Offically Student Teaching

Every teacher has a different style of teaching. Some educators believe group work is an essential part of learning because students are able to interact and work on their teamwork and cooperative skills. These teachers have their students sit in groups or bunches. On the other hand, numerous educators believe in independent learning. These teachers relay information to their students through lecture and worksheet and it is up to the students to grasp an understanding of the lesson and complete their assignments independently.

Now I have to imagine I was put in this scenario: I am a student teacher who is observing a teacher who has her students sit in rows, iterates information rather than enabling students to develop information for themselves, every subject is the same, and students struggle with vocabulary worksheets. It is my turn to teach now. WHAT SHOULD I DO?!?!?

There are many things I would change as a student teacher. First, I would want to talk with my cooperating teacher and tell her my plans so she is aware of the style of teaching/learning I plan on instituting in her classroom. I would want to try the students out in group seating and see if they cooperate with each other. Cooperative learning, I believe, is the best form of learning. I would want to incorporate group discussions and group activities. Also, the computer is an essential tool in advancing a students education. I would want to try and go to the computer lab to work on activities such as Study Island and other online resources that gives students a hands-on learning. Handing out worksheets is a good way for students to practice what they are learning. But simply handing them a worksheet and telling them to figure it out on their own is not effective. As a teacher I would want to hand out an assignment, go over the directions, ask for any questions, give them about ten to fifteen minutes to complete their assignment, and then go over it as a class.

These are just beginning points I would want to incorporate as a student teacher. Again, I would always want to talk to my cooperating teacher first to make sure it would be okay to do these types of lessons, because it is her class after all!