The first 4 principles of being an effective teacher are very important to creating a solid foundation for all educators. This post will share a summary of each principle, as well as key vocabulary needed for understanding each.
Principle 1: Understanding How Students Learn
Knowing and applying how students learn impacts teaching on the very basic level. The first way of knowing is teacher-centered: behaviorism. Behaviorism focuses on the observable and measurable characteristics of student learning process, and implies that anything we learn we can also unlearn. The following are all student-centered: constructivism. Constructivism believes that the learning process is that exactly: an ongoing process that is centered around student growth and inquiry. Schema Theory uses a process to organize sections called schemas to develop deep understanding. Inquiry Learning is based on using the curiosity of students to create their own questions and find the answers. Engagement Theory relies on intrinsic motivation and higher level thinking and applying.
More student-centered approaches to understanding student learning are as follows. Sociolinguistics follow Vygotsky’s recommendation that teachers use opportunities for students to talk about their learning to greater strengthen their understanding, so group work is a huge component of this process. Information Processing compares the mind to a computer, and uses reading and writing to explain the learning.
Principle 2: Support Students’ use of the Cueing Systems
There are four cueing systems we can identify with students: phonological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. Phonological Systems are important for both oral and written communication, and incorporate tasks including but not limited to pronouncing words, decoding words when reading, and spelling. Syntactic Systems are structures learned about how to put words into order, such as a sentence, paragraph, essays, chapters and books. Semantic Systems are systems of understanding and conveying meaning through language. Pragmatic Systems refer to all of the above put into a cultural or social context (think of common slangs of a particular group).
Principle 3: Create a Community of Learners
This principle focuses on the fact that classrooms are mini-climate zones within the school. Creation of a positive learning community can foster great things from students, and lessons that will stick with them for a lifetime. Making a safe space where students are encouraged to take risks, required to respect differing opinions, collaborate, and reach high levels of thinking are just a few of the very important items on the list of a great learning community a teacher can create.
Principle 4: Adopt a Balanced Approach to Instruction
Balanced Approach is a comprehensive process. Teachers read, write, speak, instruct, and continuously seek better ways to encourage students to learn. Encouraging many of these skills to be demonstrated within their students as well, teachers who adopt this way of teaching will be beneficial to every student they work with. Flexibility comes naturally with this approach, because teachers understand that serving each student’s individual needs requires alterations daily. While sometimes a teacher may feel frustration with the constant changes of needs with certain challenging students, the outcome is worth anything we go through to see them succeed!
Thank you for reading! Onwards and Upwards,
January 29, 2021
Works Cited
Tompkins,G.E. (2017). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (7thed.). Boston: Pearson.
