Teaching Techniques

Alright, another in a slew of posts i want add. This one is on appropriate teaching techniques. Check it, one of the hardest things any teacher has is effectively maintaining control of their class and at the same time communicating the material to all of their learners. This is made even more difficult (or challenging) for me because my learners happen to all be at very different levels, and ya'know, speak a different language. Some of my english students can have a conversation with me, some don't know how to answer "how is highschool?" So you can see, I'm coming at this from a difficult position right from the start. The fact is though that i also have no idea how to actually teach. Last year was a slideshow in failure for the most part. Every now and then a lesson would really connect with the students and let me tell you, that was bliss, but overall it was a waste of everyone's time. This is my hypercritical view on last year. Part of that was me banging my head up against a system of teachers who didn't really want me adding more work to their load. Those teachers are gone now, and have been replaced by a couple very new, hopefully excellent teachers that I will fully manipulate to make the most use. This year hasn't exactly started off exciting, I've been in school all week and I have yet to teach a class...or get my schedule. That has given me a lot of time to review, plan and prepare though. I've basically redecorated my classroom, I've got a whole new approach to learning (from actual professionals!) to try out, and more helpful than anything, I'm actually mentally ready to teach this year. I feel like I understand these kids (don't ever try and tell a korean you as a foreigner understand them though) and their culture infinitely better and to some extent I've finally grown to appreciate it. Let me tell you, last year was a struggle. This is not a very pretty culture but there are shining parts of it and the results seem to be pretty incredible (highest test scores, highest olympic performance in asia, incredible economic growth etc). So something's going right.

Anyways, I just came across this interesting article by the NYTimes. Basically it's an interview with a guy that's writing a book that specifically deals with how to effectively communicate with children. Essentially the book is about classroom management. Another studious person mentioned in the article is focusing specifically on how to impart teachers knowledge onto the pupil, but her research is far behind the articles main subject. anyways, here's some highlights;

"All Lemov’s techniques depend on his close reading of the students’ point of view, which he is constantly imagining. In Boston, he declared himself on a personal quest to eliminate the saying of “shh” in classrooms, citing what he called “the fundamental ambiguity of ‘shh.’ Are you asking the kids not to talk, or are you asking kids to talk more quietly?” A teacher’s control, he said repeatedly, should be “an exercise in purpose, not in power.”"

"...One [student] is playing with a pair of headphones; another is slowly paging through a giant three-ring binder. Zimmerli stands at the front of the class in a neat tie. “O.K., guys, before I get started today, here’s what I need from you,” he says. “I need that piece of paper turned over and a pencil out.” Almost no one is following his directions, but he is undeterred. “So if there’s anything else on your desk right now, please put that inside your desk.” He mimics what he wants the students to do with a neat underhand pitch. A few students in the front put papers away. “Just like you’re doing, thank you very much,” Zimmerli says, pointing to one of them. Another desk emerges neat; Zimmerli targets it. “Thank you, sir.” “I appreciate it,” he says, pointing to another. By the time he points to one last student — “Nice . . . nice” — the headphones are gone, the binder has clicked shut and everyone is paying attention.

"Lemov [explains] “Imagine if his first direction had been, ‘Please get your things out for class,’ ” he said. Zimmerli got the students to pay attention not because of some inborn charisma, Lemov explained, but simply by being direct and specific. Children often fail to follow directions because they really don’t know what they are supposed to do."

There's also a great little selection of video's. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/07/magazine/20100307-teacher-videos.html#/joy

Unfortunately this seems to be predominantly useful in control of younger classrooms and in specific subjects. But there is wisdom to glean here and I'm excited to read this book when it comes out (hopefully reasonably priced) in April. It's odd how much I'm investing in learning to teach but I suppose it's worthwhile given my plan is to teach for a solid four years.

SHAZAM! (I couldn't decide how else to end this post)

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