Impact teachers are effective teachers because the have found a way to connect with their students. They have learned from mistakes, get their students motivated in their lesson plans, and love the art of teaching. When I coached basketball I had 15 wonderful gals. I absolutely adored my girls, and put my all into coaching them to the best of my ability. One of the best feelings is that I am still in contact with 8 of those lovely ladies, and I coached them 15 years ago. I know that I made a difference in their lives, on and off the court. Now I want to do that in the classroom! Impact teachers are able to connect with their students, and make a difference.
Listening, caring and bringing the subject to life are some of the things that I believe make impact teachers effective. Impact teachers listen to their students, they take the time to get to know each student and their background. Impact teachers genuinely care about their students and want them to succeed in life. When they teach a subject, they don't just read the book, they bring that book alive for the student. They might bring in props, or community members, hold classroom discussions, whatever it takes, to make the subject something the students will remember and feel that they took part in their learning.
Christine Well said! I had my blog written and it sounded almost like yours ;) So hear is go number 2 I think what makes impact teachers effective teachers is they are there because they want to be there, not just for the paycheck. These are the teachers that truly care for each and every one of the students. They are caring individuals and want to listen to the children. Effective teachers are the ones that make learning fun, they make the lessons come alive and not like you are just learning to learn. These kind of teachers push you to become the best that you can become in life and they will always be that teacher that made an impact on your life.
Impact teachers are effective teachers because they listen to their students, they care about what they do, they make things fun for students by getting students to interact with the subject. The students understand the teachers because they bring things to "life". Which is pretty much what Christine said. When a teacher brings things to life the students enjoy going to school and love to learn. The teachers want to get you to our full potential to prove that you can succeed if you just try and keep focused. When a teacher takes pride in what they do by shaping the minds of students, and they are not just there to pass the day away of for the paycheck, that is also what makes them an effective teacher. They have an impact on your life. You will always remember the teachers that influenced you the most, especially the ones that made you want to become a teacher because they take PRIDE in what they do.
I love what you are saying about "bringing things to life." This is a perfect way to explain impact teachers because they know how to do that for each and every student. So much of being an impact teacher is simply the "time" you take with the children. When we really look them in the eye and listen to what they are saying, then we "bring their world to life." Thanks, Splichal
So, for the rest of you, lets expand on this:
"WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR AN IMPACT TEACHER TO BRING THEIR WORLD TO LIFE?"
I believe an impact teacher will energize their class. If you are there just for a job and you don't bring enthusiasm, you students will see right through you. I believe you have to try and relate to each and every child and bring your classroom to life. If you stimulate all the senses of your students while engaging them and integrating them into the lesson, you will bring them to life.
At our high school here, we recently lost an energetic, caring teacher to cancer. He was truly an exemplification of an Impact teacher. He brought the world of his students to life on a daily basis. He would always have their music playing between classes and he would take the time to go out into the hall and address each student that passed him individually. Even students that he never had in a class were called by name. He had posters up around his room emphasizing unity and caring for each other. His motto was "Always assume positive intent". The kids, other teachers and faculty, and parents had the greatest respect for this man. He went beyond just teaching and tied classroom lessons to life lessons. Jason Ritter was 33 years old, but he made an impact on many lives for years to come. THAT is bringing the world of students to life.
I believe that impact teachers that are effective teachers are teachers that want to be doing what they are doing. The teachers that I have observed that are the most effective seem to be really into their lessons and enjoy being with their students. For a teacher to be effective they really have to be in tune with their students. In another class that I am in we are discussing how teachers should take into consideration what learning styles the students have.
When a teacher brings things to life they make whatever they are doing interactive and entertaining for the class. When a teacher is bringing things to life the students pay attention because they are more interested in learning because they seem to have a bigger part in it. When a student feels they have a part in the class and the teacher is being energetic and is encouraging students to learn it brings the world to life. I have had a teacher that brought things to life he was my third grade teacher. He cares about each and every student and when you see him around he still knows your name. For the first day of school I remember doing a aloha themed day. We made volcano and got flowered lays when we walked in the door, we also did different activities with the subjects we studied. We celebrated Walt Disney's birthday and when we studied the first space launch we dressed in an astronaut outfit made out of paper and little things like that. It was an amazing year and I respect him so much as a teacher he has been there so long. He was there when my parents were in school
Effective teacher is one who will go beyond to produce learning. This type of teacher will continue to learn to teach better. They have goals and expectations for the year. Not there for the pay check, but for the reward of giving skills to students. Effective teacher impact and touch lives of their students. Their expectation is high and their classroom is well managed. Impact teachers go beyond not only for their student’s knowledge but caring for them as well. They are able to connect to every individual in their classroom. Energetic, is the key word for an impact teacher.
Brittni, The teacher that comes to my mind that brought things to life in my childhood was not one to make projects to keep the students focus. My fourth grade teacher was creative with games. We had so much fun in her class and never dared disrespected her. What if she stopped being fun? This was my first year in school in the US. I did not speak English and was afraid of the new country. As it turns out my fourth grade teacher had all kinds of ideas to teach me the language. Not only did I learn the entire language but she made me feel right at home. She brought ME to life!
When a teacher brings things to life for their students that is when real learning is going to take place. When the content or subject matter becomes relevant to the student and their lives it will be brought to life. Also teaching each subject in a hands on way by making the students an active part of what they are learning is another way to bring it to life. This can only be done when all the students are actively engaged and interested. It's important to try to bring things to life because those are the things that the students will remember and internalize it's what they will truly learn and take out into the world with them.
Becoming an effective teacher takes practice and special guidance from mentors and administrators a Teacher should have:Positive expectations, Enthusiasm,Effective classroom manager / Organization, Ability to design lessons and activities. A teacher should bring out the abilities of each student, so students can reach they're potential.
Bringing things to life is important. I know that as a student in high school, I learned better by doing things with the class. My government teacher was probably the only one that did that for me with the election. We actually got to pick groups on whether or not we were going to vote McCain or Obama. We did debates and campaigns and anything else we could do. You have to keep students interested, you can't just read a text book the whole time. An effective teacher also borrows from other teachers to get ideas for activities and lessons. They learn along the way.
An impact teacher is an effective teacher because they go above and beyond their job descriptions. They will go out of their way to find answers to questions that they don't know. They always make their presence known outside of the classroom,whether it is through sponsoring a club at school or attending school functions. These teachers are there because they want to be there and not because they have to be. Impact teachers are continuing there education and knowledge through classes, workshops, or conferences.
Impact teachers are those who work to make the link with their students and strive for the connection to be made with them. They take have learned from experience how to read the students in their class room by their words and actions and in doing this they can respond and make the students feel part of the classroom and motivate them. A impact teacher is a person who is truly inspired and in the process inspired others in her classroom.
Impact teachers are effective teacher because the students can rely on the teacher for support either with academics, or personal. Teachers who have impact have the trust and respect from the students and by relating the teachers lessons with something in the students life they are better to understand and learn. For bringing the students world to life. By instructing the lesson in a way that they enjoy such as blogging, podcasting, interactive games, even youtube. those are effective ways to bring it to life and it will also have an impact.
Bringing things to life for a student is where the impact teacher steps up to the plate and blasts the ball out of the park. It is not just covering the material that is taught in the classroom. It is also applying it to the real world, so you see all your students truly understand the material you are presenting. It is also where you find different ways of teaching the same information so if one of your students learns better by visualizing, you have that angle covered. And if someone is hands on, you need something for them to physical touch or perform the task at hand. Plus you will have others that are bookworms, and need to read it to understand. The impact teachers will be able to read their students and provide for them in all-aspects of their teaching! Impact teachers are also always looking for new and better ways to reach their students at all time. So they are open-minded to always wanting to be a better teacher. They never settle for second best!
I totally agree that impact teachers are always looking for new ways to do things. I also think giving the students your time and full attention is the key to bringing them and their education to life. As teachers, we will have many pressures placed upon us, but we cannot forget the value of listening to the student. By understanding the students, we can meet their educational needs more effectively. Furthermore, time and attention to lesson planning can bring the lessons to life and bring our own enthusiasm into it. Enthusiasm for learning is an infectious thing and leads to effective teaching and effective learning.
Stacy- I Like how you brought up the fact that impact teachers try to apply things to the real world. I had not yet thought about that, but you are completely right.
Amanda and Stacy you were talking about applying what you teach to the real world setting for our children. Perfect. This is indeed what we should be doing.
So you have all given some good examples of what Impact teachers have done. So let's now talk about what we should NOT do. These are strategies of Survival teachers.
April said this: "We did debates and campaigns and anything else we could do. You have to keep students interested, you can't just read a text book the whole time. "
Comments? What are survival teachers doing that we should NOT do? Thanks, Splichal
Survival teachers are simply doing their job. They arrive at school not a minute before they have to; they make excuses about the level of their students. These are also teachers who do only the required amount of professional development hours to keep their license. -So, don't arrive just before the bell, don't make excuses about why your students aren't on level or whatever (don't make excuses!)and don't take professional development hours that are meaningless.
Survival teachers give their students busywork to do. Lots of worksheets and reading that allows for very limited interaction with the teacher. Survival teachers will show lots of videos in class and most of them are long and boring. You will never see a survival teacher engaging in role-playing or singing songs with his/her class. There is no enthusiasm in their position. They are teaching the students through the students teaching themselves with the remote tools provided to them. I hope that makes sense! Survival teachers are there to collect a paycheck and thats about it.
Leslie - that is what I was thinking.. WORKSHEETS! Oh, and instead of reading with the students, they play the CD that reads the story to them, so that they can sit at their desk and read their emails.
Well, I am getting to this rodeo a bit late. I agree with what all of you have said about what makes an impact teacher an effective teacher. I think that a good teacher is one who will listen with their ears and not pass judgment until the whole story is told. I also think that when an impact teacher gives hugs, it is with their whole heart. The teacher will know all of her/his student’s names-and can pronounce the names correctly-giving respect to the student. The students know what is expected of them concerning rules and the classroom routine, and the students know how to do it even if there is a sub. I also believe that impact teachers do not teach for the money, they do it because it is something that they want to do and do not mind the long hours that they have to put in.
When an impact teacher brings their world to life, it means that the teacher is making learning fun by just being excited about school in general. That teacher might play games to memorize math facts or show respect for her/his students by having the parents come into the classroom and talk about their culture.
Things that we should not do that survival teachers are doing are students doing excessive paperwork to keep busy, showing up for work right before the kids come in to the classroom, not greeting the students as they walk through the door, and never saying please, thank you, etc. They are there just for the pay and would rather be someplace else during the day.
What do they do in the classroom with the students? The teachers are sitting at their desk reading emails or surfing the net and just ignoring the kids in general (while the kids are doing their busy work). They are waiting for 5 o'clock to come rolling around so they can go home!
I am really late joining, but I think that an Impact teacher is the teacher who is there because it is the passion in their life. An impact teacher shows love and respect while teaching. This teacher would be loved by the kids and it would be a fun classroom. Kids like fun and learn more when they are having it. This teacher would be the one that the kids look for in the hall when they are not in that class anymore. When a teacher "brings the lesson to life" he or she is interactive and expressive. You want all eyes and ears coming you way. You want it to be relevant to the children's lives so they understand it as best as they can. Survival teaching is giving busy work. Little interaction with the students. Examples are worksheets, videos, or any activity that would keep the kids quiet and seated. I think kids need to be allowed to talk about, touch, and see what they are learning. All kids learn differently, but they learn more if they enjoy what they are doing.
A survival teacher is the opposite of an impact teacher. They are ones that sit back and watch. The saying "armchair quarterback" comes to mind. They are saying all the things of what should be done, but they never actually jump in the game and play. They criticize, think they could be better if it was them in there, but in the end they never even take a try at it. They are not creative in their teaching methods. Parents intimidate them, and they are not willing to be leaders. They blend in so they won't get noticed, and then head for the doors when the bell rings.
Survival teachers are probably not on anyone's list of "Most Favorite Teacher". As someone else previously stated, they are pretty much just doing what is necessary to be able to collect their paycheck. They're okay with the status quo; they're mainly doing just the bare minimum. It's a shame, but I'm thinking, if a teacher is in this mode, why is he or she still teaching? Does he or she think it's too late to pursue a different career? It's such a detriment to students who have a "survival teacher". If you think about the teachers who are on your list of most favorite teacher, they are likely impact teachers. Many of you have had some fabulous descriptions of what an impact teacher is. They genuinely care about their students, not just helping them learn, but they care about their students as the unique individuals that they are. They believe that each student is capable of achieving great things and strive to help them however they can. They want to go the extra mile to help that one student understand a particular concept better. They put a lot of time and energy into their job as teacher because they are passionate about what they do.
Survival teachers I think are the ones that give their children busy work. These would mean the dreaded worksheets! Instead of giving the children hands on activities that they could not only enjoy doing but will learn numerous things from these. These are also the teachers that show videos or movies during class anything to keep their students busy so they have very minimal interaction with them. They are also the teachers that leave very shortly after the bell rings, the less time they spend working they think this is best. They are the teachers that try to blend in with everyone and do not want to stand out as a teacher. It's so sad to see how many of these were in my local school that I worked at previously....
What makes Impact teachers EFFECTIVE teachers? Impact teachers are effective teachers because they really care about the students. They provide feedback, goals, planned lessons, and clear precise instructions. They encourage children to learn and participate. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR AN IMPACT TEACHER TO BRING THEIR WORLD TO LIFE?" Impact teachers bring their world to life through showing enthusiasm for the subject, school, and teaching. There is a relaxed atmosphere to the room because the teacher is more open and easygoing. Impact teachers are resourceful, creative, imaginative, positive, systematic, well organized, focused, determined, and hardworking. They also demonstrate empathy, fairness, caring, and approachability. Impact teachers get the students excited for school and make them wonder what is coming next. School will be fun and exciting because it is not always the same thing and boring. What are survival teachers doing that we should NOT do? Survival teachers are opposite of impact teachers. Survival teachers are not enthusiastic about being at school and do not put effort into making school fun for the students. These teachers lecture and give mundane assignments.
Cassie Clark, you hit the nail on the head. The ones who are work sheet gods. I use this scenario in all of my classes. My 11 year old son could come into my college classes and hand out worksheets and say, "ok students these are due tomorrow." hahah It's true. You don't need a college degree to hand out worksheets. Any idiot off the street can hand out worksheets and sit behind a desk. that is NOT teaching. SO, if teaching is not worksheets...what is it and how do we achieve it? Howard Gardner calls this Multiple Entry Points. Lets talk about Multiple Entry Points. What does it mean? Give examples. Thanks, Splichal
It is keeping the interest of your students with different activities you do with the topics of study at the time. Multiple entry points such as the experimental one introduce you experimental entry approach it is a hand on learning, dealing directly with materials virtual and physical; simulations and personal explanations. There is a narrative point read or tell a story narrative. Let the students see different views when reading something by writing something of their own that is relevant to the topic they read. The logical and deductive entry point, you use deductive reasoning such as cause and effect relationship.
In order to reach the Impact stage of teaching, you must first be an effective teacher. There are many things that go into becoming/being an effective teacher. I believe that the first, and most important, step in becoming an effective teacher is why you want to become a teacher. In a previous course I took, I heard responses on why people wanted to be a teacher that included “I want to have summers off” and “I don’t know what else to do”. An effective teacher needs to look at teaching as a profession that they love, and not just a job that provides them with a paycheck. An effective teacher also needs to have the desire to teach, the desire to make a difference in the lives of their students, and the love of sharing knowledge and the belief that every student is capable of learning. Effective teachers must also possess, or learn, excellent management, organizational, and communication skills.
I can relate to Becky stating that the people whose only motivation is to have paid summers off and paid days off are the "survival teachers" These are the teachers that all the students dread getting. As a parent of four I have made it a point to be active in my children's school by volunteering. My oldest had a kindergarten teacher who on the first day of school told the parents and students that she hated teaching and the only reason she has taught for 25 years was because she was to old to start another career. from that point on I was a very active mom in the school.
I cannot even conceive of a teacher that tell her new students and their parents that she hated teaching! Why is that woman still allowed to teach? And especially kindergarten! If a child does not have a good experience in kindergarten, it can only go downhill from there.
Kudos to you for being involved. Sometimes it takes an effective parent to make up for a survival teacher's shortcomings.
Multiple Entry points are related the the seven multiple intelligences described by Gardner. Basically there are seven different intelligences (Linguistic, Logical, Spatial, Bodily, Musical, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal). Each person is more strong in some abilities than others and that is where the multiple entries comes into play. Each person has a different learning style and there are going to be multiple learning styles in one classroom such as auditory, visual, hands on etc. The entry points are those styles or the entryway for the student to learn the subject matter. It's up to the teacher to provide the multiple entry points to all the students to maximize their learning. A teacher can do this by providing lessons in different formats, beyond reading the text they can listen to the teacher lecture, they can get involved in a hands on activity or they can create the lessons themselves. When all of the learning styles are taken into consideration and all of the entry points are "open" all of the students will learn to the best of their ability. Multiple entry points are like doors that the teacher has to open for the students to be able to enter.
Caitlin, that last sentence was a wonderful way of looking at it. Isn't that what teaching is all about? Finding those doors for each student? We don't all learn in the same way so in order to educate children don't we need to teach with a variety of methods? An effective teacher is going to use Gardner's ideas of multiple entry points and the different intelligences when planning lessons because she wants to reach all of her students. For example, my oldest daughter learned her letters by looking at books with me and doing workbooks. My second daughter wanted nothing to do with sitting there and identifying letters. She was no less intelligent at the same age, but she was more kinesthetic in her learning. I drew the letters on our driveway with chalk and told her to jump on different letters. She knew everyone of them. I think that as teachers if we don't use different methods of instructing then some students begin to think that they aren't smart and check out of the education process when really they just learn in a different style then is being presented.
I see two sides of the spectrum, either they want to be best friends or be very strict. The ones who want to be friends usually find themselves losing the respect of their students. The need to be a teacher first, then their friend. The ones who are more strict are the ones students do not like. It is hard to find a happy medium. We need to be good role models for the children so that we can guide them into adulthood. This is very important. Some teachers lose concept of this while teaching.
I would just have to say that if you are a 'survival' teacher then you don't need to be teaching at all. It's obviously not your calling. I'm just saying.
What makes an an impact, effective teachers. Teacher effectiveness has been found to strongly influence student progress. The focus on learning, for both student and faculty, has the potential to improve learning and teaching. For improvement to take place, there must be some form of communication of feedback between student and teacher. I certainly agree that giving students frequent feedback helps them to learn
As I was reading, I saw some comments about kids learning differently. I totally agree, some kids will be hands on learners and some love to learn by hearing it or seeing it. You do have to love what you do to reach all of them. I feel bad for the kids who have the survival teacher, and I can not believe that a teacher would tell the students and parents that she hates teaching. I am very active in my kids schooling and I volunteer at the school. If I heard that as a parent, I would have to talk to the principal. That teacher should not be there for sure.
I think that an impact teacher is effective because they can relate to the kids and understand their side too. When a kid struggles an impact teacher takes the time to figure out why that child is struggling or tries to get to the bottom of what is going on. They figure out if it is something that they do not understand or if it is something personal. An impact teacher takes the time for their students. Impact teachers are teachers to make a difference and teacher because they love it and want to make a difference. I want to be that impact teacher and make that difference in a child's life just like I had the experience of having a teacher Impact my education.
Impact teachers listen to their students; they take the time to get to know each student and their background. Impact teachers care about their students and want them to succeed in life. When they teach a subject, they don't just read the book; they bring that book alive for the student. By making the lesson fun and interactive, making it relate to what they already understand, using past knowledge to help them remember the new knowledge. An impact teacher takes the time for their students. Impact teachers are teachers to make a difference and teacher because they love it and want to make a difference. I want to be that impact teacher and make that difference in a child's life just like I had the experience of having a teacher Impact my education.
Let me clarify something: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO RESPOND TO EACH OF MY QUESTIONS. Some of you are still talking about Impact teachers when my last question was about Multiple Entry points. I don't grade based on if you answer each of my questions. So look at my last/latest question and go from there. I hope this helps.
I still want to focus on Multiple Entry points. Give me examples. Caitlin did a wonderful job starting this conversation. How do we teach with varied instruction???? Thanks, Splichal
Last year in my science internship class, the mentor teacher varied her instruction for each class. Instead of staying for just one class, I would often stay for several classes just to see how she varied her instruction. She taught a lesson on the States of Matter. First they read about it from their science book, then she had notes on the screen that she read and talked about, the students wrote these down in their notebook. In both the reading and note taking she asked questions about the States of Matter; gas,liquid and solid. Then she had all the students stand up and they had to first act like a gas - and they were bouncing off the walls into each other, etc. Then she had them stop and act like a liquid - this time they moved a bit slower and then last she had them act like a solid and they all had to fit into a space cooperatively that she designated. I thought it was a great lesson to get the concept of how the particles move and react. It also showed how applying the different intelligences in one lesson could meet the needs of her students.
In one of my previous classes we talked about the importance of using the different multiple entry points when teaching. Different children learn in different ways. Some teachers that I have observed have done different activities to teach one lesson. An example was for the different sound the letter "y" makes. The teacher read a story, taught a song, and did a hands on activity. She had a wide range of things for the children to do. When I was in school I learned best with songs. So, I learned my states, presidents, and multiplication facts by song. Impact teachers will take the time to figure out how each students learns the best and play on that.
I believe that varying instruction allows students to see instruction from multiple angles where one angle may not turn the lightbulb on so to speak, but the next angle that the teacher uses might just give that student the "aha" moment. I also believe this allows for a change, so the delivery is not monotounous. change in delivery will help keep attention levels high and focus which will allow the students to absorb more.
Impact teachers are there to make a difference. They care about their students, they want to see they succeed. Impact teachers know what they can do to help those who struggle. They show their students that they are there for them academically and on a personal level. When students can't connect with their teachers, they don't see any reason for learning what they are teaching.
Multiple entry points is basically multiple ways one can learn something. This week I observed a 2nd grade class and seen the teacher use this. A couple children struggled to identify letters of a word and she used a song and phonic sounds to help them figure it out. She had them physically make the letter with their fingers or arms or she wrote it on their back as well. When trying to retell the story in their own words, if they struggled, she had them act it out and they became much better at remembering how the story went. I have observed other classes where they simply read the book- paraphrased a couple sentences and that was it. It was nice to see several different tactics used to get through to each child.
The multiple entries is focused on the different types of learning styles. There is a style of teaching for every student. Each approach fits the character of the students. There are seven different methods (Visual, bodily, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical) that are unique to the different personalities. I am not a teacher yet but these points are ideal to apply to my children. I have 3 kids and each of them has a different personality. I matched them with a multiple point. My oldest is a logic student because she likes the thrill of investigations and experiments. My middle boy is a very social student and if he could just talk on the phone he would be happy. He likes to learn though technology. For him the interpersonal style is very appropriate. Then, we have my youngest that is very strict on his persona and does not fall out of character. He is a very independent and thinks he “knows it all”. All the points can be applied to help with every child’s unique way of learning
I actually helped a first grader with adding single digits. First I had them circle the larger number, then I had them show me how many fingers the smaller number was, then I told them to say the number that was circled, and then count on with their fingers. The way I explained it-it must have been more visual than the teacher-the student totally got it. That was a good feeling. The teacher was so happy that the student could understand it. Sometimes a different person makes all the difference!
Like Cristy said earlier, I am not a teacher yet either, but when I worked with the kids that I was babysitting with their homework what I do is explain it in any way they learn best. When the youngest one was working on addition and subtraction I used M&Ms to help him count. I believe it was counting to 10 or 20. I would have him add up all the blues and then try and count how many more he needed to get to 10. With the middle child she is more of a book worm and needs to read something and have specific instructions to follow to know that she is doing it correctly. She is very strict on herself and prides herself on perfection so she will work on something and have me check it till she knows that everything is perfect. The oldest is a social butterfly she is an interpersonal learner. She loves to socialize and figure stuff out, really using the technology aspects and friends to help her out. When I become a teacher I am looking forward to bringing in each of these to all of my lessons so that all the kids may be able to understand what I am teaching.
I was just thinking about my personal entry points. We need to understand our own strengths so that we can use them and work on areas that we might not be as strong in. For instance, several people said that they learned information through songs. Personally, this never worked for me. I never could master an instrument and I can’t sing, other than in the car with no one listening. But I need to be aware of that, because I will have students that relate to learning through songs very well. I can’t avoid it because I don’t like it, so I will have to be willing to adapt.
Ellen I really like the point you just made. Not only do our students have multiple learning styles and entry points but we do too. We can use our particular learning styles as an area of strength. We must remember though that in order to reach out to all of our students we can't just stick with one learning style or what we feel comfortable with. It's important to get creative and think outside of the box when teaching.
It is interesting in this class that we are discussing impact and survivial teachers because in my city, I attended our Educational Summit last winter and the speaker hit on this topic very well. His name is Anthony Muhammed and he has written a book about improving the culture of any school. He used to be a principal in Michigan in a very low performing, crime-ridden school and realized that he had to change the mentality of his staff in order to improve student achievement. He labeled teachers in 4 different categories, one being the fundamentalist which sounds very similar to the survival teacher. He stated that there are a few in every school and the key is decreasing their power and influence and they will lose their drive. I know this question is no longer in rotation but I had to respond to this.
In response to the multiple entries question, I think that this is crucial to effective instruction. This can simply be showing your students something in multiple forms. It could be varied instruction such as differentiating activities or simply allowing students to work with content in a variety of mediums such as computer, paper/pencil, small group, etc. This is crucial to student learning because we don't all learn in the same way. If we are to be effective educators, we have to offer our students the ability to reach them in a way they understand. Teaching is not a system anymore that allows a teacher to lay a worksheet in front of the class and sit down. Those teachers won't make it in this challenging field.
We are all unique individuals, and as such, we all have different learning styles, which many of us have read in other classes. It will be so imperative that we keep this in mind with our students; some of them may be more visual learners, some more auditory learners. For those of you who have had Dr. Walizer, she points this teaching method out often. Her on-campus lectures are available through Adobe Connect for the virtual candidates who prefer both the visual and the audio. She also makes the class material available via podcast for students who would rather hear it. Last spring with PP&O observations, I observed a 5th grade teacher who demonstrated some great examples of varied classroom instruction. The students were reviewing for state testing which could become quite monotonous and boring for anyone. Using her Smart board, she first projected math workbook problems up for the class to work through together. She called on many different students to discuss how they solved the problem and was very encouraging of different ideas. After about 20-30 minutes of this, she had the students get into groups. Each group chose a colored sheet of poster board. They were each given a set of numbers in which they would use to construct a graph, and calculate mean, mode, median, and range, along with some other possible data. (I can’t remember if there were other requirements.) They worked so well together on this project within their groups. Each individual in the group participated in a significant way. They made decisions together as to how the information would be arranged on the poster board and figured out the calculations on their own. They were totally engaged in this assignment. Each group presented their constructions to the class. I say all of this to say, the teacher came up with some other ways of teaching this math material, other than just hearing it audibly, the children could see it and physically work it out with their own two hands. They also worked together with others within their group, rather than just sitting at their desk doing it on their own. I think students can learn a lot from their fellow students sometimes. Working together for a common purpose is a great thing for children to be able to do.
Impact teachers are effective because they keep on learning. They go to workshops, in-services, conferences, and learn from other teachers. Impact teachers make a difference in their students life. There is trust between the student and teacher.An effective teacher knows how to bring the class to order quickly and how to explain rules and procedures.
I agree with Ellen's comment as well- We need to recognize our weakness and improve those areas so we can better serve the students entry points even if we aren't comfortable. I am the same way- I would probably hesitate to sing in front of people, but if it makes the difference whether the kids get it or not- its about them not us
Impact teachers are EFFECTIVE teachers because their learning never stops. They are passionate about their profession and about their students. They are willing to go out of "the box" to come up with different learning methods that can work for all students. They take the time to get to know their students, what triggers their learning and respects them. Respect is mutual between students and teachers creating a positive classroom environment. There is trust and a bond is created. Effective teachers make an IMPACT on a student's life, and is a teacher that is remembered.
I am late getting into the conversation as well. Regarding the multiple learning styles, Impact Teachers will realize that students don't all learn in the same way. They will have different ways to approach the lessons, so that all the students will understand the concepts. They will make connections to what they are teaching to fit into real-world situations, to further the students' understanding. Impact Teachers will take the time to CARE whether or not the children are understanding, and adjust their methods if they are not working.
I agree with your statement about doing things outside of our comfort zone. If we continue to do things that keeps us in our comfort zone, we aren't doing all we can. We as future teachers need to realize that our training is in fact a lifetime venture and that we need to welcome new ideas and accept change. We have to be willing to change as our classrooms change. By being courageous and implementing multiple points of entry we will better engage our students and further facilitate the learning process.
Our latest discussion reminded me of an economics course I took in college and several times after reading our assignments and taking notes during a lecture, our professor would take the extra step to relate the topic into real world terms for the class. By taking a topic and explaining in terms of real life situations really made it click. I was grateful for this because on several occasions, I was not following the jist of the topic at hand and through his explanations/examples, the idea stuck with me. This was very important, and probably so often overlooked by many. It didn't take that much extra time to further explain and it made all the difference for me. I often wonder how many other students it may have affected the same way!
I would hesitate to sing in front of the students too. Definitely not in my comfort zone. But, like you said, "it's about the students, not us." Which reminds me of another example that the science teacher used regarding multiple entry points. As the students were entering her room (6th grade), the science teacher had a video/powerpoint running. It was about atoms and the song was the ATOM's family (sung to the tune of the Adam's Family) - the kids were singing it and snapping along. Here is the link if anyone would like to see the words. Her video had the words and music playing. http://mabryonline.org/blogs/sumrell/images/Atom%27s%20Family%20Song.pdf
I think that impact teachers are effective teachers because they are able to find that middle ground between connecting with the students and being friends with the students. Impact teachers earn the respect of the students by being on their side and being willing to help them to the best of their ability. Impact teachers are always learning and adapting to the culture of their class, they don't treat all classes the same and are willing to listen to the students to improve their teaching abilities.
I agree with William, multiple entries is crucial. Never in a classroom will you have 20-30 students learn the same way. You as the teacher need to adjust for the students and do different ways of teaching something. When I was in school, my best way of learning and still learning is, I need someone to show me, I cant just listen and read a chapter and then tell them what I just learned. Especially if I am not interested in it. As a teacher, you make it interesting even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone, as someone else had said.
Impact teachers are effective teachers for many reasons. Impact teachers are the teachers that help students go beyond what they thought they could achieve. Impact teachers are the teachers that make a difference in the lives of their students, the teachers that you want to go back and visit years later. Impact teachers make it possible for the students to succeed and make it so they believe in themselves. Impact teaches inspire students possible to go into teaching or just to go into the field they want to work in. Impact teachers aren’t just teachers they are inspiring.
We teach with varied instruction when we allow children to be creative. Not all students learn in the same way and by getting to know your students you will learn the ways in which they learn. One way I can think of to do this at the beginning of the year when you don’t yet know the student is to have them teach. I have to confess I did not come up with this on my own. At the beginning of the school year the teacher of the year was our guest speaker. He was talking about creativity but, my though is how better to see how a student learns than by seeing how they would teach. In checking for reading comprehension he gave each of the students a chapter and they were to teach the chapter to the class. They could do it anyway that they wanted. Some of the students talked about what they had read, others had pictures that told what they had read about. One student filmed a short skit with help of classmate and there was a three dimensional artwork of one of the chapters. Each of these ways is a different way in which the students learn and a great ways in which we can teach to reach the different learning styles.
Impact teachers work every day to be better professionals and better people. An impact teacher is always thinking/reflecting on what will be best for the students. Impact teachers work during the weekends and throughout the summer because teaching is not a job. It is a life style.
Multiple entry points spring from multiple intelligences. Each student has a different mix of aptitudes that effect how best they learn and what they learn best. The teacher can know this about the students to some extent by analyzing the students’ aptitude tests. From there the teacher should be able to tell what methods will be most effective for the whole class, and which students might require additional instruction presented in another way.
In math for example the teacher can lecture and explain problems on the board, and for the students that may have stronger spatial skills than logic, the teacher could reinforce the lesson with charts that demonstrate the concept so those students can begin to think about math in a spatial manner. Others may require group activities and groups could be assigned where interaction yields the most achievement. Others may respond better to the verbal or reading cues and assignments for reading can benefit them.
The teacher can mix the delivery methods to meet the diverse strengths of the students and thereby facilitate the best potential for achievement for all the students.
Impact teachers have connected with their students. They love to share their knowledge with their students. They never stop learning themselves and are excited to try new things with their kids, to see the kids "get it",they have high expectations and and are positive. They enjoy their profession.
This is a great video; it reiterates that good teachers are very motivated. I like the fact that hands on is a positive comment from all the great teachers on the video. My most fascinating fact on the video is that one of the teachers gets so excited by seeing the students get the point of the lesson. The amount of great things that teachers provide is very well put in the video. I do agree that salary is important to keep at a respectful amount. I would be a great incentive to keep effective teachers.
Tell us, what makes Impact teachers EFFECTIVE teachers. Thanks, Kevin and Ashlee
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are effective teachers because the have found a way to connect with their students. They have learned from mistakes, get their students motivated in their lesson plans, and love the art of teaching. When I coached basketball I had 15 wonderful gals. I absolutely adored my girls, and put my all into coaching them to the best of my ability. One of the best feelings is that I am still in contact with 8 of those lovely ladies, and I coached them 15 years ago. I know that I made a difference in their lives, on and off the court. Now I want to do that in the classroom! Impact teachers are able to connect with their students, and make a difference.
ReplyDeleteListening, caring and bringing the subject to life are some of the things that I believe make impact teachers effective. Impact teachers listen to their students, they take the time to get to know each student and their background. Impact teachers genuinely care about their students and want them to succeed in life. When they teach a subject, they don't just read the book, they bring that book alive for the student. They might bring in props, or community members, hold classroom discussions, whatever it takes, to make the subject something the students will remember and feel that they took part in their learning.
ReplyDeleteChristine Well said! I had my blog written and it sounded almost like yours ;) So hear is go number 2 I think what makes impact teachers effective teachers is they are there because they want to be there, not just for the paycheck. These are the teachers that truly care for each and every one of the students. They are caring individuals and want to listen to the children. Effective teachers are the ones that make learning fun, they make the lessons come alive and not like you are just learning to learn. These kind of teachers push you to become the best that you can become in life and they will always be that teacher that made an impact on your life.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are effective teachers because they listen to their students, they care about what they do, they make things fun for students by getting students to interact with the subject. The students understand the teachers because they bring things to "life". Which is pretty much what Christine said. When a teacher brings things to life the students enjoy going to school and love to learn. The teachers want to get you to our full potential to prove that you can succeed if you just try and keep focused. When a teacher takes pride in what they do by shaping the minds of students, and they are not just there to pass the day away of for the paycheck, that is also what makes them an effective teacher. They have an impact on your life. You will always remember the teachers that influenced you the most, especially the ones that made you want to become a teacher because they take PRIDE in what they do.
ReplyDeleteI love what you are saying about "bringing things to life." This is a perfect way to explain impact teachers because they know how to do that for each and every student. So much of being an impact teacher is simply the "time" you take with the children. When we really look them in the eye and listen to what they are saying, then we "bring their world to life." Thanks, Splichal
ReplyDeleteSo, for the rest of you, lets expand on this:
"WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR AN IMPACT TEACHER TO BRING THEIR WORLD TO LIFE?"
I believe an impact teacher will energize their class. If you are there just for a job and you don't bring enthusiasm, you students will see right through you. I believe you have to try and relate to each and every child and bring your classroom to life. If you stimulate all the senses of your students while engaging them and integrating them into the lesson, you will bring them to life.
ReplyDeleteAt our high school here, we recently lost an energetic, caring teacher to cancer. He was truly an exemplification of an Impact teacher. He brought the world of his students to life on a daily basis. He would always have their music playing between classes and he would take the time to go out into the hall and address each student that passed him individually. Even students that he never had in a class were called by name. He had posters up around his room emphasizing unity and caring for each other. His motto was "Always assume positive intent". The kids, other teachers and faculty, and parents had the greatest respect for this man. He went beyond just teaching and tied classroom lessons to life lessons. Jason Ritter was 33 years old, but he made an impact on many lives for years to come. THAT is bringing the world of students to life.
ReplyDeleteI believe that impact teachers that are effective teachers are teachers that want to be doing what they are doing. The teachers that I have observed that are the most effective seem to be really into their lessons and enjoy being with their students. For a teacher to be effective they really have to be in tune with their students. In another class that I am in we are discussing how teachers should take into consideration what learning styles the students have.
ReplyDeleteWhen a teacher brings things to life they make whatever they are doing interactive and entertaining for the class. When a teacher is bringing things to life the students pay attention because they are more interested in learning because they seem to have a bigger part in it. When a student feels they have a part in the class and the teacher is being energetic and is encouraging students to learn it brings the world to life. I have had a teacher that brought things to life he was my third grade teacher. He cares about each and every student and when you see him around he still knows your name. For the first day of school I remember doing a aloha themed day. We made volcano and got flowered lays when we walked in the door, we also did different activities with the subjects we studied. We celebrated Walt Disney's birthday and when we studied the first space launch we dressed in an astronaut outfit made out of paper and little things like that. It was an amazing year and I respect him so much as a teacher he has been there so long. He was there when my parents were in school
ReplyDeleteEffective teacher is one who will go beyond to produce learning. This type of teacher will continue to learn to teach better. They have goals and expectations for the year. Not there for the pay check, but for the reward of giving skills to students. Effective teacher impact and touch lives of their students. Their expectation is high and their classroom is well managed. Impact teachers go beyond not only for their student’s knowledge but caring for them as well. They are able to connect to every individual in their classroom. Energetic, is the key word for an impact teacher.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBrittni,
ReplyDeleteThe teacher that comes to my mind that brought things to life in my childhood was not one to make projects to keep the students focus. My fourth grade teacher was creative with games. We had so much fun in her class and never dared disrespected her. What if she stopped being fun? This was my first year in school in the US. I did not speak English and was afraid of the new country. As it turns out my fourth grade teacher had all kinds of ideas to teach me the language. Not only did I learn the entire language but she made me feel right at home. She brought ME to life!
When a teacher brings things to life for their students that is when real learning is going to take place. When the content or subject matter becomes relevant to the student and their lives it will be brought to life. Also teaching each subject in a hands on way by making the students an active part of what they are learning is another way to bring it to life. This can only be done when all the students are actively engaged and interested. It's important to try to bring things to life because those are the things that the students will remember and internalize it's what they will truly learn and take out into the world with them.
ReplyDeleteBecoming an effective teacher takes practice and special guidance from mentors and administrators a Teacher should have:Positive expectations,
ReplyDeleteEnthusiasm,Effective classroom manager / Organization, Ability to design lessons and activities. A teacher should bring out the abilities of each student, so students can reach they're potential.
Bringing things to life is important. I know that as a student in high school, I learned better by doing things with the class. My government teacher was probably the only one that did that for me with the election. We actually got to pick groups on whether or not we were going to vote McCain or Obama. We did debates and campaigns and anything else we could do.
ReplyDeleteYou have to keep students interested, you can't just read a text book the whole time. An effective teacher also borrows from other teachers to get ideas for activities and lessons. They learn along the way.
An impact teacher is an effective teacher because they go above and beyond their job descriptions. They will go out of their way to find answers to questions that they don't know. They always make their presence known outside of the classroom,whether it is through sponsoring a club at school or attending school functions. These teachers are there because they want to be there and not because they have to be. Impact teachers are continuing there education and knowledge through classes, workshops, or conferences.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are those who work to make the link with their students and strive for the connection to be made with them. They take have learned from experience how to read the students in their class room by their words and actions and in doing this they can respond and make the students feel part of the classroom and motivate them. A impact teacher is a person who is truly inspired and in the process inspired others in her classroom.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are effective teacher because the students can rely on the teacher for support either with academics, or personal. Teachers who have impact have the trust and respect from the students and by relating the teachers lessons with something in the students life they are better to understand and learn. For bringing the students world to life. By instructing the lesson in a way that they enjoy such as blogging, podcasting, interactive games, even youtube. those are effective ways to bring it to life and it will also have an impact.
ReplyDeleteBringing things to life for a student is where the impact teacher steps up to the plate and blasts the ball out of the park. It is not just covering the material that is taught in the classroom. It is also applying it to the real world, so you see all your students truly understand the material you are presenting. It is also where you find different ways of teaching the same information so if one of your students learns better by visualizing, you have that angle covered. And if someone is hands on, you need something for them to physical touch or perform the task at hand. Plus you will have others that are bookworms, and need to read it to understand. The impact teachers will be able to read their students and provide for them in all-aspects of their teaching! Impact teachers are also always looking for new and better ways to reach their students at all time. So they are open-minded to always wanting to be a better teacher. They never settle for second best!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that impact teachers are always looking for new ways to do things. I also think giving the students your time and full attention is the key to bringing them and their education to life. As teachers, we will have many pressures placed upon us, but we cannot forget the value of listening to the student. By understanding the students, we can meet their educational needs more effectively. Furthermore, time and attention to lesson planning can bring the lessons to life and bring our own enthusiasm into it. Enthusiasm for learning is an infectious thing and leads to effective teaching and effective learning.
ReplyDeleteStacy- I Like how you brought up the fact that impact teachers try to apply things to the real world. I had not yet thought about that, but you are completely right.
ReplyDeleteAmanda and Stacy you were talking about applying what you teach to the real world setting for our children. Perfect. This is indeed what we should be doing.
ReplyDeleteSo you have all given some good examples of what Impact teachers have done. So let's now talk about what we should NOT do. These are strategies of Survival teachers.
April said this: "We did debates and campaigns and anything else we could do.
You have to keep students interested, you can't just read a text book the whole time. "
Comments? What are survival teachers doing that we should NOT do? Thanks, Splichal
Survival teachers are simply doing their job. They arrive at school not a minute before they have to; they make excuses about the level of their students. These are also teachers who do only the required amount of professional development hours to keep their license. -So, don't arrive just before the bell, don't make excuses about why your students aren't on level or whatever (don't make excuses!)and don't take professional development hours that are meaningless.
ReplyDeleteExactly, but what do they do in the classroom with the students?
ReplyDeleteSurvival teachers give their students busywork to do. Lots of worksheets and reading that allows for very limited interaction with the teacher. Survival teachers will show lots of videos in class and most of them are long and boring. You will never see a survival teacher engaging in role-playing or singing songs with his/her class. There is no enthusiasm in their position. They are teaching the students through the students teaching themselves with the remote tools provided to them. I hope that makes sense! Survival teachers are there to collect a paycheck and thats about it.
ReplyDeleteLeslie - that is what I was thinking.. WORKSHEETS! Oh, and instead of reading with the students, they play the CD that reads the story to them, so that they can sit at their desk and read their emails.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am getting to this rodeo a bit late. I agree with what all of you have said about what makes an impact teacher an effective teacher. I think that a good teacher is one who will listen with their ears and not pass judgment until the whole story is told. I also think that when an impact teacher gives hugs, it is with their whole heart. The teacher will know all of her/his student’s names-and can pronounce the names correctly-giving respect to the student. The students know what is expected of them concerning rules and the classroom routine, and the students know how to do it even if there is a sub. I also believe that impact teachers do not teach for the money, they do it because it is something that they want to do and do not mind the long hours that they have to put in.
ReplyDeleteWhen an impact teacher brings their world to life, it means that the teacher is making learning fun by just being excited about school in general. That teacher might play games to memorize math facts or show respect for her/his students by having the parents come into the classroom and talk about their culture.
Things that we should not do that survival teachers are doing are students doing excessive paperwork to keep busy, showing up for work right before the kids come in to the classroom, not greeting the students as they walk through the door, and never saying please, thank you, etc. They are there just for the pay and would rather be someplace else during the day.
What do they do in the classroom with the students? The teachers are sitting at their desk reading emails or surfing the net and just ignoring the kids in general (while the kids are doing their busy work). They are waiting for 5 o'clock to come rolling around so they can go home!
ReplyDeleteI am really late joining, but I think that an Impact teacher is the teacher who is there because it is the passion in their life. An impact teacher shows love and respect while teaching. This teacher would be loved by the kids and it would be a fun classroom. Kids like fun and learn more when they are having it. This teacher would be the one that the kids look for in the hall when they are not in that class anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhen a teacher "brings the lesson to life" he or she is interactive and expressive. You want all eyes and ears coming you way. You want it to be relevant to the children's lives so they understand it as best as they can.
Survival teaching is giving busy work. Little interaction with the students. Examples are worksheets, videos, or any activity that would keep the kids quiet and seated.
I think kids need to be allowed to talk about, touch, and see what they are learning. All kids learn differently, but they learn more if they enjoy what they are doing.
A survival teacher is the opposite of an impact teacher. They are ones that sit back and watch. The saying "armchair quarterback" comes to mind. They are saying all the things of what should be done, but they never actually jump in the game and play. They criticize, think they could be better if it was them in there, but in the end they never even take a try at it. They are not creative in their teaching methods. Parents intimidate them, and they are not willing to be leaders. They blend in so they won't get noticed, and then head for the doors when the bell rings.
ReplyDeleteSurvival teachers are probably not on anyone's list of "Most Favorite Teacher". As someone else previously stated, they are pretty much just doing what is necessary to be able to collect their paycheck. They're okay with the status quo; they're mainly doing just the bare minimum. It's a shame, but I'm thinking, if a teacher is in this mode, why is he or she still teaching? Does he or she think it's too late to pursue a different career? It's such a detriment to students who have a "survival teacher".
ReplyDeleteIf you think about the teachers who are on your list of most favorite teacher, they are likely impact teachers. Many of you have had some fabulous descriptions of what an impact teacher is. They genuinely care about their students, not just helping them learn, but they care about their students as the unique individuals that they are. They believe that each student is capable of achieving great things and strive to help them however they can. They want to go the extra mile to help that one student understand a particular concept better. They put a lot of time and energy into their job as teacher because they are passionate about what they do.
Survival teachers I think are the ones that give their children busy work. These would mean the dreaded worksheets! Instead of giving the children hands on activities that they could not only enjoy doing but will learn numerous things from these. These are also the teachers that show videos or movies during class anything to keep their students busy so they have very minimal interaction with them. They are also the teachers that leave very shortly after the bell rings, the less time they spend working they think this is best. They are the teachers that try to blend in with everyone and do not want to stand out as a teacher. It's so sad to see how many of these were in my local school that I worked at previously....
ReplyDeleteWhat makes Impact teachers EFFECTIVE teachers?
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are effective teachers because they really care about the students. They provide feedback, goals, planned lessons, and clear precise instructions. They encourage children to learn and participate.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR AN IMPACT TEACHER TO BRING THEIR WORLD TO LIFE?"
Impact teachers bring their world to life through showing enthusiasm for the subject, school, and teaching. There is a relaxed atmosphere to the room because the teacher is more open and easygoing. Impact teachers are resourceful, creative, imaginative, positive, systematic, well organized, focused, determined, and hardworking. They also demonstrate empathy, fairness, caring, and approachability.
Impact teachers get the students excited for school and make them wonder what is coming next. School will be fun and exciting because it is not always the same thing and boring.
What are survival teachers doing that we should NOT do?
Survival teachers are opposite of impact teachers. Survival teachers are not enthusiastic about being at school and do not put effort into making school fun for the students. These teachers lecture and give mundane assignments.
Cassie Clark, you hit the nail on the head. The ones who are work sheet gods. I use this scenario in all of my classes. My 11 year old son could come into my college classes and hand out worksheets and say, "ok students these are due tomorrow." hahah It's true. You don't need a college degree to hand out worksheets. Any idiot off the street can hand out worksheets and sit behind a desk. that is NOT teaching. SO, if teaching is not worksheets...what is it and how do we achieve it? Howard Gardner calls this Multiple Entry Points. Lets talk about Multiple Entry Points. What does it mean? Give examples. Thanks, Splichal
ReplyDeleteIt is keeping the interest of your students with different activities you do with the topics of study at the time. Multiple entry points such as the experimental one introduce you experimental entry approach it is a hand on learning, dealing directly with materials virtual and physical; simulations and personal explanations. There is a narrative point read or tell a story narrative. Let the students see different views when reading something by writing something of their own that is relevant to the topic they read. The logical and deductive entry point, you use deductive reasoning such as cause and effect relationship.
ReplyDeleteIn order to reach the Impact stage of teaching, you must first be an effective teacher. There are many things that go into becoming/being an effective teacher. I believe that the first, and most important, step in becoming an effective teacher is why you want to become a teacher. In a previous course I took, I heard responses on why people wanted to be a teacher that included “I want to have summers off” and “I don’t know what else to do”. An effective teacher needs to look at teaching as a profession that they love, and not just a job that provides them with a paycheck. An effective teacher also needs to have the desire to teach, the desire to make a difference in the lives of their students, and the love of sharing knowledge and the belief that every student is capable of learning. Effective teachers must also possess, or learn, excellent management, organizational, and communication skills.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to Becky stating that the people whose only motivation is to have paid summers off and paid days off are the "survival teachers" These are the teachers that all the students dread getting. As a parent of four I have made it a point to be active in my children's school by volunteering. My oldest had a kindergarten teacher who on the first day of school told the parents and students that she hated teaching and the only reason she has taught for 25 years was because she was to old to start another career. from that point on I was a very active mom in the school.
ReplyDeleteI cannot even conceive of a teacher that tell her new students and their parents that she hated teaching! Why is that woman still allowed to teach? And especially kindergarten! If a child does not have a good experience in kindergarten, it can only go downhill from there.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for being involved. Sometimes it takes an effective parent to make up for a survival teacher's shortcomings.
Multiple Entry points are related the the seven multiple intelligences described by Gardner. Basically there are seven different intelligences (Linguistic, Logical, Spatial, Bodily, Musical, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal). Each person is more strong in some abilities than others and that is where the multiple entries comes into play. Each person has a different learning style and there are going to be multiple learning styles in one classroom such as auditory, visual, hands on etc. The entry points are those styles or the entryway for the student to learn the subject matter. It's up to the teacher to provide the multiple entry points to all the students to maximize their learning. A teacher can do this by providing lessons in different formats, beyond reading the text they can listen to the teacher lecture, they can get involved in a hands on activity or they can create the lessons themselves. When all of the learning styles are taken into consideration and all of the entry points are "open" all of the students will learn to the best of their ability. Multiple entry points are like doors that the teacher has to open for the students to be able to enter.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin, that last sentence was a wonderful way of looking at it. Isn't that what teaching is all about? Finding those doors for each student? We don't all learn in the same way so in order to educate children don't we need to teach with a variety of methods? An effective teacher is going to use Gardner's ideas of multiple entry points and the different intelligences when planning lessons because she wants to reach all of her students. For example, my oldest daughter learned her letters by looking at books with me and doing workbooks. My second daughter wanted nothing to do with sitting there and identifying letters. She was no less intelligent at the same age, but she was more kinesthetic in her learning. I drew the letters on our driveway with chalk and told her to jump on different letters. She knew everyone of them. I think that as teachers if we don't use different methods of instructing then some students begin to think that they aren't smart and check out of the education process when really they just learn in a different style then is being presented.
ReplyDeleteI see two sides of the spectrum, either they want to be best friends or be very strict. The ones who want to be friends usually find themselves losing the respect of their students. The need to be a teacher first, then their friend. The ones who are more strict are the ones students do not like. It is hard to find a happy medium. We need to be good role models for the children so that we can guide them into adulthood. This is very important. Some teachers lose concept of this while teaching.
ReplyDeleteI would just have to say that if you are a 'survival' teacher then you don't need to be teaching at all. It's obviously not your calling. I'm just saying.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes an an impact, effective teachers. Teacher effectiveness has been found to strongly influence student progress. The focus on learning, for both student and faculty, has the potential to improve learning and teaching. For improvement to take place, there must be some form of communication of feedback between student and teacher. I certainly
ReplyDeleteagree that giving students frequent
feedback helps them to learn
As I was reading, I saw some comments about kids learning differently. I totally agree, some kids will be hands on learners and some love to learn by hearing it or seeing it. You do have to love what you do to reach all of them. I feel bad for the kids who have the survival teacher, and I can not believe that a teacher would tell the students and parents that she hates teaching. I am very active in my kids schooling and I volunteer at the school. If I heard that as a parent, I would have to talk to the principal. That teacher should not be there for sure.
ReplyDeleteI think that an impact teacher is effective because they can relate to the kids and understand their side too. When a kid struggles an impact teacher takes the time to figure out why that child is struggling or tries to get to the bottom of what is going on. They figure out if it is something that they do not understand or if it is something personal. An impact teacher takes the time for their students. Impact teachers are teachers to make a difference and teacher because they love it and want to make a difference. I want to be that impact teacher and make that difference in a child's life just like I had the experience of having a teacher Impact my education.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers listen to their students; they take the time to get to know each student and their background. Impact teachers care about their students and want them to succeed in life. When they teach a subject, they don't just read the book; they bring that book alive for the student. By making the lesson fun and interactive, making it relate to what they already understand, using past knowledge to help them remember the new knowledge. An impact teacher takes the time for their students. Impact teachers are teachers to make a difference and teacher because they love it and want to make a difference. I want to be that impact teacher and make that difference in a child's life just like I had the experience of having a teacher Impact my education.
ReplyDeleteLet me clarify something: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO RESPOND TO EACH OF MY QUESTIONS. Some of you are still talking about Impact teachers when my last question was about Multiple Entry points. I don't grade based on if you answer each of my questions. So look at my last/latest question and go from there. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteI still want to focus on Multiple Entry points. Give me examples. Caitlin did a wonderful job starting this conversation. How do we teach with varied instruction???? Thanks, Splichal
Last year in my science internship class, the mentor teacher varied her instruction for each class. Instead of staying for just one class, I would often stay for several classes just to see how she varied her instruction. She taught a lesson on the States of Matter. First they read about it from their science book, then she had notes on the screen that she read and talked about, the students wrote these down in their notebook. In both the reading and note taking she asked questions about the States of Matter; gas,liquid and solid. Then she had all the students stand up and they had to first act like a gas - and they were bouncing off the walls into each other, etc. Then she had them stop and act like a liquid - this time they moved a bit slower and then last she had them act like a solid and they all had to fit into a space cooperatively that she designated. I thought it was a great lesson to get the concept of how the particles move and react. It also showed how applying the different intelligences in one lesson could meet the needs of her students.
ReplyDeleteIn one of my previous classes we talked about the importance of using the different multiple entry points when teaching. Different children learn in different ways. Some teachers that I have observed have done different activities to teach one lesson. An example was for the different sound the letter "y" makes. The teacher read a story, taught a song, and did a hands on activity. She had a wide range of things for the children to do. When I was in school I learned best with songs. So, I learned my states, presidents, and multiplication facts by song. Impact teachers will take the time to figure out how each students learns the best and play on that.
ReplyDeleteI believe that varying instruction allows students to see instruction from multiple angles where one angle may not turn the lightbulb on so to speak, but the next angle that the teacher uses might just give that student the "aha" moment. I also believe this allows for a change, so the delivery is not monotounous. change in delivery will help keep attention levels high and focus which will allow the students to absorb more.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are there to make a difference. They care about their students, they want to see they succeed. Impact teachers know what they can do to help those who struggle. They show their students that they are there for them academically and on a personal level. When students can't connect with their teachers, they don't see any reason for learning what they are teaching.
ReplyDeleteMultiple entry points is basically multiple ways one can learn something. This week I observed a 2nd grade class and seen the teacher use this. A couple children struggled to identify letters of a word and she used a song and phonic sounds to help them figure it out. She had them physically make the letter with their fingers or arms or she wrote it on their back as well. When trying to retell the story in their own words, if they struggled, she had them act it out and they became much better at remembering how the story went. I have observed other classes where they simply read the book- paraphrased a couple sentences and that was it. It was nice to see several different tactics used to get through to each child.
ReplyDeleteThe multiple entries is focused on the different types of learning styles. There is a style of teaching for every student. Each approach fits the character of the students. There are seven different methods (Visual, bodily, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical) that are unique to the different personalities. I am not a teacher yet but these points are ideal to apply to my children. I have 3 kids and each of them has a different personality. I matched them with a multiple point. My oldest is a logic student because she likes the thrill of investigations and experiments. My middle boy is a very social student and if he could just talk on the phone he would be happy. He likes to learn though technology. For him the interpersonal style is very appropriate. Then, we have my youngest that is very strict on his persona and does not fall out of character. He is a very independent and thinks he “knows it all”. All the points can be applied to help with every child’s unique way of learning
ReplyDeleteI actually helped a first grader with adding single digits. First I had them circle the larger number, then I had them show me how many fingers the smaller number was, then I told them to say the number that was circled, and then count on with their fingers. The way I explained it-it must have been more visual than the teacher-the student totally got it. That was a good feeling. The teacher was so happy that the student could understand it. Sometimes a different person makes all the difference!
ReplyDeleteLike Cristy said earlier, I am not a teacher yet either, but when I worked with the kids that I was babysitting with their homework what I do is explain it in any way they learn best. When the youngest one was working on addition and subtraction I used M&Ms to help him count. I believe it was counting to 10 or 20. I would have him add up all the blues and then try and count how many more he needed to get to 10. With the middle child she is more of a book worm and needs to read something and have specific instructions to follow to know that she is doing it correctly. She is very strict on herself and prides herself on perfection so she will work on something and have me check it till she knows that everything is perfect. The oldest is a social butterfly she is an interpersonal learner. She loves to socialize and figure stuff out, really using the technology aspects and friends to help her out. When I become a teacher I am looking forward to bringing in each of these to all of my lessons so that all the kids may be able to understand what I am teaching.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about my personal entry points. We need to understand our own strengths so that we can use them and work on areas that we might not be as strong in. For instance, several people said that they learned information through songs. Personally, this never worked for me. I never could master an instrument and I can’t sing, other than in the car with no one listening. But I need to be aware of that, because I will have students that relate to learning through songs very well. I can’t avoid it because I don’t like it, so I will have to be willing to adapt.
ReplyDeleteEllen I really like the point you just made. Not only do our students have multiple learning styles and entry points but we do too. We can use our particular learning styles as an area of strength. We must remember though that in order to reach out to all of our students we can't just stick with one learning style or what we feel comfortable with. It's important to get creative and think outside of the box when teaching.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting in this class that we are discussing impact and survivial teachers because in my city, I attended our Educational Summit last winter and the speaker hit on this topic very well. His name is Anthony Muhammed and he has written a book about improving the culture of any school. He used to be a principal in Michigan in a very low performing, crime-ridden school and realized that he had to change the mentality of his staff in order to improve student achievement. He labeled teachers in 4 different categories, one being the fundamentalist which sounds very similar to the survival teacher. He stated that there are a few in every school and the key is decreasing their power and influence and they will lose their drive. I know this question is no longer in rotation but I had to respond to this.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the multiple entries question, I think that this is crucial to effective instruction. This can simply be showing your students something in multiple forms. It could be varied instruction such as differentiating activities or simply allowing students to work with content in a variety of mediums such as computer, paper/pencil, small group, etc. This is crucial to student learning because we don't all learn in the same way. If we are to be effective educators, we have to offer our students the ability to reach them in a way they understand. Teaching is not a system anymore that allows a teacher to lay a worksheet in front of the class and sit down. Those teachers won't make it in this challenging field.
We are all unique individuals, and as such, we all have different learning styles, which many of us have read in other classes. It will be so imperative that we keep this in mind with our students; some of them may be more visual learners, some more auditory learners. For those of you who have had Dr. Walizer, she points this teaching method out often. Her on-campus lectures are available through Adobe Connect for the virtual candidates who prefer both the visual and the audio. She also makes the class material available via podcast for students who would rather hear it. Last spring with PP&O observations, I observed a 5th grade teacher who demonstrated some great examples of varied classroom instruction. The students were reviewing for state testing which could become quite monotonous and boring for anyone. Using her Smart board, she first projected math workbook problems up for the class to work through together. She called on many different students to discuss how they solved the problem and was very encouraging of different ideas. After about 20-30 minutes of this, she had the students get into groups. Each group chose a colored sheet of poster board. They were each given a set of numbers in which they would use to construct a graph, and calculate mean, mode, median, and range, along with some other possible data. (I can’t remember if there were other requirements.) They worked so well together on this project within their groups. Each individual in the group participated in a significant way. They made decisions together as to how the information would be arranged on the poster board and figured out the calculations on their own. They were totally engaged in this assignment. Each group presented their constructions to the class. I say all of this to say, the teacher came up with some other ways of teaching this math material, other than just hearing it audibly, the children could see it and physically work it out with their own two hands. They also worked together with others within their group, rather than just sitting at their desk doing it on their own. I think students can learn a lot from their fellow students sometimes. Working together for a common purpose is a great thing for children to be able to do.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are effective because they keep on learning. They go to workshops, in-services, conferences, and learn from other teachers. Impact teachers make a difference in their students life. There is trust between the student and teacher.An effective teacher knows how to bring the class to order quickly and how to explain rules and procedures.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ellen's comment as well-
ReplyDeleteWe need to recognize our weakness and improve those areas so we can better serve the students entry points even if we aren't comfortable. I am the same way- I would probably hesitate to sing in front of people, but if it makes the difference whether the kids get it or not- its about them not us
Impact teachers are EFFECTIVE teachers because their learning never stops. They are passionate about their profession and about their students. They are willing to go out of "the box" to come up with different learning methods that can work for all students. They take the time to get to know their students, what triggers their learning and respects them. Respect is mutual between students and teachers creating a positive classroom environment. There is trust and a bond is created. Effective teachers make an IMPACT on a student's life, and is a teacher that is remembered.
ReplyDeleteI am late getting into the conversation as well. Regarding the multiple learning styles, Impact Teachers will realize that students don't all learn in the same way. They will have different ways to approach the lessons, so that all the students will understand the concepts. They will make connections to what they are teaching to fit into real-world situations, to further the students' understanding. Impact Teachers will take the time to CARE whether or not the children are understanding, and adjust their methods if they are not working.
ReplyDeleteKim,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about doing things outside of our comfort zone. If we continue to do things that keeps us in our comfort zone, we aren't doing all we can. We as future teachers need to realize that our training is in fact a lifetime venture and that we need to welcome new ideas and accept change. We have to be willing to change as our classrooms change. By being courageous and implementing multiple points of entry we will better engage our students and further facilitate the learning process.
Our latest discussion reminded me of an economics course I took in college and several times after reading our assignments and taking notes during a lecture, our professor would take the extra step to relate the topic into real world terms for the class. By taking a topic and explaining in terms of real life situations really made it click. I was grateful for this because on several occasions, I was not following the jist of the topic at hand and through his explanations/examples, the idea stuck with me. This was very important, and probably so often overlooked by many. It didn't take that much extra time to further explain and it made all the difference for me. I often wonder how many other students it may have affected the same way!
ReplyDeleteKim,
ReplyDeleteI would hesitate to sing in front of the students too. Definitely not in my comfort zone. But, like you said, "it's about the students, not us." Which reminds me of another example that the science teacher used regarding multiple entry points. As the students were entering her room (6th grade), the science teacher had a video/powerpoint running. It was about atoms and the song was the ATOM's family (sung to the tune of the Adam's Family) - the kids were singing it and snapping along. Here is the link if anyone would like to see the words. Her video had the words and music playing.
http://mabryonline.org/blogs/sumrell/images/Atom%27s%20Family%20Song.pdf
I think that impact teachers are effective teachers because they are able to find that middle ground between connecting with the students and being friends with the students. Impact teachers earn the respect of the students by being on their side and being willing to help them to the best of their ability. Impact teachers are always learning and adapting to the culture of their class, they don't treat all classes the same and are willing to listen to the students to improve their teaching abilities.
ReplyDeleteI agree with William, multiple entries is crucial. Never in a classroom will you have 20-30 students learn the same way. You as the teacher need to adjust for the students and do different ways of teaching something. When I was in school, my best way of learning and still learning is, I need someone to show me, I cant just listen and read a chapter and then tell them what I just learned. Especially if I am not interested in it. As a teacher, you make it interesting even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone, as someone else had said.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers are effective teachers for many reasons. Impact teachers are the teachers that help students go beyond what they thought they could achieve. Impact teachers are the teachers that make a difference in the lives of their students, the teachers that you want to go back and visit years later. Impact teachers make it possible for the students to succeed and make it so they believe in themselves. Impact teaches inspire students possible to go into teaching or just to go into the field they want to work in. Impact teachers aren’t just teachers they are inspiring.
ReplyDeleteWe teach with varied instruction when we allow children to be creative. Not all students learn in the same way and by getting to know your students you will learn the ways in which they learn. One way I can think of to do this at the beginning of the year when you don’t yet know the student is to have them teach. I have to confess I did not come up with this on my own. At the beginning of the school year the teacher of the year was our guest speaker. He was talking about creativity but, my though is how better to see how a student learns than by seeing how they would teach. In checking for reading comprehension he gave each of the students a chapter and they were to teach the chapter to the class. They could do it anyway that they wanted. Some of the students talked about what they had read, others had pictures that told what they had read about. One student filmed a short skit with help of classmate and there was a three dimensional artwork of one of the chapters. Each of these ways is a different way in which the students learn and a great ways in which we can teach to reach the different learning styles.
ReplyDeleteImpact teachers work every day to be better professionals and better people. An impact teacher is always thinking/reflecting on what will be best for the students. Impact teachers work during the weekends and throughout the summer because teaching is not a job. It is a life style.
ReplyDeleteI believe all effective teachers are “survival” teachers at some point of their carrier.
ReplyDeleteMultiple entry points spring from multiple intelligences. Each student has a different mix of aptitudes that effect how best they learn and what they learn best. The teacher can know this about the students to some extent by analyzing the students’ aptitude tests. From there the teacher should be able to tell what methods will be most effective for the whole class, and which students might require additional instruction presented in another way.
ReplyDeleteIn math for example the teacher can lecture and explain problems on the board, and for the students that may have stronger spatial skills than logic, the teacher could reinforce the lesson with charts that demonstrate the concept so those students can begin to think about math in a spatial manner. Others may require group activities and groups could be assigned where interaction yields the most achievement. Others may respond better to the verbal or reading cues and assignments for reading can benefit them.
The teacher can mix the delivery methods to meet the diverse strengths of the students and thereby facilitate the best potential for achievement for all the students.
Impact teachers have connected with their students. They love to share their knowledge with their students. They never stop learning themselves and are excited to try new things with their kids, to see the kids "get it",they have high expectations and and are positive. They enjoy their profession.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great video we watched in my Ed. Psych class - it's about Effective Teachers and what makes them Effective.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=0C6529A0-E87C-11E0-B00E000C296BA163&aka=0
Christine,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great video; it reiterates that good teachers are very motivated. I like the fact that hands on is a positive comment from all the great teachers on the video. My most fascinating fact on the video is that one of the teachers gets so excited by seeing the students get the point of the lesson. The amount of great things that teachers provide is very well put in the video. I do agree that salary is important to keep at a respectful amount. I would be a great incentive to keep effective teachers.