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, arts and science. Art is defined in the Encarta Encyclopedia as “the product of creative human activity in which material is molded 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, proven or verified” (Encarta, 2003). Teaching is an art and a 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 didn’t 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 little children that draws me in and makes me really enjoy being around them. And they are so open to knowledge. I have never really found it difficult to explain the basic laws of nature to children. When you reach 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 small minds to great wisdom. It takes a special kind of person, someone who knew that teaching was the life, not the career, they wanted to lead. Teachers are required to do the “dance,” a way of gently coaxing students toward greatness. This is the mental, emotional, and physical preparation “dance” or movement 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, too little or too much parental support, and all the other encounters that children face. 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.
Daniel Lipton, educational theorist, 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 in and engage with the world around us” (Lipton, 2000, 22). Teachers have been committed to their students, to the enduring learning process, 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 about the love of learning and teaching by stating:
As teachers, we share this love of learning with our students. Teach
it is publicly sharing this love; is to ask others 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 well beyond their expectations in the classroom, a desire to stay educated. An example would be that of a father who does not let his son leave the house without the adequate conditions and development to live alone. Teachers do not want their “children” to go into life without the proper education (Cain, 2001).
Liston writes: “Good teaching involves a kind of romantic love for the learning enterprise; is motivated by and instills in others a love of inquiry…if guided by a greater love, teaching can become an ongoing struggle that nourishes the souls 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 ideas on how to spark students’ interest in learning. When a teacher succeeds in a lesson plan, she feels like all can be conquered. This is a claim 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 that 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 way that teachers can develop flexibility and accommodate 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 stick 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 the students and how long it will hold their attention. Learning should be fun and not something that generates groans and grunts when spoken. 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 even 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 have 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 reading the book, students will have the student turn the story into a poster, create a new ending in groups, use a setting 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 have been done. There are so many ways to make students learn without realizing it. Another great resource would be to use online reading sites. Links for learning, [http://www.links-for-learning.com] has a great teacher resource book site. These books provide grade level reading textbooks.
Diane Perlich, leader of the California Literature Project, states, “No matter how you look at it, the children in our classroom 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 that supports learning in the classroom. With this teacher-developed aura, students will be able to openly express their thoughts and personality, driving a wedge between a higher thought process and that child. This room will provide a place for students to escape from 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 word memorization. A literacy-rich environment would include learning centers, colorful rugs, or clustered seating arrangements. Anything can make a classroom printable, as long as the classroom allows students to feel important and comfortable learning.
Lelia Christie Mullis, a teacher for 20 years, writes that she encourages “students to search their own memories and recall the fears, shame, and joy of learning they felt… I hope you will provide your students with a positive, positive environment. full of oral and written languages, which engenders 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 thought. A teacher must be able to bring the information to the students in the way that they believe is effective. He must be able to establish positive relationships with his students and their parents. He must create the lesson plans that he believes will be meaningful. The teacher should own her room, allowing the atmosphere to reflect her teaching style. She must have 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, MS (2001). Teaching, the Social Aspect. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(9), 702.
Batzle, J. (1996). Recommended reading and writing strategies. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Encarta 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). Becoming 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
Formation: Los Angeles, University of California-Los Angeles Press.
Roberts, MRB (2003). A conversation with Melanie Roberts (interview with Deborah Cluff).
Price. (2003). Retired on July 20 [http://www.quotaionspage.com]
