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 e 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.
e e e e e 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.
e e e e e 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).
e e e e e 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.
