Weekly Writing #1

This is the first of my Weekly Writing assignments for AEE412: Methods of Teaching Agriculture. These writings will allow me to reflect on the readings and share my reactions to them as well as the class activities and discussions. 

Wong, Part A

Reading about the basic understanding to being a successful teacher was very beneficial. The reading started out talking how important it is to have a great first day of class. It talked about have control of the classroom is crucial to the success of the school year. Control of the classroom means that as the

teacher, you know what you are doing. You also know your classroom procedures and all of your professional responsibilities. Along with this it is important that your students know that you know what you are doing.

I also learned about the four stages of teaching from this reading. The first stage of teaching is the fantasy stage. In this stage teachers believe that they cannot fail. They also believe that they need to relate to students and be their friends in order to be successful. The second state of teaching is the survival stage. In this stage teachers rely on ineffective practices just to help them get through the day. They often are more focused on the paycheck they will receive rather than what they are actually teaching. The third stage is mastery. In this stage teachers know how to manage their classroom and they have higher expectations for their students. They teach to make a difference.

The final stage is impact. In this stage you will fulfill your dream of making a difference in the lives of your students. You will also have a sense of pride knowing that you affected your students’ lives. I feel that I am somewhere between the fantasy stage and the survival stage. I am just getting started on my teaching journey and I can’t wait to see how I work through each of these stages.

The reading then went on to talk about the difference between being an efficient teacher and being an effective teacher. Efficient and effective are very similar but have different meanings. Being efficient means you are doing things right. Being effective on the other hand means that you are doing the right thing.

An effective teacher has positive expectations for student success, is an extremely good classroom manager, and knows how to design lessons for student mastery. I think that I will struggle most with classroom management. I am looking forward to learning more about how to be an effective classroom manager this semester.

Along with being an effective teacher means having an effective classroom. In order to have an effective classroom you must have a well ordered environment + positive academic expectations. I think having positive expectations are incredible important. I also think it is interesting how discipline has little to do with classroom management. “you don’t discipline a store; you manage it”

Enhancing Student Learning Through Teacher Behaviors

This article began by talking about how agriculture teachers are some of the best teachers in the world. But why? Rosenshine and Furst reviewed fifty studies and identified eleven teacher behaviors that were associated with student achievement.

From their studies they found five behaviors that provided the greatest opportunity to influence student achievement. The first behavior was clarity. To achieve clarity teachers should be sure that what they are teaching has organization and structure. I think that clarity is especially important when giving instructions to students.

The second behavior is variability. Teachers should working in a variety of teaching methods and techniques to ensure that the students are learning to their full potential. Every student learns in a different way and having different methods of instruction can be very beneficial!

The third behavior is enthusiasm. This is one that I feel is very important. “Enthusiasm is contagious.” Teachers who are enthusiastic create a student interest in learning. I think that this is especially important in subjects where students might not be as interested.

The fourth behavior is task oriented and or businesslike behavior. Rosenshine and Furst reported that teachers who were characterized by task-oriented behavior were more concerned with student learning rather than students enjoying themselves. I think that when teachers are more task-oriented students know what is expected of them and they know what to do.

The final behavior recognized by Rosenshine and Furst is the extent to which teachers provide opportunities for students to learn the curriculum material as prescribed by performance objectives and included on students evaluations.