Learners and Learning: How to Become an Effective Teacher
Positive teacher-student relationships assist in a range of aspects in students' lives such as learning empathy, developing negotiation and harmonization skills. It further assists with instilling a higher level of self-confidence, self-esteem, critical thinking to develop trust and shows the role of effective teacher. This essay investigates how building these positive relationships and safe environments enhance students' achievement and learning whilst increasing school attendance rates. The teacher needs to be aware of the student's developmental stage and conscious that all children require individual attention, this level of awareness can be gaged through the teachers' rapport with the student. All children mature physically, emotionally and intellectually at different rates, they cannot all be treated the same way. Emphasizing the importance of a carefully constructed classroom management strategy to reinforce good behaviour and positively address negative behaviour ensures the likelihood of negative behaviour reoccurring is diminished. Having a positive relationship with the students will ensure such a strategy can be effectively actioned and implemented.
One of my core values is that every workplace should be a safe environment where you can admit to errors, learn through mistakes and trust that trying something new is better than doing nothing. It is safe from bully and harassment and is a culturally rich environment created to encourage learning, interaction, and self-confidence. As a student, I have personally experienced where a safe environment was not provided for a peer during her high school years. This impacted her education through loss of confidence; ability to attend her classes and resulted in a change of schools where a physically, mentally and emotionally safe learning environment could be provided. Had the appropriate classroom management strategies been implemented a very different outcome may have been achieved.
How does it link to research/ theoretical understandings? Providing a safe environment and implementing classroom management strategies can be linked to theoretical understandings such as B.K Skinner's 'operant conditioning' theory. 'Behaviour that is reinforced tends to be repeated and hence it is strengthened'. Skinners' theory proposes behaviour can be modified by the use of reinforcement provided immediately after a desired response has occurred. This will assist in establishing respectful and reciprocal relationships that are inclusive for all students. The use of effective communication strategies will avoid what has been called as roadblocks in communication. These road blokes can be defined as “blaming, judging, criticizing, ordering, labelling and threatening” behaviours. 'Such responses are deconstructive to the development of positive relationships'. Central to the work of a teacher is providing students with a positive relationship. As teaching is essentially a communicative event the importance of this relationship cannot be stressed enough. This is supported by research that on an average day there are as many as 1000 interpersonal interactions between a teacher and a student.
What understanding have I developed about the effective teaching as a result of reflecting on these indicators/qualities? I have developed a deeper understanding of what providing a safe environment and effective classroom management strategies mean. I can articulate the difference between a reward and punishment and implement a more long-term effective strategy such as positive and negative reinforcement through theories like operant conditioning. This is important, as studies have shown that rewards and punishment do not always reinforce behaviour and while utilizing both has the potential to change behaviour for a short period, long-lasting changes in behaviour are rarely exhibited. Behavioural modification relies on the behaviour being strengthened as a result of positive or negative reinforcement. Being an effective teacher to me is about effective two-way communication, creating an environment where children can believe they are being listened too and can safely experiment, learn; develop their values and beliefs whilst questioning others to further develop concepts respectfully. I would use the principles 'how to be, what to do and how to relate'.
How does this new understanding impact on my developing knowledge of effective teaching as a pre-service teacher? As a pre-service teacher to be able to develop classroom management strategies to effectively provide a safe environment for the students I will need to understand the best tools, resources, and theories available to create and implement a well revised and structured plan. This will need to include and articulate when issues or concerns need to be addressed, the escalation process and have specific measurable outcomes. Knowing the learning environment I create will be a significant factor in contributing to students' success and involvement. Understanding how to build a positive relationship with the students, colleagues and parents/guardians is critical, this includes understanding how much personal information to share, setting appropriate boundaries and rules, and knowing the wide range of communication skills available. Selecting the most appropriate method of communication is critical to addressing any given situation in a positive way.
How is this going to make me a more effective teacher? Developing a positive relationship and a safe learning environment for students involves structuring it in such a way that promotes good ethics, emotional security and a stimulating place to be. This will hopefully, in turn, contribute to a high attendance of my classes, an enthusiastic, passionate and respected learning environment for both the students and myself to work in. Understanding the significant amount of skill required to demonstrate that you can see from each child's perspective, communicate it back effectively through constructive feedback for the pupil to self-assess, feel safe and the be able to communicate with others at an intellectual level will make me a more effective teacher. This will allow me to be a more effective teacher through self-evaluation and reflection on what teaching strategies are working or not. It will also provide me with the skills and confidence to be prepared to adapt to different learners and situation more easily.
In conclusion: what will I take away from this to use in my teaching? I will take away an understanding of how to create a safe environment where children can navigate their learning through establishing positive relationships, ground rules, and guidance. This will assist in children's potential learning ability in an effective and socially acceptable way to be optimized to their maximum potential. Similarly, the way students need a safe environment, teachers themselves also require this to learn about the success or otherwise of their teaching from others. Furthermore taking steps to develop a positive relationship such as learning all the student's names, addressing and greeting them individually on their arrival, really getting to know the students and what motivates them as well as making myself approachable through sharing appropriate personal information will ensure each of the students feels valued, listened too and accepted. To ensure a positive cultural and safe environment is maintained I will need to learn assertive communication strategies that will assist in disrupting societal habits effect and allow me to become a more effective communicator.
References
- Aubrey, K. & Riley, A. (2017). Understanding & Using Educational Theories (2nd ed). London: Sage.
- Dinham, J. (2019). Delivering Authentic Arts Education (4th ed.). Cengage Learning
- Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., Le Cornu, R., Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Humphries, & J., Sinclair, C., (2017). Introduction to teaching (2nd ed.) Cengage Learning
- Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers- Maximising impact on learning.
- New York: Routledge Roffey, S. (Ed.). (2011). Positive relationships: Evidence based practice across the World. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
- Rogers, C. R., Lyon, H. C., & Tausch, R. (2013). On becoming an effective teacher: Person-centered teaching, psychology, philosophy, and dialogues with Carl r. Rogers and Harold Lyon. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
