Reading
Changing Role of the Teacher
Reflect on
your teaching style.
- To what extent
do you prefer to direct the learning activities in your classroom?
To what extent do you guide your students to direct their own learning?
To what extent do state tests control how you teach?
To what extent do you use learning centers?
To what extent do you use small group instruction?
If you use small group instruction what are the other students doing?
To what extent do you use a lecture method?
How do you know what your students have learned, and what they understand as a result of the learning
experiences you've provided for them?
Children are natural
learners. Preschoolers acquire language and motor skills at a rapid rate.
Most three and
year olds will
proudly tell you how smart they are. Yet when students enter school we
begin to see students who
struggle with
learning, and who each year become less and less interested in learning
and more and more
disruptive. Schools
are supposed to inspire learning, to motivate students to want to learn,
and to provide rich
resources and
tools that enhance the learning experience.
Traditionally the
teacher has been the imparter of knowledge. As a profession, for generations
we have followed
a model in which
we either tell the students (lecture) what we want them to know, or we
assign chapters in a
book that tell
what we want them to know. Consequently text book publishershave had great
control over
educational content.
In this model publishers provide "Teacher's Guides" and learning is scripted
by others.
We then test students
to see if they have acquired the "facts" that have been presented and grade
them on
a bell shaped
curve. Then we move on to the next topic. In this model technology is seen
as a tool for drill and
practice or to
test comprehension.
The Constructivist
model requires us to engage our students in the learning process. The teacher
becomes the
facilitator of
learning who guides and points students to appropriate resources and information.
Learning is no
longer the memorization
of facts for a test with scores recorded and compared on a bell shaped
curve so that some
students are excellent,
some are failures, and most are average. In this model students at the
bottom end of the
curve lose their
self-esteem and consequently their motivation to learn. In the Constructivist
model learning is
continuous, and
concepts are revistied in a spiraling curriculum. All learners move form
what they currently know
and understand
to the next level on knowledge and understanding continuously throughout
their lives.
Take a look at
the examples below. On the left the teacher imparts knowledge to the student.
The student is tested
and scored placed
on the bell shaped curve. In the Constructivist model both students and
teachers are life-long
learners. The
teacher becomes the facilitator and learning is constantly assessed and
reassessed by both students
and teacher toward
the goal on constant learning as in the Formative Assessment model below.
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Reflect
on the extent to which your students are engaged in learning.
Integrating Technology into Your Classroom: Overview of the Tools
Now reflect on what technology tools you have available and how you are currently using them.- What technology
tools to you have available to your students?
How do you currently use these tools with your students?
Do you feel these tools are being used to increase student learning?
How do you think you could better use these technology tools to better improve student learning?
What constraints do you have when it comes to integrating technology into your curriculum?
How do you think you can use the technology that is available to your students to engage them in learning?
- Challenge 2000
Multimedia Project
CTAP SCORE Site
Tapped In
ED’s Oasis
Filamentality
Kathy Schrock’s Guide
Software Information
 Reading |