One thing that struck me during Phil's talk was the notion of the 'generalist' teacher who would be hired by the district as a 'warm body' to teach or do whatever was asked of them by their principal, regardless of their experience in a particular area. Is that right? In other words, should you only teach what you've been trained to teach? And therefore should math only be taught by someone with a math teachable? Why or why not?
Chris
Chris
What makes a good teacher? Not their background knowledge in their teachable, or how many facts and figures they have memorized, but their passion for learning and ability to communicate knowledge in a way students respond to. HOWEVER, a teacher has to be comfortable and confident in the what they are teaching. This can be previous subject knowledge or content learned recently in preparation for a class!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree but to a degree if a teacher does not have any background in a subject, their lack of in-depth knowledge might make difficult concepts harder to simplify for students. In the same way, if you are learning the material as you go along students will not retain the same knowledge as if it were coming from someone with confidence and passion for the subject. For example I do not have any science background therefore I would not be one bit comfortable with teaching a biology 11 class!! Students learning comes first, know your limits in branching out.
ReplyDeleteI would say that this is not necessarily the case. I think that a teacher if he/she is prepared and able to convey knowledge to students well, that they would be fine teaching whatever it may be. Although most of us have an area of expertise and would prefer to stick to that teachable im sure, because we are well versed in that topic and are then better prepared to teach that subject to others.
ReplyDeleteOops! So I forgot to mention that basically i agree with both of the previous posts on this topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gillian - I think the generalist teacher is a bit of a failed concept. We’ve discussed the different identities that a teacher represents, but I still think that above all else, the teacher is an educator, placed in their position to impart knowledge to their students. Therefore, these teachers should all have a strong foundation in the topics they teach so that they can teach them effectively, answer questions, and generally just be a source of proper information. I know I wouldn’t trust myself to teach physics, and I think it would be crippling to the students to have me do so.
ReplyDeleteI am going to take the position that its always healthiest for teachers and by extension their students to face a high level of variety of subject matter throughout their career. A total changing of the guard could be the most effective way of breaking new ground in teaching methods, shaking off bad habits, and maybe reigniting the passion to teach. Also, I think its important for teachers to be able to deal with those situations which come up from time to time when we don't get the right answer ourselves. Because it IS going to happen.
ReplyDeleteChallenge is important in any career and therefore I think being a "generalist teacher" is a good thing. Teaching the same subjects year after year has the possibility of growing mundane. Thus by challenging yourself to learn new subject areas, to make new lesson plans, so that you can teach numerous subjects or perhaps the same subject at a different level (elementary vs. secondary) would keep things interesting!
ReplyDelete-Erin :)
Good points brought up so far. I think that a teacher could teach a class about something other than their area, however the class would be pretty boring for the students as it would almost all have to come from a textbook with the teacher being unfamiliar with the subject. I suppose in a pinch with no one else to cover that it is better to have "a warm body" there than no one, but I think it's in the best interest of the students to have a teacher with knowledge (preferably more than one course) of the subject.
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone has made some interesting points about needing to be familiar with the subject area, and comfortable with the topics we teach, and about how branching out may broaden our ideas for innovative teaching.
ReplyDeleteI would like to link the concept about the generalist teacher back to our philosophy class and ask what everyone thinks is the most important thing that students are going to get out of their education. Personally, I hope that my students will gain methods for answering their own questions, whether it be by investigating through experimentation, through delving through the literature, or by using technology. In this sense, I think that it is less important for we as teachers to be experts on the subject we are teaching, and instead facilitate the learning process for students.
"The best teacher serves as a guide". I think if we take this stance into our teaching it will give us more confidence to potentially take on a subject other than our focus areas. That being said, competency is an integral part of being a teacher, and if you are not confident teaching a different area, the student's best interests may not be served.
ReplyDeleteThis also links well to Chris's comment/question about the potential for our knowledge to be obsolete in 5 years. Teachers need to be constantly learning - and taking on a new subject may be a great way to do this. We can empathize with our students as we are both going through a similar process, and we can draw upon the knowledge of our co-workers/peers who are able to help guide us through the experience of teaching a different subject.
I also really liked what Dale had to say about another subject "reigniting the passion to teach" by giving us a new and different perspective. I think teaching another subject area should not necessarily be something that we should shy away from.
For the sake of dissension I'll take the stance that there are some practical limits to the generalist argument. For example, lets say at the last minute a sub is asked to come into a class and assist the class in a model parliament activity. If the teacher has a strong science bent, a possible lack of familiarity could leave them in a really difficult position to be able to facilitate the activity. That being said, the philosophy behind the generalist argument is a good one, as it encourages a mindset of continued learning and openness towards students on the teacher's part.
ReplyDeleteA good teacher should theoretically be able to improvise in some areas that are not their speciality. It all depends on that individuals ability to be imaginative and adaptable, as there is usually more than one way to approach a challenge. This however may not be a whole lot of fun,depending on that persons comfort level dealing with the unknown.
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers should be open to new challenges and therefore be willing to teach subjects that they may not be experts on. A teacher who is well rounded is an invaluable asset to a school. For one to be able to teach a new subject, a teacher must be prepared. This requires revisiting old concepts from high school or first year university as well as learning new ones. Asking experts for advice would also be beneficial. “Winging it” rarely works in the classroom. Students can tell when teachers are not confident in their knowledge. Many students will not respect their teachers for this reason.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a summer camp where I had to teach different areas of science to kids. For the most part, I had no problems revisiting science topics I’ve learned in the past that I felt confident enough to teach them. At that job, we were also, at times, required to teach physics concepts. I was a chemistry major and my co-instructor was a biology major. Neither of us were physics experts. Although I reviewed the topic, I found that I still wasn’t comfortable with teaching it and it showed. I found that it was difficult to be creative and to come up with good questions that would help the kids learn. Delivery was often a textbook approach. Sometimes, we would ask one of the instructors majoring in physics to teach. Watching the expert teach, gave me some pointers on how to teach better. Utilizing them increased my confidence the next time I taught. Be willing to take on challenges. However, know your limits and address them. Study, prepare, ask for advice.