Yeats, a philosopher, once said: “Education is not filling the bucket, but lighting the fire” (www.quotations page.com). Teachers are the key to our children’s future, they are the ones who will ignite their love of learning. The teaching contains two main concepts of learning, the arts and science. Art is defined in the Encarta Encyclopedia as “the product of creative human activity in which material is shaped or selected to convey a visually interesting idea, emotion, or form.” This describes exactly what a teacher does in a day, they create “human activity”. While science is defined as “a study of anything that can be examined, tested or verified” (Encarta, 2003). Teaching is an art and science that is learned and then developed through the learning style of teachers.
Albert Einstein once said: “Believe it or not, one of my deepest regrets [is that I didnt teach]. I’m sorry because I would have liked to have more contact with the children. There has always been something about the innocence and freshness of young children that draws me in and makes me really enjoy being with them. And they are so open to knowledge. It has never really been difficult for me to explain the basic laws of nature to children. When you catch up with them on their level, you can read their genuine interest and appreciation in their eyes (Parkway, 2001, p. 5). Albert Einstein was a genius and he knew that teaching children was the only way to open little minds to great wisdom. It takes a special type of person, someone who knew that teaching was the life, not the career, that they wanted to pursue. Teachers are required to do the “dance,” a way of gently coaxing students into greatness. This is the “dance” or movement of mental, emotional and physical preparation that develops the entire package of teaching students how to learn. This is the ability to maneuver through lesson plans, teaching strategies, print-rich classroom environments, classroom management, discipline tactics, lack of or too much support from parents, and all the other encounters that teachers learn to juggle. This is the art and science of teaching, the ability to multitask on all of the above elements and still achieve the goal of teaching students.
Educational theorist Daniel Lipton explains: “The love of learning, the love of inquiry, comes in many forms. In its loving manifestations, we seem to go beyond ourselves, to discover, create and discover. We invest and engage with the world around us” (Lipton, 2000, 22). Teachers are committed to their students, to the process of lifelong learning, and to the schools they teach. This means that they must find ways to teach their class everything that students will need throughout their lives, not just during the school year. Liston writes of the love of learning and teaching by stating:
As teachers, we share this love of learning with our students. To teach
it is to publicly share this love; is to ask others to allow themselves to be attracted by
the same powers that seduce and attract us; is trying to get our
students to see the grace and attraction that these “big things” have
for us. In teaching we approach our students in an attempt to
create connections between them and our subjects. we want them to fall in love
what we find so attractive.
As a teacher, you cannot settle for anything less than complete knowledge and dedication to your students. This requires enthusiasm to teach students to achieve far beyond their expectations in the classroom, a desire to remain educated. An example would be that of a father who does not let his son leave the house without the proper conditions and developments to live alone. Teachers do not want their “children” to go through life without proper education (Cain, 2001).
Liston writes: “Good teaching involves a kind of romantic love for the enterprise of learning; is motivated by and instills in others a love of research… if guided by a greater love, teaching can become a constant struggle that nourishes the soul of our students and our own.” (Liston, 2000, p. 81). Teaching is based on both a physical and an emotional level, or “emotional and intellectual work”. No matter the age or grade level being taught, teachers are effective through emotions and insights on how to spark students’ interest in learning. When a teacher succeeds in a lesson plan, she feels like everything can be conquered. This is a statement that most professions will never achieve in their careers (Liston, 2000). Teachers have learned that their art of teaching is to mold and explore the needy minds of their students.
Frank Smith, a leading educational theorist, comments: “The brutally simple motivation behind the development and enforcement of all systematic instructional programs is a lack of confidence that the teacher can teach and the student can learn. To be effective, teachers must have the flexibility to adapt their methods to the needs of individual students” (Perlich, 2000, p. 1). This is the art and science of teaching. The ability to restore confidence to the teacher and students and do it creatively. Lesson planning is one of the ways that teachers can develop flexibility and adapt to the needs of individual students. This is because the lesson plan is the core of classroom stability and what will really make the student want to learn. There is a special art/style that a teacher must possess to adapt to these classes. Lesson plans should be tied to the interest of the child and also to the learning style of each student. The lesson must be well thought out and very well planned by the teacher. Lesson plans should follow these simple rules:
1. Identify the special needs of each student through assessments and evaluations.
2. Choose a lesson based on the needs of the group and the experiences or lessons they want to learn.
3. Make good decisions about how the book will be used in class (Batzle, 1996).
Other questions a teacher might think about when developing lesson plans is whether it is interesting to students and how long it will hold their attention. Learning should be fun and not something that generates moans and groans when you speak. Sesame Street is a great show for kids to watch and this show is done in a way that kids as young as 12 months don’t realize they’re learning. Melanie Roberts, a special education teacher, noticed that her 20-month-old son could count to 20 without her help. Upon further investigation, she discovered that he had learned this from Sesame Street. She didn’t even know he was learning because he enjoyed what he was doing (Roberts, 2003). This is how the teacher’s lessons should be, an unknown learning process. One way to do this is to always educate yourself and learn new strategies for teaching subjects.
For reading, a fun and educational lesson plan would be to have the students read or the teacher read a favorite book. When the book is finished, assess students through shared writing or a writing workshop. An example would be reading the book “Stone Soup”. After they have read the book, students will have the student turn the story into a poster, create a new ending in groups, use a scenario to create a postcard, or create a paper doll for each character and act out the book. The teacher can even have a special stone and make soup with the class after the lesson and assessment is done. There are so many ways to make students learn without realizing this. Another great resource would be to use online reading sites. links for learning, [http://www.links-for-learning.com] has a great resource book site for teachers. These books provide grade level reading books.
Diane Perlich, leader of the California Literacy Project, states, “No matter how you look at it, the children in our class are living in the future, and it is our responsibility as educators to provide the learning environment in which they can be successfully prepared” ( Perlich, 2000, p.1). A print-rich environment is very important in developing a positive atmosphere for learning in the classroom. With this aura developed by the teacher, students will be able to openly express their thoughts and personality, opening a gap between a higher thought process and that child. This room will provide a place for students to escape any difficulties they may encounter outside of the classroom and allow this place to be their “safe haven”. A good example of how to make a classroom print-friendly is to have a mobile word wall. This is a giant piece of paper with the alphabet attached. When students learn a new word, their spelling words, etc. the teacher attaches that word to the “Word Wall” under the corresponding letter. This will help with phonics, sight reading, and memorizing words. A literacy-rich environment would include learning centers, colorful rugs, or clustered seating arrangements. Anything can make a classroom print-friendly, as long as the room allows students to feel important and comfortable when learning.
Lelia Christie Mullis, a teacher for 20 years, writes that she encourages “students to look into their own memories and recall the fears, shame, and joy of learning they felt… I hope you provide your students with an environment that is positive, full of oral and written languages, which generates joy more than any other emotion, that magical process we call learning can change lives forever (Perlich, 2000, p. 105). That is what the teacher is looking for, a place where learning is the center of each student’s thinking. A teacher must be able to get information to students in whatever way they think is effective. He must be able to establish positive relationships with his students and their parents. He must create lesson plans that he thinks will be meaningful. The teacher should own her room, allowing the atmosphere to reflect her teaching style. She must be in full control of her classroom and what goes on inside it. This is called education and education is the art and science of teaching.
References
Cain, M.S. (2001). Teaching, the Social Aspect. Phi Delta Kappan, 82 (9), 702.
Batzle, J. (1996). Recommended reading and writing strategies. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Insert online. (2003). http://www.encarta.com
Liston, D.P. (Winter 2000). Creative teachers: risk, responsibility and love. Educational Theory, 50(1), 22-81.
Parkway, FW (2001). Become a teacher. In Art and Science of Teaching. Boston, Pearson Education Company.
Perlich, Diane (2000). Let’s put phonetics in perspective. Basic Literacy K-3
Education: Los Angeles, University of California-Los Angeles Press.
Roberts, MRB (2003). A conversation with Melanie Roberts (interview with Deborah Cluff).
Quote. (2003). Retired on July 20 [http://www.quotaionspage.com]