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 d 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.
d d d d d 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.
d d d d d 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).
d d d d d 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.
