approach of teaching to place a greater importance on the teacher instead to act as a facilitator of learning in an open, constructivist environment and providing students with the tools to challenge themselves to develop both academically and personally. The education of students within classrooms of today is important for the future as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are instilled by the teachers will determine the child’s future development, and an effective teacher utilises their skills to have a positive impact and to cement the foundation for life-long learning.
Theory of Teaching
An understanding of the development and teaching theorists is essential characteristics of an effective teacher, as these theories allow a teacher to understand the development of children, how they learn, interpret, comprehend information and this base is used to develop a working knowledge of how best to teach and generate a positive learning outcome. The Western Australian Curriculum Framework approach to teaching and learning is based on the constructivism view and the new Australian Curriculum incorporates this learning theory and the constructivism theory is demonstrated in the Maths video classroom of Ms Poole (ACARA, 2012; Davies, 2008; Fetherston, 2007).
The learning theory of constructivism is characterised by problem-based learning, in which a student participates actively in building and developing their individual knowledge and understanding through collaborating with groups with active participation through
Teaching is a profession that is considered to be a rewarding challenging and complex role. An effective teacher does not simply teach knowledge their students and instead aims to arm students with the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes that will prepare students for life-long learning. The constructivist theories developed by Piaget and Vygotsky have impacted on the way that teachers teach and this has changed the approach of teaching to place a greater importance on the teacher instead to act as a facilitator of learning in an open, constructivist environment and providing students with the tools to challenge themselves to develop both academically and personally. The education of students within classrooms of today is important for the future as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are instilled by the teachers will determine the child’s future development, and an effective teacher utilises their skills to have a positive impact and to cement the foundation for life-long learning.
Theory of Teaching
An understanding of the development and teaching theorists is essential characteristics of an effective teacher, as these theories allow a teacher to understand the development of children, how they learn, interpret, comprehend information and this base is used to develop a working knowledge of how best to teach and generate a positive learning outcome. The Western Australian Curriculum Framework approach to teaching and learning is based on the constructivism view and the new Australian Curriculum incorporates this learning theory and the constructivism theory is demonstrated in the Maths video classroom of Ms Poole (ACARA, 2012; Davies, 2008; Fetherston, 2007).
The learning theory of constructivism is characterised by problem-based learning, in which a student participates actively in building and developing their individual knowledge and understanding through collaborating with groups with active participation through
References: Davies, P. (2008). Maths: A lesson on shapes [Streaming video]. Retrieved from http://www.schoolsworld.tv/node/2066?terms=644%20(Year%202:%20Maths%20-%20Shapes) Flavell, J Gilpin, S. (2002). Shapes, shapes everywhere!. Retrieved from http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/Curriculum/5021CM_Shapes.pdf Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R IXL Learning. (2012). Flip, turn and slide [Flash game]. IXL. Retrieved 26 April 2012 from http://au.ixl.com/math/year-2/flip-turn-and-slide Marsh, C McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Myelination Libation Queensland College of Teachers. (2012). Code of ethics for teachers in Queensland. Retreived from http://www.qct.edu.au/PDF/PCU/CodeOfEthicsPoster20081215.pdf Superteacher Worksheet TexTeacher. (2008). Transformations2 [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showpost.php?p=406052 Utah Lesson Plans Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B, D. (2005). Quality questioning: Research-based practice to engage every learner. London, United Kingdom: Sage Publications Webb, P Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C., & Nanlohy, P. (2010). Learning for teaching: Teaching for learning. South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning.