Based on my past learning experiences and my own points of view about teaching and learning, I agree with Mayher’s beliefs and convictions about uncommon sense teaching. In the past, I have had teachers who have just stood in the front and lectured the class for the entire time and then I have had some teachers who have involved the students in every way possible. I found that the more interactive teachers were, the more I enjoyed the class and the better my grades were, as well as most of the students in the class. My chemistry teacher in high school is the perfect example of an uncommon sense teacher. Not only was she extremely interactive with the students while teaching, but she would put the information into every day use to help us truly understand the material. When we would perform lab activities in class, she would explain the procedure to us and then send us off to do it in groups. She would even give us some experiments that we had to figure out ourselves using the knowledge we learned in class. Another part of the class that was uncommon sense was when she would have us create posters based on the mnemonic devices that she would make up and then hang them around the room until the test to help us understand the material better. It …show more content…
Although I already had some ideas of uncommon sense that I believed in before reading Mayher’s book, reading the book has broadened my knowledge in uncommon sense teaching. My past experiences in school have definitely shaped my own personal beliefs on how teachers should teach and run their classroom and reading Mayher supported my beliefs. Uncommon sense is a belief that could be used in any classroom from an elementary class to graduate class in college. It seems to be the most effective way for students to learn and even makes the leaning experience more fun for the teacher as well as the
The poem “Students” by Tom Wayman, shows four different learning styles: The Vaccination Theory of Education, The Dipstick Theory of Education, The Easy Listener Theory of Learning, and The Kung Fu Theory of Education. Wayman is a teacher that has noticed that every person devolves into one of these different learning styles. The four different theory of education are used every day even if we do not know.
What is head knowledge when you cannot apply it? What use is academics when you cannot make rational decisions? Why would you go to school if you do not yearn for knowledge? As a teacher, I want to instill in my children these desires and the abilities to not only succeed academically but as a whole person as well. I believe that the role of an elementary teacher is not only to teach the “Three R’s” and the “Four W’s”, but also to foster within children a desire to learn and the ability to make wise choices. In our classrooms, we are raising the leaders of tomorrow, if all they know is what 2+2 equals or how to spell “beautiful” are they really going to be the future that we need and look forward to? Through the hard work of teachers promoting their students’ success and ability to do good work and make good choices, we can see the world change in radical ways! When we as teachers understand that not only do our students need to know the what but also the how, we can help them succeed in building critical thinkin...
The immediate sensation of 1776, Common Sense, a pamphlet by Thomas Paine, had given the urge to many Americans at the time to fight for their independence. January, 10 1776, the pamphlet was published at around the begging of the American Revolution and had hit all of the colonies. It was sold and distributed widely and read aloud at taverns and meeting places. Even George Washington had read it to all his troops, which at the time had surrounded the British army in Boston. In proportion to the population of the colonies at that time (2.5 million), it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. Paine wrote this pamphlet into four sections: Of the Origin and Design of Government in General, with Concise Remarks on the English Constitution; Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession; Thoughts on Present State of American Affairs; On the Present Ability of America, with some Miscellaneous Reflections.
Any school curriculum should aim at enabling children to be able to think in broader terms, motivate them to want to be more knowledgeable and above all, allow them to come up with new approaches to problem solving. However, more too often teachers tend to limit the students to only the known facts in text books, something which prompts them to remain in their comfort zones. Additionally, the purpose of any formal education is not only to gain formal knowledge but also to gain social knowledge. Different teachers will have different approaches to achieve this. Despite the approach used, in the end of the day, they are expected to have involved and impacted positively on the different characters of children in their classrooms that is, the shy,
During a time of great tribulations, each colonist would be forced to chose a side. Their options were either to fight for their rights and freedom or stay loyal to the royal monarchy of Britain. Both sides had support from people of great power. Two men by the names of Thomas Paine and James Chalmers wrote to defend their position and influence others to do the same with pamphlets titled Common Sense and Plain Truth, respectively. After reading, re-reading and analyzing both of the documents, it is clear that each hold debatable arguments, however, when pinned against each other and set side by side, Common Sense holds more power and influence, whereas Plain Truth highlights greater intellectual and logical arguments.
In Common Sense, by Thomas Paine writes that America cannot recon ciliate with Great Britain. Paine gives many examples in this document of why America cannot reconsolidates with Great Britain. One of them is there is no advantages to being connected to Great Britain; only disadvantages can come out of the connection and the second idea is British government must sooner or later end.
Martin, K. (2000). Alternative Modes of Teaching and Learning. Received September 13, 2002 from Internet. http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/atmodes/to_delivery/discovery_learing.html.
This book describes the seven laws of teaching every educator must know in order to work with children on a day-to-day basis, and how we, as future educators, need to view our students. The Seven Laws of Teaching was originally written by a man named John M. Gregory in 1884, and then rewritten by a man named Charles Walker. John M. Gregory was a teacher from the beginning, as he started teaching when he turned seventeen. Gregory then continued onto be a leader in many educational organizations and many schools and universities. In 1917, Charles Walker wrote a revised copy of The Seven Laws of Teaching, and although he may have changed a few words, Walker didn’t want to change the original completely. Walker simply changed the outlook on students based on the difference of time in the world. When Gregory
Teacher knowledge has always been the basis to an effective learning experience. Without a knowledgeable teacher, students are not able to receive a quality educational experience. This pillar encompasses the influence teachers have on student learning and achievement, possession of research based knowledge, and effective teaching practices. I thrive to be educated and knowledgeable on the information presented to my students. By having a variety of teaching techniques that work and I use often in my classroom, I am able to mold my instruction around student needs and provide efficient and
Perception is defined as the awareness of the world through the use of the five senses, but the concept of perception is often used to isolate one person’s point of view, so how reliable can perception be if no one person’s is exactly the same? The word perception itself is riddled with different, well, perceptions of its meaning. When some hear the word they might automatically think of it as something innately flawed, that can easily be fooled by illusions, while others may think of its usefulness when avoiding scalding a hand on a hot stove. I am here to agree with both and to argue that perception is something necessary and helpful, and something that should be scrutinized for its flaws. By looking at perception as a way of knowing in the
Greene, Maxine. "Teaching as Possibility: A Light in Dark Times." (n.d.): n. pag. Web. .
Over the course of observations, I learned that there is no one way to do anything in teaching. After a few weeks of observing, I was relieved because I thought that I could stop worrying so much about doing the “right” thing with the students. I saw a successful teacher doing, or neglecting to do things that went against what I had been taught. I incorrectly assumed that the choices the teacher made about how to organize the day, approach a lesson, or manage the classroom were mostly a matter of personal preference and that several approaches would produce equally desirable results.
Fischman, Wendy, Jennifer A Dibara and Howard Gardner. "Creating good education against the odds."Cambridge Journal of Education, 36. 3 (2006): 383--398. Print.
Pike, B., & Bradley, F. (1997). The philosophy of teaching: Developing a statement that thrives in the classroom. Clearing House, 70(3), 125. Retrieved October 6, 2011 from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9703092460&site=ehost-live&scope=site
The one belief I had about teaching that has changed since I began this unit, is that all teachers, more or less, taught in the same way. Perhaps this is a belief that I had formed from my own time at school, where all my teachers taught in the same way; some were more or less effective, but I wasn’t aware of them using theories or methods as such, more that they were or weren’t kind people. This belief has changed and it has really opened my ideas to the many creative models, and instructional methods a teacher can use.