At a certain age and point in education level, I sincerely believe that learning, to a
certain, yet majority-sized aspect, is the responsibility of the learner; effective
learning in mind, is also the responsibility of the learner. Therefore, I will consider
excellent b and poor teacher behaviors for learning from times where learning was
primarily the role of the teacher (i.e, when immaturity of age and metacognition is
considered, such as in childhood). According to Bernstein et al. (2020), there are
seven principles of effective learning. I have experienced about each of them in
the form of their presence and their absence.
b b b b b b To begin, poor learning as a result of poor teacher behavior has occurred in
my experience when learning was not encouraged or designed to be active, such
as in times where I've had teachers lecture information with no intent or follow-up
of having students use the information first-hand. I consider many history classes
I've had throughout life, including during the K-12 years. According to basic
learning principles, such as the constructivist learning theories, learning must be
an active process as learning is not a passive process, such as through the idea
of a teacher "pouring" information into students (Piaget, 1968). Other factors also
need to occur, including adequate attention, retention, motivation, and in some
areas (i.e., motor reproduction), ability (Bandura, 1977). In active learning, other
learning concepts should be facilitated, including transfer and recall, which can be
done in a number of ways, such as through different cues, along with a many
number of things. Because teachers did not expect us to use any of the historical
information we were using, and expected us to simply memorize the information
rotely with no particular purpose for storing such information other than
completing a short one-time assignment, learning was not effective. To this day I
can't tell you much about any particular time in history, American, world, or
otherwise.
b b b b b b On the other hand, I have experienced some effective and excellent teacher
behaviors. One of these behaviors is emphasizing time on task. Learning cannot
occur if there is no stimuli of the thing intended to be learned. In other words, if
we are not spending any portion of time on a specified subject, we cannot learn
it. Naturally, the more you are involved in a desired subject of learning, the likelier
learning in that area is going to occur. As mentioned previously, learning cannot
occur if certain requisites are not met, such as attention. Teachers that have
ensured class time was spent engaging with content have placed me in situations
where learning was possible and conducive. Furthermore, teachers who have
designed class time and structure to focusing on the subject at hand, as opposed
to personal talks and off-topic activities, have given me the opportunities,
environment, and resources needed to learn the topic at hand. I think about
excellent teachers I've had in a variety of subjects when I think about these things
(i.e., English language classes).
b b b b b b Finally, it is important for us to continually strive to do our best work when
possible according to principles in the Bible. We are instructed to "show yourself
in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity,
dignity, and sound speech..." (ESV, Titus, 2:7). As Christians, we believe the Bible
is God's word and His instructions for us according to the truth of His word and
reality. We dedicate ourselves not to a few scriptures of our choosing, nor to
principles that we agree with. Rather, we follow all of God's instructions for He is
supreme, we should be obedient, and it is a form of our worship to comply with
His will. For many different scriptural reasons we must do our best in all things
as we glorify God this way.
References
Bandura, A. J. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bernstein, D. A., Frantz, S., & Chew, S. (2020). Teaching psychology: A step-by-
step guide (3rd ed.). Routledge.
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
Piaget, Jean (1968). Six Psychological Studies. Anita Tenzer, New York: Vintage
Books.
