|
 Teaching Strengths:
Seven Activities
The very best teachers share some common traits:
They are consistent, they have high expectations, they are good
classroom managers, they are motivators, they engage students with
meaningful activities, and they have a love of learning. But each
teacher builds upon these traits with his or her own unique teaching
style.
The best teachers are continually in the process of growing.
They refine their teaching by appraising their strengths and
weakness, by obtaining feedback from other educators, and by
maintaining an honest and realistic view of their competencies.
Objectives
-
To
identify your teaching strengths
-
To
strengthen strategies that are working
-
To
affirm your ability as a teacher
Activity
One: Reflections
Write a short
answer or response to the following questions and statements.
Note: You may want to probe these questions with your mentor or
a discussion group.
-
What
is your greatest strength as a teacher?
What is your greatest weakness?
-
List
personality traits that facilitate your success as a teacher.
-
If
you were asked to speak to a group of student teachers, what
advice would you give them?
-
Identify
three things that you have learned about students.
-
Define
the following terms:
Activity
Two: Highlights Review your teaching up to this point by
looking at some highlights. Provide
an example from your experience for each of the categories listed
below. Your
responses will give you insights into your teaching strengths.
-
A
learning breakthrough. An
example of a time when a student(s) had an intellectual “Ah
ha.”
-
A
relationship breakthrough. An
example of a situation where you knew you had “connected” with
a student(s).
-
A
productive lesson. A
lesson, unit, or activity that really accomplished your
objectives.
-
Student
excitement. An
example of a time when a student(s) became truly excited about
your teaching.
-
Student
support. An
example of a situation when you helped a student(s) who was
agitated or troubled.
-
Student
encouragement. An
example of a time when your praise or encouragement lifted or
motivated a student.
-
Clever
Improvisation. An
example of a time when you had to alter your plans and
improvise—and it worked!
-
A
Creative Twist. An
approach or lesson that was particularly creative and/or unique.
-
Modeling.
An example where you modeled for students the right
behavior or response to a situation.
-
Shared
laughter. A
situation where you and your students shared a laugh or amusement
together.
-
A
pleasant surprise. An
example of a situation where the students pleasantly and
unexpectedly surprised you.
Activity
Three: Expectations Successful
teachers have high expectations for student success.
Generate a list of student expectations by completing the
statement.
“In my classroom, students must
_________________.”
Place your expectations in priority order.
As a follow-up, do the following (modify it to
fit the maturity level of your students):
-
After
a brief discussion to define expectations, have your students list
the expectations they have as they learn in your classroom.
-
Next
have the students rank their list in order of significance.
Does your personal list of expectations coordinate with the
student list? What can
you learn from the student list?
-
If
age appropriate, show your students your list of expectations;
discuss, and subsequently ask them to agree on which ones are most
important to them.
Activity
Four: Video Learning
Video tape three teaching sessions of colleagues.
After reviewing the tapes, answer the following questions:
-
If
you were a student in his/her class, would you learn from this
teacher?
-
Is
this teacher engaging and personable
-
Does
this teacher know his/her stuff?
-
Does
this teacher have a style? Describe.
-
Is
the presentation clear, organized, and paced appropriately?
Activity
Five:
Time Spent
Is your teaching efficient?
Do you use the time you have with your students effectively?
One way to gain insight into your use of time is to do a
time-allocation chart. There
are essentially five basic categories of classroom time: A. Instructional
Time where the teacher is actively instructing students. B. Work Time where students are working on a particular task or
assignment. C. Feedback Time
where students are demonstrating what they know. D. Social Time where students are engaged in interpersonal behavior. E.
Media Time where the
students are watching and/or listening: video, PowerPoint, film, tape,
recordings, slides, tapes, etc.
Use the chart below to keep track of time spent in your
classroom over five consecutive days by marking down the percentage of
time spent on each of the categories, A-E.
|
|
Day
1
|
Day
2
|
Day
3
|
Day
4
|
Day
5
|
|
Instructional
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Work
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Feedback
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Social
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Media
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
Based on the chart’s data, answer
the following questions:
-
Do
you have a balanced blend of time categories?
-
Does
your distribution of time support student learning?
-
Do
you need to increase work time?
-
Does
your time allocation support student participation?
Activity
Six: Inventory
Take a personal inventory of your teaching behaviors.
For each teacher action listed below, rate yourself using the
following scale: 1=ineffective, 2=somewhat ineffective, 3=average, 4=effective, 5=very
effective. Present
this form to five other teachers and have them rate you based on
observations. Does your
self- perception match the observations of fellow teachers?
Personal Inventory
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
1. I use visuals meaningfully
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
2. My handouts are clear and easy to follow
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
3. My grading is fair and based on sound data
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
4. I ask insightful questions
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
5. I am a good and patient listener
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
6. My lessons have clear objectives
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
7. I vary activities for student interest
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
8. I frequently use hands-on activities
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
9. My homework assignments are meaningful
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I correct assignments carefully and promptly
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
My tests are fair and timely
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I build sound relationships with students
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
My directions are clear and concise
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I frequently check for mastery
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
My work is challenging but not overwhelming
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
My expectations are clear
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I use age-appropriate materials
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
Humor is a part of my classroom
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
My classroom is attractive and inviting
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I am student centered
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
My teaching is values driven
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I am organized
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I lead
focused and interesting discussions
|
|
1
2 3
4 5
|
I use specific student praise
|
Activity
Seven: Feedback
Teachers often overlook the best feedback source—the students.
Have your class or selected students generate a list of
positive teacher characteristics.
Have them complete the following sentence:
“The very best teachers are ones
who__________________.”
From their list, create a simple checklist for
yourself. At different
points during the school year ask yourself if you are meeting these
student expectations. Periodically,
have selected students appraise your teaching style against the
student-generated list of traits.
Professional
Development Activities (Select a category listed below)
|
