Encouraging
Students through
Teaching
Principles.
José Gustavo Espinoza Morales
Universidad Gerardo Barrios. Teaching Practice I. Elmer Jorge Guardado Mat.
Teaching Principles II
In the following, we are going to talk about seven principles of a good teaching. In every principles we are going to use its description, name and even a brief introduction of its application in a real class or out of the class. If you are a teacher you know or you will notice that principles are really important not just in the life, but rather in a classroom because this is way how you will have an effective class, principles are thought, ideas that guide you in order to have a good class. In this paper we are going to talk about these teaching principles:
1. Good practice encourages interaction between students and faculty.
2. Good practice encourages interaction and collaboration between
students.
3. Good practice uses active learning techniques. 4. Good practice emphasizes time on task.
5. Good practice gives prompt feedback.
6. Good practice communicates high expectations.
7. Good practice respects diversity --- talents, experience, and ways of learning (Ehrmann, 1996)
Teaching
Principles. Descriptions. Principle´ s How I will apply them.
Good practice encourages interaction between students and faculty. Frequent student-faculty contact in and
out of class is a most important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty concern helps
students get through rough times and keep
on working. Knowing a few faculty members well
enhances students’ intellectual commitment and encourages them to
think about their own values and plans. (Ehrmann,
1996).
One of the important things in a class is the interaction between students and teachers and not just in the class, if we can realize the description of this principles says: “in and out” so, we need to develop other ways of interaction among them and a teacher.
Every teacher knows that if you have a good relation with your students, your teaching process is going to be successful because this is way how they are not going to be afraid and they will ask questions or doubts about a homework, a task in the class or maybe a topic.
There are many ways how I can apply this principles. One of things that we have to take in account that every method that we use in a class has its principles, so before we plan a class we need to know about the methods, for instance: Total physical response, in this method exist a little
Teaching Principles III
interaction between student and teacher. On the other hand, how we can apply this principle out of the class is with the use of technology, because this can facilitate us the contact with student, I can give them as an example: my e-mail or another site that I can use, nowadays, remember that exist this important resource and it is close to us. In this form we can encourage our student in their leaning process.
There are many ways how I can apply this principle, as a teacher just some examples in the school: I can get early to the class and start a conversation with them, or in the class starting a discussion with them about any topic. Good practice encourages interaction and collaboration between students. Learning is enhanced when it is more like a
team effort than a solo race. Good learning, like good work, is collaborative
and social, not competitive and isolated. Working
with others often increases involvement in learning. Sharing
one’s ideas and responding to others’
improves thinking and deepens understanding. (Ehrmann, 1996)
The most common way that we use as a teacher in the class is to work as a whole group in this way we do not get a success in the class first we are not applying this principle, there is a big difference between group and a team according: (Attribution-ShareAlike., 2012) A group is informal and meets to solve short-term problems. A team solves long- term problems and includes more coordination and structure.
As the description says in this principle the main goal is the interaction and collaboration between students, and this is the responsibility that as a teacher we need to solve.
There is more learning when students work by them because they can apply what they have learned before.
One of the strategy is to make groups small groups and then to teach them and works as a team following the same goal as students where they can learn.
Teaching Principles IV
community language learning because this is one way where they can collaborate and interact with each one. Community language learning is an approach in which students work together to develop what aspects of a language they would like to learn and the teacher works as a counsellor. (Rogers, 2000)
This is just one example of methods that exist in order to teach languages. Other form to work and they can work together is that I can give them exercises in group, presentations or maybe in a real situation where they need the support each other. There is one important thing mentioned in this description and it is that learning is much better when is social and it is not competitive. In this case I would handle with this talking with my students and reflecting that as student we need the supporting of our classmates and remember that we are learning a second language and English is not spoken in this country so the only place that we have is the classroom with our classmates and the teacher. Good practice uses active learning techniques. Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn
much just sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing
prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about
what they are learning, write reflectively about it,
relate it to past experiences, and
Active learning techniques mean that as a teacher we need to use techniques that are important and have a meaning leaning. As a teaching in my teaching practice I would use things that are important for student for example one thing that is really relevant for student is to work in group, as I mentioned before in this they can learn from each other and they are going to remember what they have lived. As a teacher we need to consider that students need spaces in our environment where they can play an active role.
Teaching Principles V
apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn
part of themselves. (Ehrmann, 1996)
of the method that I explained before and this is Community Language Learning as we know in this method they had the chances to participate in what they want and what they have learned. Or another technique for example Peer Instructions this consist in asking a question and they have to think about it. (California, 2005)
Good Practice Gives Prompt
Feedback.
Knowing what you know and don’t know focuses your learning. In getting started, students need help in assessing their existing knowledge and competence. Then, in classes, students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive
feedback on their performance. At various points during
college, and at its end, students need chances to reflect on
what they have learned, what they still need to know, and how they might
assess themselves. (Ehrmann, 1996)
When we are in a class as a teacher we need to be aware that our work is not just to give a certificate that someone has approved the scholar year. So this is a relevant principle that we need to apply and consider it in every process that we live with our students.
Exist many ways when we can apply this principle, first of all, we can make a diagnostic evaluation in the first classes, in this way I can realize what my student know, their competences and even their weaknesses.
I would apply this technique at the beginning of the course because as a teacher I need to know what my students know and their levels in English. Other form is to ask questions not just at the beginning I would apply this as much as possible. Feedback is important too because in this way as a teacher I can support my students and they can make a reflection about what they have learn and in this form I can teach them to love learning and show how important is learning in our life.
I do not want to forget that other way that I can use for feedback in this class is technology remember that as a teacher we just can stand in front of the class around a
Teaching Principles VI
hour or two. So, we can show them many websites in other to understand better what we have talked in class. For examples videos on YouTube or in other website blogs, social networks or the most common way in technology with the e-mail.
Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task.
Time plus energy equals learning. Learning to use one’s
time well is critical for students and professionals alike.
Allocating realistic amounts of time
means effective learning for students
and effective teaching for faculty.
(Ehrmann, 1996)
If students do not spend time in their study they are not going to have success in this process because every course or subject needs time in order to learn better, it is not the same a student that spends five hours a week than a student that just spends one hour. Everyone knows that the best student is someone that invests time in his homework, task or anything because in the learning process we need time.
As a teacher we know that one thing that is included in the lesson plan is time, so as we consider our time in our plan we need to encourage students to consider time in their learning process. Nowadays, there are many advantages with the use of technology as a teacher I would use the uses of many websites where they can learn and investing time in studying.
Students are always distracted with a lot of thing so as a teacher I would give them important homework or task where they have to search information and in the class they can discuss about it. Do not remember that we can use the calendar to say them when is every evaluation in the class.
Good Practice Communicates
High Expectations
Expect more and you will get it. High expectations are important for everyone — for the poorly prepared, for
those unwilling to
As a student sometimes I felt that my teacher asked me much and always I think about it, but if we think deeper our teacher are our motivators when we are attending any course they know that we can.
Teaching Principles VII
exert themselves, and for the bright and
well-motivated. Expecting students to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. (Ehrmann, 1996)
expectation of our students they are not going to push themselves. Of course there are students with good expectation in class but what about other one.
There are seven principles in this paper but this is one of the most important as a teacher you need to say to our student that we believe in them and they can give more. I would say not just at the beginning my expectation from them because as a human we need to hear this as much as possible, and at the same time, push them to have their proper expectations because as some says “the word that you use for moving yourself is not my word, but rather that word was your because you decided to be”. Nowadays, remember that not just the teacher expects from them because the society is asking for people that know more than people that live before, so we need to remember then what the society wants from them. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning.
Many roads lead to learning. Different
students bring different talents and
styles to college. Brilliant students in a
seminar might be all thumbs in a lab or studio; students rich
in hands-on experience may not
do so well with theory. Students need opportunities to
show their talents and learn in ways that work for them.
Then they can be pushed to learn in
Every human has different characteristics, mood, way of leaning and everyone has different talent or style. This principle shows us that we need to be aware that we are working with people shaping life, so every generation has many changes and so on. In simple word we need to move ahead with different methods, techniques etc.
In my teaching practice I will use not just one method or technique as a teacher I will need to consider what is the way that they learn better. For example I can use videos in my class but not all people understand videos or live to watch videos, so I will use the result that I can use with them:
Presentations. Grammar exercises.
Teaching Principles VIII
new ways that do not come so easily. (Ehrmann, 1996)
Videos. Games.
Songs and so on.
Teaching designing in My Practice as a Teacher. Approach.
Well, I will perform my teaching practice in a High School in tenth grade and it will be around forty hours taking in consideration the National English Curriculum, through this we can see how it is organized and what topic I can choose for developing in the class. There are interesting question included in this curriculum and this is the guide how the curriculum is designed just for a little comprehension of this here I write some questions that the curriculum has: (MINED, 2008).
What do teachers teach for?
What must student learn?
How to teach?
How, when and what evaluate?
I am not going to be deep in these questions because this is not about, I just put this as examples how the curriculum is designed. And this curriculum is based in the Communicative Approach, where students and teachers have a meaningful interaction in a real situation. I will guide me through this approach because as a teacher of language the major purpose is that my students can communicate each other in the target language at least some common conversations. And this is way too how the Curriculum shows us how we can get it. Inside of it, I mean the approach we got communicative competences for example: “Grammatical Competence,Sociolinguistic Competence, and so on. (Movement, 2005).
At the same time, I will guide me in this approach English as a foreign language, because as we live in El Salvador where English is not spoken we need to use this language a foreign because we do not have any social group that speak English just Spanish. So, the only group is inside of the class and encourage them to speak English maybe they can schedule many meeting or conversation clubs where they can develop their competences in this language. Through this approach the course is going to be given to some students, I do not how many student because now I am in the process of choose a High School where I will perform my teaching practice.
Teaching Principles IX
Now I just want to put some topics that the National Curriculum suggests, remember that methodology depends of the topic and through this I can decide the method what I need in the class and the method will define the technique always finding the general objective that you read before in the last paragraph: (MINED, 2008)
Expressions to make appointments.
Commonly used questions for personal interviews. Biographies of Salvadoran personalities.
Personal goals.
In my point of view I think that those topic are really difficult for starting this year, but maybe I am wrong. The first thing that I would apply is a diagnostic evaluation for meeting my students and know what are their advantages, what they know about English and in this way I can start my teaching practice as an English Teacher.
Strategies.
Strategies are action that we use in order to achieve a goal with our students I just punt some strategies here because my teaching practice is short:
Lectures: In this I will use book, short paragraph, presentation where my student
can develop the reading skill.
Discussions: where they can share what they think and at the same time
developing the speaking skill.
Writing: With this my students will develop their writing skill with the use or
grammar, exercises, and so on.
Group Projects: Working in group they are going to share knowledge each other
and at the same time they are going to improve their speaking skill.
Independent Student Projects: We say in other word individually. Methods, Methodology and Techniques.
As I was study the last year about teaching Method I will apply the method that I have been learning there are many methods that I can apply and this depends of students, purpose and what I want to achieve, remember that the techniques are inside of the methods, for example I can use the traditional method, and this depend in a brief explication about an issue in grammar and as a technique I use the
Teaching Principles X
translation of this sentences into the native language. Other important factor is the methodology, this is a set of method that I can use in a class.
The direct method: this consists without translation maybe with the strategy of
reading and the technique of reading loud, questions and answers etc. (Larsen, 2004)
The audio Lingual Method: In this we can teach vocabulary through the
technique of repletion drill. (Larsen, 2004)
Desuggestopedia: This is one of the most used here in this country because there
are many people that think that they are not capable to learn other language, the work of this method is to show that they can and take the limits away. (Larsen, 2004)
Community Language Learning. Humanistic technique where they say what
they want to learn and other things. Other technique question and self-reflection. (Larsen, 2004)
Total Physical response: This is more physical where students learn vocabulary
through movement gestures and pictures. Techniques: The use of pictures, videos etc.
I am not going to write more about methods because there are many and this is not just focused in methods. Now I will write just an example of methodology that I will use in my teaching practice:
I will use the audio lingual method because I can use the technique of repetition and they can learn many word through it, and then, total physical response because after they have learnt they can perform what the vocabulary says, and finally Desuggestopedia and in this way I can encourage students to learn without fear.
E-learning and Blended Learning
Do no forget that nowadays exist technology and through this we can give classes online, the tools that I would use are: websites, blogs, social network where we can have forums with all student in any time out of classroom, just here an example of a web where we can have a class with methods, methodology, strategies and so on. http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=219237.
The increase of technology has been different in these year as we can notice there are technology almost all places, in home, in the classroom and so on. Traditional classes have changed because before the teacher was face to face with student and now technology has changed the thing, as we have native speaker we also have digital native people that have grown with technology. As educator we need to consider those changes in our society because exist different kind of learning here we mention E-learning and Blended Leaning. According to (Consulting, 2004)
e-Teaching Principles XI
Learning is the use of technology to enable people to learn anytime and anywhere. If you have notice our students are in the class with their electronic thing for examples: Cellphones, computers, Laptop. We need to be aware that they are using technology in other to understand better a topic or you just give a homework and they are not finding information in book just in Internet.
On the other hand, we got Blended Learning and according to: (Weingarten, 2007) Blended learning: Is a mix of e-learning with traditional teaching and learning practices. Typically there is a combination of face-to-face interaction with online learning. This is a little different that e-learning the only thing that they combine two they take a whole course online where they see the teacher just through technology, for example: Skype is one of most used for these courses. As teacher we need to know the whole thing about because there is technology but we will always be a teacher in or out of the class. Who is going to teach through technology? Of course a teacher is the responsible of the course those sources by themselves are nothing, the teacher give life to courses through technology.
As conclusion, a teacher without principles is not a teacher, every principle that we saw in this paper are really relevant for everyone that is a teacher or wants to improve as a professional. I am using this word as a cliché, in Spanish I use this word in order to resay something, but I want to repeat that we are working with people, shaping life not things. We need to be aware that we are a model for our students, and they are changing every time. In conclusion our principles want to say that we need to motivate, inspire life. Students need to see motivation in our life, I think that this is the first principles as someone that wants to teach. Maybe in this work we are not going to see result instantly but at the end we are going to be happy because someone learnt something through us.
Teaching Principles XII
Attribution-ShareAlike., C. C. (14 de May de 2012). Boundless. Obtenido de Boundless:
https://www.boundless.com/management/groups-teams-and-teamwork/defining-teams-and-teamwork/differences-between-groups-and-teams/
California, U. o. (15 de February de 2005). Teaching Guide. Obtenido de Teaching Guide: https://gsi.berkeley.edu/teachingguide/sections/active.html
Consulting, E. L. (15 de December de 2004). E-learning Consulting. Obtenido de E-learning Consulting: http://www.e-learningconsulting.com/consulting/what/e-learning.html
Ehrmann, b. A. (21 de October, de 1996). The TLT GROUP. Obtenido de The TLT GROUP.: http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/seven.html
Larsen, D. (2004). Techinique and Principles of Language Teaching. New York: OXFORD.
MINED. (01 de Jenuary de 2008). Ministerio de Educacion de El Salvador. Obtenido de Ministerio de Educacion: https://www.mined.gob.sv/
Movement, C. (23 de February de 2005). Approaches to teach English. Obtenido de Approaches to teach English: http://www.auburn.edu/~nunnath/engl6240/clt.html
Rogers, C. (12 de December de 2000). ALTERNATIVE METHODS. Obtenido de ALTERNATIVE METHODS: http://www2.vobs.at/ludescher/Alternative%20methods/community%20language%20teaching. htm
Weingarten, J. (20 de March de 2007). Studyportals. Obtenido de Studyportals:
http://www.distancelearningportal.com/articles/269/blended-learning-e-learning-and-online-learning-whats-important.html
