What are Good Teachers

     What defines a good teacher? Actually, the defintions are endless. Here are just some of the qualities of a good teacher retrieved from http://www.adprima.com/tipson.htm (If you are the owner of this site, kindly inform me if you don't want your site's content be posted here)

Good teachers:

• are good at explaining things. Do you like to explain how something works, or how something happened? Being comfortable with explaining content to students is an essential skill for teachers, regardless of the subject or grade level.

• keep their cool. There will be times when you will be tempted to scream or yell at your students, other teachers, parents, administrators, and so on. Good teachers are able to successfully resist this urge

• have a sense of humor. Research has consistently shown that good teachers have a sense of humor, and that they are able to use humor as part of their teaching methods. Humor, used properly, can be a powerful addition to any lesson.

• like people, especially students in the age range in which they intend to teach. Most teachers choose an area of specialization such as elementary education, special education, secondary education, or higher education because they have a temperament for students in those age ranges. If you are not comfortable working with young children, don't major in elementary education!
• are inherently fair-minded. They are able to assess students on the basis of performance, not on the students' personal qualities.

• have "common sense." It may sound a bit corny, but good teachers are practical. They can size up a situation quickly and make an appropriate decision. Whether managing a classroom, leading students on a field trip, seamlessly shifting from one instructional procedure to another, assigning detentions, supervising an intern, or dealing with policy and curriculum issues in the school, there is no substitute for common sense.
• have a command of the content they teach. For elementary school teachers, that means having knowledge of a broad range of content in sufficient depth to convey the information in meaningful ways to the students. For secondary school teachers, it usually means having an in-depth command of one or two specific content areas such as mathematics or biology.

• set high expectations for their students and hold the students to those expectations. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, you should set high expectations for yourself, and demand excellence not only of yourself, but your students as well.

• are detail oriented. If you are a disorganized person in your private life, you will find that teaching will probably be uncomfortable for you. At the very least, teachers must be organized in their professional and teaching duties. If you're not organized and are not detail oriented, teaching may not be the best choice of a profession for you.
• are good managers of time. Time is one of the most precious resources a teacher has. Good teachers have learned to use this resource wisely.
• can lead or follow, as the situation demands. Sometimes, teachers must be members of committees, groups, councils, and task forces. Having the temperament to function in these capacities is extremely important. At other times, teachers assume leadership roles. Be sure you are comfortable being a leader or a follower, because sooner or later, you will be called on to function in those roles.
• don't take things for granted. This applies to everything, from selecting a college or school of education to filing papers for certification. Good follow-through habits should be cultivated throughout life, but they are never more important than during your teacher education program. Read the catalog, know the rules, be aware of prerequisites and meet deadlines. In one sense, you don't learn to teach by getting a degree and becoming certified. You learn to teach in much the same way you learned to drive -- by driving. You learn to teach by teaching, by making mistakes, learning from them and improving. The purpose of a teacher education program is to get you as ready as possible to learn how to teach by subjecting you to a variety of methods and experiences that have a basis in tradition and research.
• have some "hard bark" on them. Take it from me as a teacher in both public schools and at the university level, that you need some hard bark in order to survive let alone thrive. to illustrate the point, here is an excerpt from an ADPRIMA page that discusses the subject in more detail:

        John Russell, the name of the character played by Paul Newman in the 1967 movie "Hombre," was told, in the latter part of the film by a man he had just shot in order to protect a group of innocent, yet cowardly people, "Mister, you've got some hard bark on you." Indeed he did, because he was both physically tough and tough minded. He was also realistic, honest, fair, and understood that sometimes doing the right thing involves risk. There is a lesson in all of this for education students.

        Without a doubt, young men and women entering the teaching profession today need to have some "hard bark" on them. If they don't, the small wounds inflicted by dealing with the everyday problems of teaching, disciplining, planning, counseling, dealing with administrators, colleagues, parents, and so on, mount up. If they're easily wounded by disappointment, rudeness, and even unfairness, they won't last because these things happen, and nothing will change that.

        All of these qualities define some of the characteristics of good teachers. If it is not your goal to become a good teacher at the very least, perhaps thinking about the above will help you see other career alternatives. A good idea, when first making such a decision, is to talk to teachers. Find out what they do, and what led them into teaching. Do a personal inventory of your own values, personality, preferences and goals. But, whatever you do, don't go into teaching simply because you love kids!

LET Results September 2012

CONGRATULATIONS to all who passed the LET this year. As I always say, enjoy the taste of success. Don't forget to give credit to God , to the people who helped you and of course to your self for all your hardwork and sacrifices. Remember that LET is just a beginning. Be a compassionate, caring and dedicated teacher when you enter the battlefield of teaching. To God be the Glory!!!

LET SEPTEMBER 2012 LIST OF PASSERS

AND THE TOPNOTCHERS....CONGRATS!!!

Principles of Teaching: Discipline in the Classroom

This is the second part of my posts about maintaining discipline in the classroom. Hope you will learn a lot.

7. Balance everything. Most of the time, disciplinary problems are caused by children having too many choices that they cannot handle making them overstimulated. They may have plenty of time, “dead” time specifically that they tend to become bored and restless. They may have a lot of space, thus giving them opportunity to move around a lot. Or they may have too much activities, too many to the point they get overwhelmed and find ways to withdraw and escape from the task. Learn to balance everything by making use of the resources (e.g. time, space or activity) wisely and orderly. This is where planning comes in. Plan a schedule for the class. Plan your daily activities. Plan the set-up of the classroom.

8. Divert the situation. Inappropriate behaviors are sometimes momentary. Sometimes they are situation-specific. So as teachers, divert the situation before it gets worse. Divert the situation by moving on with activity or moving the child to another place or environment. For instance, if one student is at the brink of getting conflict with another, ask the other to do a certain task, perhaps asking him/her to an errand for them to distract their conflict.

9. Most of the time, some students are attention-seekers. Some tend to “tease” us teachers and they achieve “victory” if we blurt out and lose our composure. Some just have misunderstandings out of petty things. In this case, the best way is to ignore. Some behaviors ignored are most of the time not reinforced. They tend to dwindle and even stop. Ignoring also gives students the chance to deal with their own conflicts thus developing intra and interpersonal skills. However, there are behaviors like aggression don’t end just by ignoring, and may in fact increase it if not given attention. Under this circumstance, a different approach should be utilized.

10. Reinforce appropriate behavior. Rewards are one of the most common positive reinforcement teachers give to students who exhibit good behavior. Don’t limit ourselves in just giving tangible rewards like “stars” or credits, rather we can make use of intangible rewards like praises, affirmations and encouragement on our side. Take note however, that as teachers we may reinforce not only good behavior but also bad behavior through our actions. Modelling is sometimes enough as a reinforcement for our students so we need to be conscious with our actions.

11. Make appropriate behavior contagious. In this situation, we can reinforce a behavior to a certain child if we reinforce peers or other children exhibiting a desirable behavior. This way, the misbehaving child may imitate those peers so that they too can have the same reinforcement. For example, some students in our class accomplished their tasks on time while some didn’t because they wasted their time doing nonsense stuff. We can praise the good ones and perhaps give them extra credit (positive reinforcement) or exempt them in doing certain work like cleaning or doing assignment for that day (negative reinforcement). Take not however that this approach should never be done with comparison of one child with another.

12. Develop cues or signals. We can utilize this by establishing routines in our classroom. Making cues or signals unique in our own classroom is only limited to the teacher’s imagination. Some teachers use bell to warn students that they are too noisy or they need to sit down. In my case, I usually do the 1-2-3 routine. Each number represents a behavior e.g. 1 for keeping quiet/minimize sound, 2 for sitting properly and 3 for listening to the teacher.

13. Use nonverbal communication. A raise in the eyebrow or simple facial expression is often enough to relay what behavior we want to our students. It saves our saliva, our voice and our time. It is also sometimes even more effective than words. Even our physical presence, by moving around or just standing quietly beside them can relay a message of support and guidance to our students.

14. Give students breathable atmosphere. Sometimes, as teachers we want to reinforce good behavior in our classroom that we tend to forget that we are controlling the students too much. Give them extra air to breath. Allow them to play or have fun in the room sometimes. Laugh with them or join them in their craziness at times.  Respect and discipline is not acquired by coercion, but by mutual and harmonious relationship of the teacher and the students. 

Quotes and Wisdom about Teaching: Quotations on Education

          It has been a long time since I posted about Teacher Wisdomedicine. For the information of everybody (who's everybody? LOL), this series of posts is all about empowering our teachers (as well as other people) about the noble task of the teaching profession. We can't ignore the fact that teaching really is a stressful job, and we can't blame teachers if they feel burned out. I hope that through these "inspiring" words, they may feel vitalized(sounds like vitamins...of course wisdoMEDICINE right?LOL) and still be inspired  to guide and mold the minds of our generation. I thank you...bow...These quotes by the way were retrieved from  http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/eduquote.htm ( If you...yes YOU, are the owner if this site and you don't want your site's content be posted here, kindly inform me and I will remove it as fast as I can.) Anyway, my gratitude for the the above link. Thank you. Please visit it if you want to read different quotes aside from education.

Education is...

One of the few things a person is willing to pay for and not get.

William Lowe Bryan (1860–1955) 10th president of Indiana University (1902 to 1937).

Hanging around until you've caught on.

Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963) American poet.

Man's going forward from cocksure ignorance to thoughtful uncertainty.

Kenneth G. Johnson (1922-2002) American educator, semanticist.

[A process] which makes one rogue cleverer than another.

Oscar Wilde (1856-1900) Irish poet and dramatist.

The inculcation of the incomprehensible into the ignorant by the incompetent.

Josiah Charles Stamp (1880-1941) British civil servant, industrialist, economist, statistician and banker.

[Education] consists mainly in what we have unlearned.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer.

Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught.

George Savile, Marquis of Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman and author.

Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance.

Will Durant (1885-1981) U.S. author and historian.

A succession of eye-openers each involving the repudiation of some previously held belief.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) British dramatist, critic, writer.

Education is a state-controlled manufactory of echoes.

Norman Douglas (1868-1952) British writer.

Education is the process of casting false pearls before real swine.

Prof. Irwin Edman (1896–1954) American philosopher and educator.

The whole object of education is...to develop the mind. The mind should be a thing that works.

Sherwood Anderson (1876–1941) American novelist and short story writer.

The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught.

Henry Brooks Adams (1828-1918) U.S. historian and writer. The Education of Henry Adams.

Education seems to be in America the only commodity of which the customer tries to get as little he can for his money.

Max Leon Forman (1909-1990) Jewish-American writer.

Happy Teacher's Day!!!

       
             Happy Teacher's Day to all the teachers out there. Let us always remember that we will NEVER be who we are today if not for our teachers who have painstakingly taught us when we were still innocent, naive and young. Whether we admit it or not, teachers molded and enlightened us about life. Even "bad"teachers taught us the things we shouldn't become, to become strong and stand for ourselves (and please don't hold grudges to them). To be honest, it is a paradox that I became a teacher when in fact most if not all the painful moments of my life happened at school and were caused by teachers. Nevertheless it never made me grudging until now. In fact, I am thankful to them for all the bad and good things I have experienced with them. Anyway, we are all humans aren't we? Don't forget to show your appreciation to your teachers. They are just there, and you just don't know how happy (I mean very happy) they/we are for your gratitude and appreciation.

   

Plagiarism???

      I am a bit shocked upon reading this comment from a reader of my blog.

      Accusing me of plagiarism is a bit offensive on my part. However I don't take this seriously since I know I am on the right side. I already sent a message from answers.com about copying my post of one of their contributors.

      Though I must admit that I based most of my posts from various references in books and the internet, I as much as possible paraphrase or reword all my readings. If there are times that I have no enough time to do this, I make sure to give due credit to the author or website by posting the link or mentioning the author.

     For those (especially students) who come and read my blog and find some posts useful to their research, review or assignmenst, feel free to use them. My only wish is to give credit on my part or never to use this to be reposted on another website without my permission. Thank You

      

LET Tips: Before the Big Day (REPOST)

A day before the LET, I believe most of you now are a bit nervous. You don't have to worry, you have prepared a lot for this day so just give your best shot. Here are my own tips about the LET that you may or may not follow. These are actually based on my own experience and I really would like to share these with you.

1. Don't ask the proctor if you will see something wrong about the question, items, etc. You can't change the question anymore, because if you want to change it, then the rest of the test items given to other examinees will be changed as well, and this is not possible, you know right? You are much more knowledgeable about the exam you are taking than the proctor. Just ask the proctor if you notice lacking pages, creased answer sheets, discrepancies in i.d. numbers etc.

2. Expect typographical errors. If you think and you're hundred percent sure that an item is the correct answer, but it lacks a letter, or 2 or more "jumbled" letters, then go for that answer. Probably it's just a typographical error.

3. If an item is more complete than the other items, then go for that item. Apply dialecticism. Example, choices will go like this: a. Beautiful b. Pretty c. Beautiful and Pretty. Among the given choices, choose letter c because it contains the answer of a and b, thus more complete.

4. It's okay to have erasures, but avoid this as much as possible. If you really need to erase, make it neat and clean.

5. Shade gently. Don't make your pencil too pointed. After you sharpen your pencil, scribble it first in a separate piece of paper to make the tip not too sharp and pointed. This will make the mark dark enough, but easier to erase.

6. Don't consume your time to a difficult item. Skip if necessary but make sure to go back to that item before giving your answer sheet. Mark the items that you have skipped NOT ON THE ANSWER SHEET BUT ON THE TEST BOOKLET.

7. In choosing your answer, you can use the cancellation technique. Cancel out the items that are too far to be the answer. Rationalize why that item is the correct answer. However, when I answered during the exam, I did this reversely. What I did was to choose first my answer, then rationalize why other items are wrong and mine is the correct answer.

8. If in case you totally have no idea about the answer, your last resort will be this(as advised by one of the LET topnotchers): Close your eyes, say a little prayer, then shade.

9. Don't forget to pray not only before the exam but all throughout the duration of your exam. In your every shade, say a little prayer. Pray that may your mind and hand be guided and enlightened by God. After the exam, don't forget to thank God for surviving the whole examination process.

9. Listen to the proctor's instruction, or read your examinee's manual. Don't rush. Fill out forms slowly but surely.

10. Consume your time. So what if you're the last one left inside the room? When I took the LET, I was the second to the last who went out of the room. Don't rush. Check your answers. Pray before giving your answer sheet.

11. Before answering, shade what SET you will be answering, either Set A or B. Always shade this first. Shade it correctly if you don't want your dreams to shutter. Joke...

11. The last and final tip, ENJOY. I can still remember how I smiled when the proctor gave the test booklets. I was excited to test my self and my preparation for the exam. Take a deep breath. Inhale, inhale, don't exhale. Joke. Exhale.

These are just some of the tips. If you think these won't work for you, don't do all of these. Do it your own way. Always remember, ask God for guidance. Ask someone to light a candle in your home's altar. Put it in a vigil candle. Don't use an ordinary candle(sperma) if you don't want your house to turn into ashes. Hehehe... Seriously, this will represent that your mind may be enlightened in the duration of the exam. So Good Luck! God Bless future teachers!

Teacher Activities

      Hi..I made this post because think that the "About Me" section of my blog is already a bit outdated. Over the past months, lots of activities have happened to my teaching experience. Let me share some to you.

The most recent. This was during the Iloilo City 75th Charter Day Celebration. We teachers danced in the streets of Iloilo City. What do you expect? Teachers should be good dancers right? 

My co-teacher's wedding. 

Reunion with my elementary school classmates.

Mentoring the Mentors with other teachers from other schools.

Application: Gestalt Psychology

      I don't know what to do with the work that I need to accomplish.And I don't know why but there is something telling me to update this blog. And now without further ado, here are the applications of Gestalt theory to the teaching and learning process.

1. Make your lesson holistic. The word Gestalt itself is almost synonymous to the word "whole". And for this, Gestalt psychology proposes education to be an integration of affective and cognitive domains of learning. As teachers, we can actually do this by setting the objectives that does not only focus on the cognitive (and psychomotor) domains of teaching and learning but also on the affective domain as well.

2. In relation to above application, the fulfillment of the cognitive-affective integration is not only limited to instruction rather also related to the experiences of the students inside the classroom. This can be done when teachers maintain an emotionally harmonious and non threatening atmosphere during the teaching and learning process which consequently caters exchange of ideas and learning. Teacher behavior is a critical factor, and if necessary, should be changed in order to maintain good relationship between the teacher and his/her students, and relationship among and between students. This can be realized through teacher development programs, trainings or seminars.

3. Gestalt psychology is a proponent of discovery or insight learning. This takes place when learners forms relationships of the elements around them then integrates and organizes these elements to form insight (Remember Sultan?). Hence, teachers must make use of discovery approach in learning. Teachers can use experiments, laboratory and inquiry-based strategies.

How About the Gestalt Principles?

These are implications of the Gestalt principles in the teaching and learning process. Now you know that Gestalt principles are not just mere principles of visual drawings or illustrations.

1. Law of Proximity
        Related concepts or lessons should be taught aligned or closely to each other. This is the reason why subtraction is taught after addition, multiplication after subtraction then division after multiplication. Imagine teaching addition then jumping directly to polygons.

2. Law of Similarity
        Similar lessons or contents should be grouped together to make learners develop understanding more efficiently and effectively. This is the reason why lessons are grouped into units: Unit I is for human body, Unit II is for energy and motion, so on and so forth.

3. Law of Closure
       When a concept or topic is incomplete thus isn't "closed", incomplete information may make learners want to discover what’s missing, rather than  concentrating on the given instruction. If students find a math algorithm confusing because a certain question is left unanswered or a step isn't clear, they will tend to concentrate on that confused part of the process rather than the total process as a whole. This is why students get "lost". Thus, make the lesson complete. Present it clearly, simply and always be ready for students' clarifications.

4. Law of Good Continuation
        Lessons should be presented in such a way that learners will see these as connected and continuous. Now you know why we have the "Review" part of the lesson plan. This way, students will realize that their new lesson actually has continuity and is related to what they already know or to the previous lesson.

5. Law of Pragnanz
        Pragnanz states that when things are grasped as wholes, the minimal amount of energy is exerted in thinking. In short, make your lesson holistic, complete and most of all simple.

6. Law of Figure/Ground
      For a figure to be perceived, it must stand out from the background. Emphasis should be done on important aspects of the lesson. For example, teachers should vary the tone of their voice or write boldly or underline the important key words of the lesson.

       Furthermore, aside from what I have discussed above, Gestalt principles are also very useful in preparing and presenting instructional materials. I will not discuss these further because I think these are easy enough for you to think of.
       As I always say, these are just some of the applications. Again and again, there are a lot of ways in which you can imply Gestalt psychology in the teaching and learning process. I hope that you yourself could reflect on these.

Principles of Teaching: Discipline in the Classroom

   

    Discipline is one of the most important if not the most important factor for a successful classroom management. This is also the most difficult to deal with. Nowadays, discipline has changed a lot. Before, discipline is maintained through traditional method or by "iron hand". As a traditional maxim goes, "spare the rod, and spoil the child". However, discipline has become more child-centered and democratic. It has to be taken into account the psychological, physical, social and legal impact a disciplinary action can have on the child.
    As a teacher, I know I still have a lot to learn with regards to maintaining discipline. I have to admit but not all my ways in dealing with discipline problems may not be "right" for others. This is where experience can help a lot. Some methods or ways may not be effective for some students while some work. Results actually vary. But bottomline, no matter what ways we may use, we need to remember the child first. That we must keep in mind that on our way of making our students disciplined is the power of actually breaking or making them.
   Anyway, here are some of the ways in dealing with discipline problems inside the classroom. These are just the first part so please watch for my proceeding posts.

1. Teach them first. Almost always, students exhibit inappropriate behavior because they actually don’t know that what they are doing is wrong. This highlights the importance of orienting the students about do’s and don’ts inside or outside the classroom especially at the beginning of the school year. This way, students will get acquainted on the things they need and avoid to do. They will realize what we expect of them and thus minimizes the likelihood of an inappropriate behavior to occur. 

2. Emphasize positive alternatives. When a student exhibited an inappropriate behavior, focus on the equivalent positive behavior that he/she can do instead of focusing on his negative behavior. For example, a group of boys play with brooms in their “swordplay”. We can intervene by explaining that somebody might get hurt, and that brooms are used for cleaning.  Instead of making the brooms as weapon to fight each other, we can suggest using the brooms for the boys to compete who sweeps or cleans the most dirt in the classroom .

3. Teach empathy. Students have the tendency to be egocentric, most especially the younger ones. This means that they still have to understand empathy, or to be on “someone else’s shoes”. Applying this to discipline, we can make students realize the consequences of an inappropriate behavior to other people. We can let students analyze, “What if we are in the other person’s situation?” or “How will you feel if…”. Through this, we can encourage students to think the cause and effect of their behavior. We teach them the possible impact of a certain behavior to other people, to their surroundings and to different situations. Take note however that we should do this in a sincere and nonjudgmental manner.

4. Lend a hand. Behavior problems caused by lack of self-control like frustration can be resolved by offering the students our help. This could be in a form of a suggestion, a question or even just a simple gesture.  This way, students learn the value of interdependence, that is, certain problems can be solved through a helping hand. For example, if a student got frustrated by a math problem and threw away his notebook, we can address this by giving him encouragement and a motivation to start over. We can even help him solve the first part of the problem then let him finish the task himself.

5. Use I-message. This I-message is an intimate form of communicating your feelings as a teacher about a certain behavior of students. This increases the awareness of the child about the impact of his/her behavior toward others which include you as a teacher. For example, if students are not listening or giving attention to what you are talking, a teacher can address this by saying, “When you are not listening, I feel disrespected. I feel that there is no need for me to teach you anymore. I feel I need to repeat what I have said which takes away our limited time.” However, some of us might find this uncomfortable. Just take note that when saying I-message, it has to be sincere but firm at the same time.

6. Values are caught than taught. Perhaps this is one of the best if not the best way for teachers to reinforce good behavior among students. As teachers, or even just adults, we serve as role models to our students. Some students even look up to us as their idols while some find us more influential than their own parents. For instance, we can never make students the value of cleanliness if we ourselves look untidy and unclean. Or we can never ask students to speak softly while inside the classroom if  we yell to our students on a daily basis.

Quotes and Wisdom about Teaching: My Favorite Quotes on Teaching

    These days I have been reflective about my role as a teacher, perhaps because of what is going on around my workplace. I don't want to say anything for the sake of the people around my workplace but based on what I observed so far, I realized that teaching is NEVER just teaching the subject matter, using "brilliant" teaching methods or accomplishing school paperworks. I believe that teaching is MORE than these. I don't want to prolong this intro because I will be consuming a whole page if I will discuss this matter. :-) May I present to you some of my favorite quotes about teaching/education or being a teacher. These quotes are actually my guiding philosophies as to being a teacher. I really hope that whoever read these quotes will also be reminded that to be a teacher is more than just teaching.  The quotes are retrieved form Quote Garden and  50 Inspirational Teaching Quotes.

"Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own." -- Nikos Kazantzakis


"Learning is finding out what we already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers." -- Richard Bach


"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming." -- Goethe

"A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron." -- Horace Mann

"They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel." - Carol Buchner

"If a seed of a lettuce will not grow, we do not blame the lettuce. Instead, the fault lies with us for not having nourished the seed properly." - Buddhist proverb


"A very wise old teacher once said: "I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh." He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single group of human beings enjoying its existence." -- Gilbert Highet


"It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted." -Linda Conway


"The greatest sign of a success for a teacher...is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." -- Maria Montessori


"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." -- Carl Jung


A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary. ~Thomas Carruthers

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.  ~Henry Brooks Adams


A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others.  ~Author Unknown


Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more.  ~Bob Talbert


The mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires.  ~William Arthur Ward


A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.  ~Author Unknown


What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.  ~Karl Menninger

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.  ~Author Unknown


Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.  ~John Cotton Dana


Don't try to fix the students, fix ourselves first.  The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior.  When our students fail, we, as teachers, too, have failed.  ~Marva Collins

LET Sample Questions: Sigmund Freud's Theory of Psychosexual Development

You may want to read first my series of post about Sigmund Freud's Theory of Psychosexual Development.

Sigmund Freud's Pyschosexual Stages of Development

Application of Sigmund Freud's Theory

If you think you're done, then try to answer the following questions. You can do it!

1. Teacher Sakura(for a change...hehehe) noticed that one of her students is fund of biting the tip of the ballpen. Which theory will best explain her student's behavior?
A. Piaget's Cognitive Theory
B. Pavlov's Classical Conditioning
C. Freud's Psychosexual Theory
D. Skinner's Operant Conditioning

2. Naruto, who is 5-years old, is fund of playing with his penis when he urinates. In which stage of Freud's theory can Naruto be considered?
A. Phallic
B. Genital
C. Anal
D. Latency

3. Latency stage is considered as the "calm" stage of psychosexual development. Which explains this condition?
A. Children have less energy on this stage
B. Children are not interested about their sex organs
C. The libido is blocked temporarily
D. Sexual energy is diverted to school and peer activities

4. When the daughter is competing with the mother for the father's attention, the daughter is said to be experiencing,
A. Oedipus Complex
B. Electra Complex
C. Fixation
D. Identity Crisis

5. Which will probably happen if a child failed to resolve the crisis of the anal stage?
A. The child may become sexually promiscuous
B. The child may have problems with trust
C. The child may become obesessed with cleanliness
D. The child may become a smoker

Answer Key: 1. C; 2. A; 3. D; 4. B; 5. C
Questions or clarifications about the answers are welcome. Feel free to post it on the comment box.

Application of Sigmund Freud's Theory of Psychosexual Development

     I forgot to include on my previous post that Sigmund Freud is the father of psychoanalytic psychology. This is the reason why his theory is also referred to as psychoanalytic theory of development. Psychoanalytic school of psychology by the way adheres to the existence of unconscious mental processes (i.e. Libido) which influence the individual's behavior in various indirect ways.

(You can read my previous post here: Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development)

     Going back to the applications of the theory in the classroom setting, I honestly find it hard to find how a sexually oriented theory be applied inside the classroom. For this reason, I will not list the applications like I usually do rather explain some of the aspects of the theory in relation to teaching.

     Freud actually gave the idea about "inner conflicts" that can affect one's behavior. Some psychologists, like Erik Erikson (watch out for my post about him, he is also one of my favorites), adapted this idea but changed this from less sexual to more social in nature. The conflicts or crises are important in a sense that they must be solved in order to successfully and normally proceed to the next level of our development, and to avoid fixation or maladjustment.

     For instance, our pupils/students may be categorized into Phallic, Latency or Genital stage of psychosexual development. Our role as teachers therefore, is to assist our pupils/students solve or go through their inner conflicts on these stages. We can actually help if we give them ample attention in their certain needs.

     For example, play is an outlet among children where their sexual drive is being directed in the Latency Stage. If this will be suppressed, their will be a possibility for the child to fixate, or will continue to play even inappropriate for his/her age as an adult in the future.

     Among our pubescent/adolescent students, let us be more responsible in discussing about topics regarding sexuality. We must be more sensitive and careful because we know that on this stage, our students are going through a lot of crises and confusion. Let us teach them to be sexually responsible by explaining to them the sexual changes they are going through, and the consequences of their actions. Let us teach them to be more critical and reflective to clarify their inner issues. Let us not forget to offer our hands if they need our advice or to collaborate with their parents. This is the so-called sex education.

     As my conclusion, the application of Freud ideas to teaching and learning is that it gives us an explanation of some of our pupils/students' behavior that are manifested inside the classroom. However, the specific application of this theory in the teaching-learning process is not yet fully studied or experimented compared to other theories. What I presented here are just some of the aspects in which this theory can be applied. As teachers, the decision is still upon us on how will we use this knowledge to assist our students. If you can add more of the applications, I will greatly appreciate it.

Busy Busy Busy for Thesis

    I just want to pass by just to tell everybody that I still have many things to post. However, I am too preoccupied with my thesis as of the moment so I can't post that often. If I will have the time and inspiration, I think I will be posting some topics. Hope you'll still continue reading my blog!

Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development

          This theory is one of my favorites. Hehehe... I don't know but I find this a bit bizarre yet it explains a lot about human personality.

          According to Freud, the libido, or the sex drive, energy, desire, whatever you may call it, causes us to seek pleasure in different parts of our body during the different stages of our development. Every stage can be characterized by being sensitive in an erogenous zone, or the part of the body the gives pleasure. If an individual develops normally through a certain stage, and have been successful in resolving conflict, little libido remains in each stage. However, if one failed in resolving the conflict in a certain stage, he/she will have the tendency to fixate, or to stay or focus on that certain stage of development.

There are five stages of psychosexual development:

Stage I: Oral Stage
          In this stage, the pleasure giving part is the mouth. Infants, for example, derive pleasure from their sucking reflex. This is important in developing trust and comfort between the infant and the caregiver.
The primary conflict is said to be the "weaning process". The issue is for the infant to become dependent or less dependent. If unresolved, he/she may have problems relating to dependency, aggression or gullibility. Individuals will tend to be fixated in this stage if there oral needs were not met. This will project in their later life as overeating, nail biting, smoking, fellatio/cunnilingus(wehehehe), etc.

Guilty uhuh?!...hehehehe...

Stage II: Anal Stage
          Erogenous zone is elimination of body wastes, both defecation and bladder elimination. The conflict is in toilet training and the resolution lies on how the parents handle the situation, whether they will take it positively or negatively.
          Too lenient parents will lead to anal expulsive personality characterized by being messy, wasteful, destructive, coprophilia(ewww), etc. On the other hand, too strict parent will lead to anal retentive personality characterized by obsession with organization, neatness and frugality.

Is this your room?...hehehehe...

Stage III: Phallic Stage
          The genitals are the pleasure giving parts in this stage as children become aware of their bodies and discover the difference between males and females.

This is Electra...she killed her mother to avenge her father...

          Boys experience Oedipus complex (the desire to posses the mother and replace the father) and girls experience Electra complex (sees mother as a rival of the father's attention). According to Freud, conflict among women is never fully resolved. This is the reason why women seek empowerment and equality with men. Of course, this is not acceptable on the part of women and have resulted to some controversy.

This is Oedipus... he killed his father and married his mother...

Stage IV: Latency Stage
          The erogenous zone in this stage is said to be latent or calm. This is because the libido is directed into school work, hobbies and activities with peer.

Play....play...play...

Stage V: Genital Stage
          The libido is now directed towards the other person. Its role is also for the purpose of reproduction. However, the drives are more developed since they allow symbolic gratification and are not only limited to physical gratification. Symbolic gratification includes love relationship and family, or acceptance of responsibility associated with adulthood.

Mwahuggsz!!!

How can these be applied in teaching and learning? You can read my post here:

Application of Sigmund Freud's Theory of Psychosexual Development

images retrieved via google search...for those authors of specific websites where I got these images, please contact me if you want your photos to be removed...thanks...God Bless!!! hehehe

LET Tips: Information Processing Theory

1. Teacher Max wanted his students to be able to retain each day's lesson. Which of the following will least contribute to this?
A. Grouping ideas
B. Detailed notes
C. Providing hand outs
D. Mnemonic devices

2. Which is the first important step for the information to be processed?
A. Rehearsal
B. Sensory Register
C. Attention
D. Organization

3. Teacher Xena believes that in order to make her students learn effectively, the knowledge about short and long term memory is important. She adheres to which theory?
A. Information Processing
B. Operant Conditioning
C. Subsumption
D. Connectionism

4. Teacher Betty applies her knowledge on information processing among her learners. She can be considered as a/an,
A. Idealist
B. Behaviorist
C. Constructivist
D. Cognitivist

5. Learners can hold 3 to 7 chunks of information in the short term memory, what does this imply?
A. It is important to gain the learners' attention.
B. Teach the students to note important ideas.
C. Repeat and rehearse the information.
D. Play memory games.

Answer Key: 1. B; 2. C; 3. A; 4. D; 5. B

Applications: Information Processing Theory

          Information Processing Theory I must say, is one of those theories who can really be applied in teaching and learning. Sometimes, teachers are bothered about how will they make their students retain the topics that they teach. Through this theory, teachers may be able to present information based on how the mind works and to achieve long term learning.

1. Attention is very important. Get the class's attention before starting a lesson. You can have drills, energizers or routine signals. Also, you can move around the room while discussing or adjust the volume of your voice to gain learners' attention.

2. Relate prior knowledge to new learning. Learners can retain more the information in which they are familiar or can relate with. This is the reason why we have to review last day's lesson or relate the topic to our learners' experiences.

3. Learners' process 3 chunks of information the least. This means that we have to highlight important information. Teachers actually do this when they try to write on the chalkboard important words in their discussion or when they provide handouts.

4. Organize the information being presented. You can do inductive(specific-general)/deductive(general-specific) logic or simple-complex sequence. Graphic organizers can be used to clearly present these.

5. Teach the learners how to categorize, classify or group information. Try to look for similarities or differences among the concepts.

6. Utilize mnemonic device or memory aids like acronyms, mental imagery, keyword method, etc.

7. Drills, reviews, exercised that will provide repetition for learning are encouraged.

Information Processing Theory

     Information Processing Theory explains acquisition of knowledge in a step-by-step manner. Sometimes, this theory is said to be analogous to how a computer works. What is good about this theory is its being organized in presenting how information comes to our mind. It gives us a picture or a diagram about how we learn things and processes that take place inside our head.

The Three Primary Processes
I. Encoding. This when the information in our environment is being sensed, perceived or attended to.

II. Storage. After we encode the information, it is stored for either a short or long period of time depending on how we process or encode the said information.

III. Retrieval. The stored information is retrieved when needed in a certain task.

The Three Main Stages of Information Processing

1. Sensory Memory
          Human body perceives the environment through the senses. These sensations travel to the brain as electrical impulses or synapses. However, these electrical impulses or synapses must be translated in such a way that the brain can understand. This process is called transduction. Sensory Memory, the first main stage of information processing is affiliated with the transduction of energy.
In this stage, our mind holds the information for extremely brief period of time, since it receives a great amount of information more than it can hold or perceive. This is the reason why attention is very important on this stage. In order for the information to proceed to the next stage, that information must be attended to, or must be familiarized by the thinker. In addition, the duration is different among the senses, like auditory memory is more persistent than visual memory.

2. Short-Term Memory
          This memory is also called working memory because this refers to what we are thinking in a certain moment of time. This stage is created if we attend to an external information, a thought that popped in our head, or both.
The capacity of short term memory is said to be 7 plus-minus 2. This means that STM can hold 5 to 9 chunks or bits of information. The duration of the information while in the STM is dependent on how we organize or practice/repeat that information. Thus, organization and repetition, plus chunking or grouping, can help the information proceed to the next stage, that is the Long-Term Memory.

3. Long-Term Memory
          This is the final stage of memory wherein the information can be stored permanently until needed. Its capacity is unlimited and its duration is indefinite.


          Take note however that these stages are not like that of machines that once turned on, will do the process 1st step, 2nd step, 3rd step, so on and so forth. The processes are said to be controlled and regulated by an executive processing system, more popularly known as metacognition. Metacognition, in simpler terms, is "thinking about thinking"

photo credit: http://www.stephpalmer.co.uk/Cognitive/infomodel.gif

Applications:Jerome Bruner's Constructivist Theory

     Actually, there are still more topics under Jerome Bruner's theory. However I only discussed about the 2 major and the most practical ideas of this theory. This is because I also would like to tackle other topics since I have said that LET is just around the corner. And my assurance to you is that the 2 topics that I have discussed usually if not always come out in the exam. Anyway, I already posted one of the bests if not the best link about this topic so don't fret.hehehe...The following are the implications and applications of Bruner's topics. Take note that you can also add if you have your own. Just write these in the comment box.

For teachers:
1. Make your instruction appropriate to the level of the learners. For example, being aware of the learners' learning modes (enactive, iconic, symbolic) will help you plan and prepare appropriate materials for instruction. Or you can revisit certain topics but with the difficulty that match learners' level(spiral curriculum).

2. Use active methods in teaching. Teacher's role is not anymore a "sage on stage" rather a "guide on the side". Have the students be actively involved with the lesson. Initiate activities that will arouse their curiosity and interests by giving them challenging activities and exercises.

3. Give students the opportunity to reflect and recount their experiences. Have discussions, group sharing and dialogues.

4. Go beyond facts. Facts must be taken into whole to form concepts. Categorization will greatly help.(Sorry I wasn't able to discuss categorization. Just refer to the link in my previous post.)

5. Give feedback and reinforcement but more intrinsically oriented. According to Bruner, the interest in the subject matter is the best motivation to learn. Avoid giving too much emphasis on competition and grades.

Applications:Jerome Bruner's Constructivist Theory

   
     Actually, there are still more topics under Jerome Bruner's theory. However I only discussed about the 2 major and the most practical ideas of this theory. This is because I also would like to tackle other topics since I have said that LET is just around the corner. And my assurance to you is that the 2 topics that I have discussed usually if not always come out in the exam. Anyway, I already posted one of the bests if not the best link about this topic so don't fret.hehehe...The following are the implications and applications of Bruner's topics. Take note that you can also add if you have your own. Just write these in the comment box.

For teachers:
1. Make your instruction appropriate to the level of the learners. For example, being aware of the learners' learning modes (enactive, iconic, symbolic) will help you plan and prepare appropriate materials for instruction. Or you can revisit certain topics but with the difficulty that match learners' level(spiral curriculum).

2. Use active methods in teaching. Teacher's role is not anymore a "sage on stage" rather a "guide on the side". Have the students be actively involved with the lesson. Initiate activities that will arouse their curiosity and interests by giving them challenging activities and exercises.

3. Give students the opportunity to reflect and recount their experiences. Have discussions, group sharing and dialogues.

4. Go beyond facts. Facts must be taken into whole to form concepts. Categorization will greatly help.(Sorry I wasn't able to discuss categorization. Just refer to the link in my previous post.)

5. Give feedback and reinforcement but more intrinsically oriented. According to Bruner, the interest in the subject matter is the best motivation to learn. Avoid giving too much emphasis on competition and grades.

image source: http://www.jacquetta.net/Bruner.jpg

Jerome Bruner's Constructivist Theory: Spiral Curriculum

     As a continuation of my previous post last time, I will discuss on Jerome Bruner's concept that is really dominant in schools but unknown to many---Spiral Curriculum. Have you ever noticed the books of elementary pupils from grades 1-6? Have you observed that the topics are just being repeated right? Although there are some new topics, there are topics that are being repeated all over again. This is also true not only in elementary, but also in high school and up to college.

     Constructivist's view of learning tells us that learners must be given opportunities to recount and reflect on their experiences in order to have foundations for their future and new learning. Furthermore, teachers must also base what they teach on the level appropriate for the learners. Adding these two important ideas, we can now give meaning to what spiral curriculum really is.

     Forgive me but I will just quote Corpus and Lucas's definition. According to them, spiral curriculum is revisiting the curriculum by teaching the same content in different ways depending on students' developmental levels. Now, I hope this answers why topics are repeated all over again, but with a level, complexity and difficulty appropriate to the learners. Through these repeating, recounting or revisiting of topics, learners will have a clearer and progressive understanding thus enhances learning.

Constructivism: Jerome Bruner's Constructivist Theory

 
  Please forgive me if my posts are in chunks. You know, I update my blog using only my cellphone. I don't have any laptop or a pc of my own. I repeated this how many times and I will say this again. For those of you who have an old or surplus laptop or pc, I will appreciate it very much if you can give it to me...wehehehe(half joke-half truth)

     I would like to tackle about one of the constructivist psychologists whose works are actually utilized in schools but unknown to some. Since I lack character spaces on my previous post, I wasn't able to discuss that there are 2 views of constructivism:cognitive constructivism and social constructivism. I will just discuss these later as I discuss each constructivist psychologist and his works.

     Our man of the moment is Jerome Bruner. He is under the cognitive constructivism school of thought which stresses individual and inner construction of knowledge. He has given us important concepts about learning which I will just discuss one by one.

I. Stages of Knowledge Representation
According to Bruner, knowledge representation develops in 3 stages: Enactive, Iconic and Symbolic.
1. Enactive. The first stage in which learning is based on hands on experiences of physical objects together with the consequences that go after. Knowledge is represented through senses. You may have noticed this among children who learn about the world through touching and manipulating objects, smelling flowers, tasting a fruit, etc. However, this doesn't mean that this type of representation is only for babies or young children. This could also mean manipulative learning of objects such as learning how to use a microscope, to ride in a bicycle, or practicing how to dance, to do stunts, or to play a musical instrument.
2. Iconic. Knowledge can now be represented using models and pictures. Learners know how to make mental images of their world. This can be seen on books full of brightly colored pictures that are being used to teach children.
3. Symbolic. Learners can think in abstract. So abstract terms and symbol systems can be used to represent knowledge like numbers, mathematical symbols, letters and language. This is the reason why most of the books in college do not have so many pictures compared to books used in elementary.

Images of these topics and better and more credible (why? does this mean mine isn't? hehehe) discussions are found in this link http://brunerwiki.wikispaces.com/

Educational Psychology: Constructivism

"As long as there were people asking each other questions, we have had constructivist classrooms. Constructivism, the study of learning, is about how we all make sense of our world and that really hasn't changed"- Jacqueline Grennon Brook

Opening of classes is now near and it's been a long time since I last posted about educational psychology. My last post was about behaviorism and now I would like to discuss the, shall I say, opposite of it- constructivism.

Unlike behaviorism, constructivism deals with learning as an active process, internal or external. This proposes that students construct their own meaning and understanding about the world by experiences and reflecting on these experiences. Learners then try to reconcile their newly acquired experiences or ideas to the previous and old ones. In short, learners are the creators or active constructors of their own knowledge/learning. Learning is seen as interactive, and is grounded upon on what the students already know. The knowledge being acquired is considered as dynamic, always changing together with experiences.

In a constructivist classroom, active teaching methods that require students to think are dominant. Students are taught not "what to learn", rather "how to learn. Teaching techniques like experiments, inquiry, problem solving, open discussion and the like are utilized by the teacher. These are being done because student questions, experiences and interests are given importance, thus there is freedom in sharing questions and ideas to the whole class.

Constructivism is advantageous to learning since learners are actively involved. It concentrates on thinking rather than simple memory or recall. It makes learning personal among the learners since they are given chances to share what they already know or what they have experienced. For this reason, social and communication skills are also developed.
Famous constructivist psychologists include Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Jerome Bruner, etc. Haist...out of characters...

Gestalt Psychology

        Hello... It has been a while since I posted about education  and LET-related topics. I honestly lost my drive updating this blog since I was banned from my advertising provider because of a simple and honest mistake. I was a bit frustrated by the fact that I could have earn even just a small amount of bucks through page views and impressions. Nevertheless, upon reading some comments I have just read, I am inspired to write more education topics just for the sake of helping future teachers to survive college life and even pass(or top) the LET. Just recently, I am hooked into physics (as if...) and I am really inspired by physicist Brian Greene and his book entitled The Fabric of the Cosmos. Aside from fantastic and splendid things I learned about the cosmos, I am really awed and amazed (and a bit jealous) by how Brian Greene explains the mind-blogging topics of cosmology and physics. I am in one way or another (as if...) shared his style and intention to explain things as simply as possible. His book is a must-read even for a math-o-phobic people and is not into science. I tell you, you will turn your view about the universe and reality upside-down.
     Now going back to my usual education topics, let me explain to you one of my favorite theories in learning and psychology---Gestalt Psychology. From the name itself, I really find the theory mysterious and enigmatic. Some education students wonder how this theory applies to education when in fact most of the classroom practices most teachers do are rooted from this theory.
      Gestalt psychology is a holistic approach to learning that emphasizes the entirety rather than individual parts (The whole is greater than the sum of its parts is the cliche of this theory but the original phrase is "the whole is other than the sum of the parts"). According to this theory, the brain thinks in whole, in parallel, in analog, and with self-organizing tendencies. This implies that learning is consists of the grasping of a structural whole and not just a mechanistic response to a stimulus. Learners are viewed as active participants, restructuring information they perceive in order to understand it.
     Gestalt psychologists suggests that learners' perception is guided by principles or laws. These are:

Law of Proximity

Law of Pragnanz

Law of Similarity

Law of Continuity

Law of Closure

Law of Figure/Ground

Foreground tend to be perceived and paid attention first. A stimulus will be perceived as separate from its ground.

Now, the question is, how can we apply these principles to teaching? Hmmmm... Watch out for my next post about the application of this theory in the teaching and learning process.

Images retrieved from:  http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/gestaltlaws.htm