Chaps. 3, 4, & 6

In Chapter 3, the roles of the teacher were discussed. It talked about how the teacher needed to be not only the provider of knowledge but also the learner and the audience. As the provider of knowledge, teachers have to build on the student’s prior knowledge and provide them with new knowledge. The teacher needs to be a learner because “if we do not wonder aloud in front of children and ask ourselves questions, how will they learn?" I have never really looked at teaching from this aspect before, but it makes a lot of sense. We as teachers have to be willing to learn new things. We will never master every subject we ever teach. In my placement, my host teacher and I both had to find information on rocks and minerals before teaching it to the class. When someone in the class asked a question we did not know the answer to, we admitted we did not know it and then looked it up. This helps to inspire kids to research their own curiosities when they see teachers doing the same. Another role of the teacher includes being a member of the audience. "If we want children to have longer attention spans, then we must first be the ones to pay attention." When kids see that the teacher has interest in what he or she is saying and doing, it tells them that we care. By being a member of the audience, teachers can also get a glimpse of the student’s learning styles and needs. In addition, it allows students to display “the arts, social skills, emotional wellness, creativity and personal reflection” as well. Chapter 4 confers about the importance of having structure within the classroom setting. Structure and routine in a classroom is crucial because students will not have to question, “What’s next?” But I feel it is important to allow students to be active in creating this daily schedule because it gives them a say in their learning.