A Teacher with an Expertise in Teaching

Expertise in Teaching

When asked to name the teachers who have had the greatest positive impact on us, we tend to name those who were warm, energetic, enthusiastic, organized, impartial, and competent in their field. Expert teachers employ all of these traits, and, as the text states, are "experienced" and "effective" and have "developed solutions for common classroom problems" (Woolfolk, 2001). I chose to interview my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Mendez, because he not only demonstrates expertise in teaching, but also has created a fun and proactive learning environment, which I hope to emulate in my future classroom.

In order to teach effectively, the teacher must have a strong knowledge base of the material (Woolfolk, 2001). Mr. Mendez feels confident teaching all areas of the curriculum. A teacher who does not feel comfortable in his or her ability presenting a certain aspect of the material would most likely have difficulty relating the material to children. Specializing in a subject is not only important for advanced knowledge base, but for practicality as well. Mr. Mendez noted that having different teachers specializing (and teaching) in different areas of the curriculum saves time in lesson planning: students visit another classroom for science, for example. This arrangement also offers him an opportunity to meet with other students.

Expert teachers are also instrumental in motivating all students to learn (Woolfolk, 2001). When a student lacks motivation to learn or do work, these experts scout out ways to encourage learning. Mr. Mendez holds his fourth grade students accountable for getting their work in and in on time. The students are given choices as to whether to redo homework for a better grade, thus grantin...

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... such abilities. Analyzing Mr. Mendez's comments, I have come to the conclusion that expertise in teaching develops after some time and practice, but is mainly a product of patience, and an understanding of children. Expert teachers are aware of how each individual learns, and is attune to every unique learning style. Preparation is key to establishing teacher quality (Woolfolk, 2001). Expertise in teaching is not a terminal state: methods and styles must continuously be altered to accommodate for each new influx of students. Thus, expert teachers are flexible. However, teachers can develop their expertise by listening to students, offering feedback, noticing effective individual learning styles, and understanding the ways in which each student is unique and special.

Works Cited

Woolfolk, Anita. (2001). Educational Psychology. (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.