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What Does It Mean to Teach More Powerfully?

WhatDoesItMeanToTeachMorePowerfully?
RachelNail
MathMethodsSec.312:451:45
BrighamYoungUniversityIdaho
May4,2015

What Does It Mean to Teach More Powerfully?

Childrenhavemanydifferentwaysoflearningandasateacher,itisimportanttoteach
theminthemostpowerfulwaypossible.Apowerfulwayofteachingisteachinginawaythat
studentsareabletoapplyprinciplestheylearntoeverydaylife.Sooftenstudentsdontreally
understandthesowhatofmath.Asteachers,itisaresponsibilitytoteachstudentsthesowhatto
themathprinciples,theyarelearning.Therearemanyarticlesthattalkaboutdifferentstrategies
forteachingchildreninthemostpowerfulway.Thereareseveralimportantpracticesofteaching
childrenpowerfully.Thesepracticesincludeaskinggoodquestions,differentiatingpractices,and
takeintoaccounttheindividualneedsofstudents.
(Gudmundson,2008)stated,Usingcarefullywordedquestions,youcanguideyour
studentsthroughadiscoveryexperience,whichwillhavefargreatereffectthanalecture
experience,inwhichateacherdumpsinformationonstudents.Whenstudentsaredirectedto
theirownexperiences,theylearnalotmoreinformationthanateachersimplylecturing.For
example,thelearningmodelatBrighamYoungUniversityIdahotherearethreestepsto
learning.
Studentslearnbycomingtoclasspreparedtolearn,thenteachingoneanother,throughclass
discussionandaskingquestions.Thethirdstepisbyponderingthethingstheyhavelearnedand
provingitthroughassessmentofmaterialandapplicationtoeverydaylife.Thiswayoflearning
ispowerfulbecausetheteacherissimplyafacilitatorofgreaterinstructionandthestudentsare
learningthrougheachotherandlearningcontinuesbeyondleavingschoolandgraduating.
Anotherpowerfulpracticeofteachingchildrenisdifferentiatingteachingpractices.
Tomlinson(August2000)said,Differentiationmeanstailoringinstructiontomeetindividual
needs.Whetherteachersdifferentiatecontent,process,products,orthelearningenvironment,the

What Does It Mean to Teach More Powerfully?

useofongoingassessmentandflexiblegroupingmakesthisasuccessfulapproachto
instruction.Studentslearnbestwhenateacherunderstandsthebackgroundofthestudentand
applyprinciplestotheirlearning.Anexampleofthisisateacherfoundoutoneofherstudents
lovedeverythingaboutthetitanic.Shegavethestudentmathwordproblemsbasedonthetitanic
andrelatedhislearningtothethingsheliked.Teacherscandothisforstudentsandbaselearning
onthethingstheylikebest.Therearefourdifferentwaystodifferentiatinginstruction.This
differentiationincludescontent,process,products,andlearningenvironment.Contenttalks
aboutwhatisspecificallybeingtaught.Processisthethingsthataregoingtobedonetoget
there,projects,presentations,etc.Learningenvironmentisthesettinginwhichstudentsare
beingtaught.Tomlinson(August2000)stated,Whetherteachersdifferentiatecontent,process,
products,orthelearningenvironment,theuseofongoingassessmentandflexiblegrouping
makesthisasuccessfulapproachtoinstruction.Itissoimportantbecauseeverysinglestudent
isdifferentandtheyalllearndifferentways.Differentiatingpracticesisyetanotherwayof
makingteachingmorepowerfulthroughteachingtoneedsversusjustteachingcontent.
Anotherimportantpartofpowerfulteachingisreallyunderstandingyourstudents.
Tucker(2000)talksaboutdifferentimpairmentsthatstudentscanhave.Onesuchimpairmentis
alearningdisability.Tucker(2000,pp.20)says,Havingalearningdisabilityisnotthesameas
havinglowintelligence.Indeeditisnotatalluncommonforchildrenwithlearningdisabilitiesto
havehighintelligence.Theymayevenbegiftedand,atthesametime,learningdisabled.They
tendtobestronginsomeareasandweakinothers. Therearealsostudentswithvisualor
auditoryimpairments,aswellasphysicalimpairments.Whencreatinglessonplansforstudents,
itsimportanttotaketheseimpairmentsthatstudentshaveintoconsideration.Dontclassify

What Does It Mean to Teach More Powerfully?

thembytheirdisabilitybuthelpeachindividualstudenttogainagoodunderstandingofthe
materialandbegenuinewithstudents.Reallycaringforstudentsiswhatmakesteaching
powerful.Studentsknowwhenateacherisgenuineandtheylovetheirjob.Bethekindof
teacherthatstudentslovebecausetheyfeelcaredfor.Thatiswhatbringspower.
IbelievetheseprinciplesaresomewhatsimilartothewaysthatIlearnedmath.Idont
trulyrememberalltheindividualprinciplesthatweretaughtandhowitwastaughtbutIdo
rememberhavingamathclassinwhichIstruggled.Thisclasswasgeometry.Myteacherwas
fromCanadaandhadaverythickaccent.Heclassifiedtheclassintosmartstudentsandnormal.
Thesmartstudentshadadifferentcolortestfromtheotherstudents.Oneparticulartimeinclass
IwastryingtocompleteanassignmentwhichIdidnotunderstand.IaskedforhelpandIwas
toldtoreadthedirections.Thedirectionswereanswereachquestioninthespaceprovided.The
directionsdidnotprovideanytypeofinstruction.Hedidkeepmeafteronedaytoexplain
something.ItmadesensebutIwaslateforthebustoswimteamandhadtofindmyownwayto
getthere.IalmostfailedtheclassbecauseIsimplydidnotunderstand.ItwasntuntilIwas
switchedfromtheclass,thatIbegantosucceed.Thisexperienceasastudentwasfrustrating.I
didntfeellikemyteachercaredaboutmysuccessandIalwaysfeltverylowintheclassbecause
hedividedtheclass.Hedidntseemtowanttohelpmeunderstandeither.Ididnthavethe
desire
tobebetterbecauseIwasntoneofthesmartstudents.Afterwritingthispaperandtalking
aboutthemorepowerfulwaystoteachstudents,IseethattherearemanywaysthatIcan
improveandtakethisexampleanduseitasthewayIwillnotteachmathinmyfuture
classroom.

What Does It Mean to Teach More Powerfully?


ThewaythatIwillteachmathinamorepowerfulmannerisfirstofall,theprinciple
aboutcaringforeachindividualstudentandtheirsuccess.Havingthedesiretobeaspecial
educationpreschoolteacher,therewillbealotofopportunitiestoteachtoindividualneeds,and
careabouttheindividualneedsofthechild.Iwillbetheteacherwherestudentsknowtheyare
caredfor,instructionisindividualizedtoaccommodateneedsaswellashelpingstudentsto
understandtheirpotential.Usingmanipulativestoillustrateaspecificmathproblemispowerful
forateachertouse.Teachingthroughusingdifferentiatedinstructioniskeytohelpstudents
learnindividualprinciplesanddevelopnewandfunwaystogetthere.Learningdoesnthaveto
beboring.Studentscanlearnandhavefunatthesametime.Therearethreeimportantprinciples
forteacherstoremembertobemorepowerfulinteachingasstatedinthetextbook.Tucker
(2000)stated,1.)Developnewideaswithincontextsthatarefamiliartothechildren,building
ontheirownexperiences.2.)Encouragethechildrentocommunicateaboutmathematicsintheir
ownwords.3.)Getinsidetheheadsofthechildren.Learnhowtheythink.Learntothinkas
theydo.Eachoftheseprincipleswillhelpeachteachertobemoreeffective.Beingapowerful
teachermakesallthedifferenceintheworldtoeachindividualstudent.Theworkandeffortput
intobeapowerfulteacher,makesallthedifferenceintheworld.

What Does It Mean to Teach More Powerfully?

Works Cited Page


Gudmundson, Brian (January 2008). Questions, the Heart of Learning and Teaching.
Ensign.Retrieved from http://lds.org/ensign/2008/01/questions-the-heart-of-learning-andteaching? lang=eng
Excerpted from: Tomlinson, C. A. (August, 2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the
Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood
Education. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/263)
Tucker, Benny F. (2006, 2002) Teaching mathematics to all children: designing and
adapting instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners/ Benny F. Tucker, Ann H. Singleton,
Terry L. Weaver- 2nd ed.
Zemelman,S.,Daniels,D.,&Hyde,A.(2005).BestPractice.Today'sStandardsfor
Teaching&LearninginAmerica'sSchools.Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.Retrivedfromhttp://
www.heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/e00744/sample.pdf

What Does It Mean to Teach More Powerfully?

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