13/1/22 Week 02: Response to "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

 Response to "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

When I was reading the article, Is the Great American Teacher Dead? Principles to Resurrect Meaningful, Effective, and Consciousness Raising Instruction by John J. Ivers of Brigham Young University, ID. I could see his great concern, but I could also see the great responsibility that he invites us to take on our shoulders to resurrect the Great American Teacher, but I would add resurrect the Great Mexican, Brazilian, Thai Teacher, according to the place we live.

As a student, I have had many different experiences. Some of these experiences were good and some were not so good. 

The cruel reality is that not all teachers have the same purpose in their teachings. For instance, there is a great difference between the teachers of the School of Public and Private Education in my country. Some Public Education teachers are there because their relatives were teachers and they gave them their places. They do not know what a teacher should do, because they did not study to teach, sharing their classes without head or tail. Professor Ivers said, "His / her demise is reflected in the superficial, boring, and uninspiring content to which students are exposed". Unfortunately, students always pay the consequences.

Bad Experience

A bad experience was in my childhood, with my third-grade teacher. She was always very angry. She would always start her classes by opening her book and moving the pages back and forth, and after finding the page, she would begin to "explain" the lesson, which was only for a few minutes. Then, she asked us some questions on the subject. If we answered well to what she asked, she would let us go out for recess, but if we did not respond correctly, she would hit our hands with a wooden stick and leave us without going to recess. After that, she would leave the classroom to go for coffee leaving us alone for the rest of the day.

This bad experience in my childhood marked my life and not only affected me but also my classmates.

Good Experience

On the other hand, there are great teachers and very prepared. They have many of the characteristics that Professor Ivers mentioned to good teaching. These Great Teachers are:

• Passionate
• Positive
• Inspiring
• Enthusiastic
• Respectful
• Transformative
• They have a great relationship (Teacher-Student)
• And Know the importance of proper delivery

A great example was my fourth-grade teacher. After my bad experience, came the blessing. She was always very happy and welcomed us with a big smile. She spoke with a sweet voice. She was very prepared with her lessons. She explained her lessons as many times as necessary to understand and learn. She always motivated us to keep trying.

The Ten Most Important Elements in Good Teaching

Professor Ivers gave us great advice and suggestions to put into practice. He mentioned  The Ten Most Important Elements in Good Teaching, which he chose in detail from various books, in which we must be working in order to resurrect The Great Teacher.

Now, we are preparing to become Great Teachers, let's not let them die. Therefore, it is very important that we put everything we are learning into practice. This is the moment when we need to develop and improve each of the skills and competencies that Professor Ivers teaches us, and to work on the type of teacher we want to become.

• What will you do to resurrect the Great Teacher and teach your future students meaningfully?
• What of these important elements you would like to improve?

References:

Is the Great American Teacher Dead? Principles to Resurrect Meaningful, Effective, and Consciousness Rasing Instruction by John J. Ivers, Brigham Young University, ID. Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice, Volume 18, 2012, pages 49-56.

(Bain, 2004, Dirkx, Mezirow, & Cranton, 2006; Hanna & McGill, 1990; Medina, 2008; Pinker, 2002; Purkey & Novak, 1984; Purpel, 1989; Svinicki & McKeachi, 2011; Weimer, 1990).