Becoming an Effective Teacher

1. Becoming an Effective Teacher Chapter 2

2. It is most important that a teacher has high levels of • Knowledge that s/he is teaching the students • Skills in teaching the subject to the students • Positive dispositions, values, attitudes

3. The Knowledge Base of Effective Teachers • Culturally responsive teachers: 1. believe all students can achieve and succeed, 2. build a community of learners, 3. build connections to families and the community, 4.are continual learners, 5. vary instructional methods, 6.know their students, 7. are introspective and reflective

4. Who I am today has been most influenced by my • Parents • Gender • Social class • Sexual preference • Religion • schooling

5. Beyond knowledge of self…knowledge of why you are teaching • A well developed educational philosophy • Unpacking your deeply held assumptions about: what is education, the nature of the learner, what subjects are most important, the role of schools in society

6. Knowledge of Curricular Content • No Child Left Behind Act defines a “highly qualified teacher” as: holds at least a bachelor’s degree, full state licensure, subject area competence, has passed rigorous state tests in the subject(s) s/he is teaching

7. Pedagogical Content Knowledge • Knowledge of the organization and presentation of subject matter in a way that makes it understandable to and applicable by others • Teachers are able to “psychologize” the subject matter for students. (Dewey) • Scaffolding from the known to the unknown (Vygotsky)

8. Knowledge about how Students Learn and Grow • Educational psychology studies how students develop physically, socially, and cognitively • Our conceptions of ourselves and of others develop in a unique way as we interact with our world…who we think we are, who we think others are, and what we think is the purpose of being here

9. Knowledge about the Community • Connecting students to the outside world requires that teachers know their students’ community • Eating in the community, living in the community, reading local community papers, talking with community members, going to meetings of the community

10. Good teachers have • Pedagogical skill to implement teaching strategies…and pedagogical content knowledge • Reflective skills to analyze and act of teacher-generated data • Communication and collaboration skills to build relationships • Management skills to arrange successful learning environments • Technological skills

11. At present, my most developed teaching tools are: • Content knowledge • Pedagogical skills • Reflective skills • Communication skills • Management skills • Positive attitude and dispositions

12. The attitudes and Dispositions of Effective Teachers • Star teachers tend to be nonjudgmental, are not moralistic, not easily shocked, truly listen, recognize their own weaknesses, don’t see themselves as “saviors”, network, see themselves as “winning”, enjoy their interactions with kids, see their primary impact as raising kids self esteem and helping them be more humane, derive satisfaction of lots of needs teaching kids…but not power needs

13. Reflective teachers • Open-minded • Wholehearted • Responsible • An ethic of caring relationships • Learning communities

14. It’s most important for me to build • Pedagogical skill • An ethic of caring • An educational philosophy • Reflective practice • Pedagogical content knowledge