TEACHING TECHNIQUES-TEACH THE BRAIN
TEACHING TECHNIQUES-TEACH THE BRAIN, NOT THE STUDENT I am an enthusiastic teacher that believes every student is capable of great success. I have two great friends and one soon to be great friend that cautions my enthusiasm, their contention is that the teacher’s ability may be good or even great, but we must place more accountability on the student. I agree.
When I do "how to learn" presentations for students, I tell them they can learn regardless of how negative or ill equipped the teacher is. I further say they should blame the teacher for their not learning, learning is their responsibility. When I do How to teach presentations for teachers, I say just the opposite, I place all the responsibility for learning on the teacher. Why this duplicity? If teachers, as a group decide it is totally up to the student to learn, I am afraid the paradigm will become “I GOT MINE, NOW YOU GET YOURS”. I am afraid that creative, inspired, teaching will diminish. I am afraid that teachers will just present lessons. I also do not want students to think Miss Jane Doe is mean, I will never learn anything in her class. But back to the brain. Early in may career I had a group of students who I initially thought were hopeless. They didn’t pay attention, seemed not interested in anything I was saying, and never actively participated in the teaching learning process. Or so I believed. The real truth was because they had multiple good teeth, multiple tattoos, many piercings and dress differently I was prejudiced against them. ( I pre-judged their learning ability is a better way to say that) I decided that I would look but not see the student. I would see pass the student and focus on his brain. I know the brain works when the student doesn’t even realize its working. We as humans learn more in transit than we learn on purpose. We see and don’t see billboards and remember what’s on them without studying. We see TV commercials and remember without knowing we remember. I learned about brain based instructional techniques. I used charts, diagrams, flash cards and I made videos. Most importantly I created jingles. I used techniques that advertisers used. I used my students to teach other younger students. The change was prodigious. It worked! Other teachers were sure that in the beginning the students in that class had serious learning disabilities. I report to you that many of them have graduated college and making more money than the average teacher. In conclusion, don’t judge your students back there lack of success or effort. Just know that right now in their lives they are NOT INTERESTED, they are not dumb. We think our job as teachers WHO CARE is to try and get them interested. I offer a different concept. Try not to see the person with behaviors you abhor. Focus on teaching the brain. PROGRAM THE COMPUTER. The brain will learn. Students hear you even when they are not listening. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. IT IS CONTAGIOUS. If you smile , laugh, get excited about what you are teaching . They and the brain will respond in kind. DON’T GIVE UP. If you failed, there is a real possibility that they will die. You are the lifeguard. CAUTION: If you perceive teaching as a job, YOU WILL BE MISERABLE! If you realize the truth, THAT TEACHING IS A RELIGIOUS CALLING, AND YOU ARE A TEACHER BY INTELLGENT DESIGN, then you will be a great teacher.
When I do "how to learn" presentations for students, I tell them they can learn regardless of how negative or ill equipped the teacher is. I further say they should blame the teacher for their not learning, learning is their responsibility. When I do How to teach presentations for teachers, I say just the opposite, I place all the responsibility for learning on the teacher. Why this duplicity? If teachers, as a group decide it is totally up to the student to learn, I am afraid the paradigm will become “I GOT MINE, NOW YOU GET YOURS”. I am afraid that creative, inspired, teaching will diminish. I am afraid that teachers will just present lessons. I also do not want students to think Miss Jane Doe is mean, I will never learn anything in her class. But back to the brain. Early in may career I had a group of students who I initially thought were hopeless. They didn’t pay attention, seemed not interested in anything I was saying, and never actively participated in the teaching learning process. Or so I believed. The real truth was because they had multiple good teeth, multiple tattoos, many piercings and dress differently I was prejudiced against them. ( I pre-judged their learning ability is a better way to say that) I decided that I would look but not see the student. I would see pass the student and focus on his brain. I know the brain works when the student doesn’t even realize its working. We as humans learn more in transit than we learn on purpose. We see and don’t see billboards and remember what’s on them without studying. We see TV commercials and remember without knowing we remember. I learned about brain based instructional techniques. I used charts, diagrams, flash cards and I made videos. Most importantly I created jingles. I used techniques that advertisers used. I used my students to teach other younger students. The change was prodigious. It worked! Other teachers were sure that in the beginning the students in that class had serious learning disabilities. I report to you that many of them have graduated college and making more money than the average teacher. In conclusion, don’t judge your students back there lack of success or effort. Just know that right now in their lives they are NOT INTERESTED, they are not dumb. We think our job as teachers WHO CARE is to try and get them interested. I offer a different concept. Try not to see the person with behaviors you abhor. Focus on teaching the brain. PROGRAM THE COMPUTER. The brain will learn. Students hear you even when they are not listening. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. IT IS CONTAGIOUS. If you smile , laugh, get excited about what you are teaching . They and the brain will respond in kind. DON’T GIVE UP. If you failed, there is a real possibility that they will die. You are the lifeguard. CAUTION: If you perceive teaching as a job, YOU WILL BE MISERABLE! If you realize the truth, THAT TEACHING IS A RELIGIOUS CALLING, AND YOU ARE A TEACHER BY INTELLGENT DESIGN, then you will be a great teacher.
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