Ryan writing:
This might cause some controversy, but I'm writing here as a guy taking a teaching methods course and I've been reading this textbook, "Secondary School Teaching: A Guide to Methods and Resources."
There was a line in the book, the eleventh chapter, that states this, "If conditions were ideal (which they are not), and if teachers did their job perfectly well (which many of us do not), then all students would receive top marks (the ultimate in mastery or quality learning)..."
This means that if there was the perfect classroom and the perfect teacher, all the students would get an "A". I do have a problem with this because, as good of a teacher that I might be, there are still students in my class who do not get an "A". Therefore, any student who doesn't get an "A" in my class is a result of either my poor classroom or my poor teaching skills. I just find that to be false...I do not believe the entire onus of responsibility lays at my doorstep.
The student is required to do his homework, study for the tests, memorize the verses, and complete class projects. These things are just a fact of life and if the student does not do them, I cannot be blamed. If I instruct the student in how to do the assignment, give the assignment and the due date, and then collect the assignment which a particular student did not do, it is false to go further and say, "Well, that student did not do his assignment because the teacher wasn't inspiring enough." It is only in our culture of complete disassociation with any type of responsibility that a statement like this could be made. It's just as bad as the phrase, "A teacher has not taught until the student has learned." On its surface, it doesn't sound like a bad phrase to live by and in some ways can be seen as an accurate phrase. However, the student does retain some responsibility to learn!
Anyway, thank you for allowing me to vent my frustration. I have not been a fan of this particular textbook and do not believe there is all that much useful information in it that you would not receive in the first two weeks of actual teaching. That is my "official" review of the book and if you were thinking about going out any buying a $88.00 dollar textbook covering Secondary School Teaching (http://www.amazon.com/), I would avoid this one.
This might cause some controversy, but I'm writing here as a guy taking a teaching methods course and I've been reading this textbook, "Secondary School Teaching: A Guide to Methods and Resources."
There was a line in the book, the eleventh chapter, that states this, "If conditions were ideal (which they are not), and if teachers did their job perfectly well (which many of us do not), then all students would receive top marks (the ultimate in mastery or quality learning)..."
This means that if there was the perfect classroom and the perfect teacher, all the students would get an "A". I do have a problem with this because, as good of a teacher that I might be, there are still students in my class who do not get an "A". Therefore, any student who doesn't get an "A" in my class is a result of either my poor classroom or my poor teaching skills. I just find that to be false...I do not believe the entire onus of responsibility lays at my doorstep.
The student is required to do his homework, study for the tests, memorize the verses, and complete class projects. These things are just a fact of life and if the student does not do them, I cannot be blamed. If I instruct the student in how to do the assignment, give the assignment and the due date, and then collect the assignment which a particular student did not do, it is false to go further and say, "Well, that student did not do his assignment because the teacher wasn't inspiring enough." It is only in our culture of complete disassociation with any type of responsibility that a statement like this could be made. It's just as bad as the phrase, "A teacher has not taught until the student has learned." On its surface, it doesn't sound like a bad phrase to live by and in some ways can be seen as an accurate phrase. However, the student does retain some responsibility to learn!
Anyway, thank you for allowing me to vent my frustration. I have not been a fan of this particular textbook and do not believe there is all that much useful information in it that you would not receive in the first two weeks of actual teaching. That is my "official" review of the book and if you were thinking about going out any buying a $88.00 dollar textbook covering Secondary School Teaching (http://www.amazon.com/), I would avoid this one.
1 comment:
Ok Ryan - you ARE entitled to the posting of this blog! I agree with you! If you look at the root of this, it is based in the belief that children are good to begin with and we just need to bring that good out of them. . . which we know from scripture is the opposite of the truth. I'd take it all with a grain of salt too. . . as long as students are the "victims," they will never learn to exercise discipline and self-control to the glory of God. . . who needs to if you can blame all your problems on the teacher?! Set your standards high just as God sets His standards for us!
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