I think that changing teachers is good for students. I think
that it allows students to become comfortable to change and teaches them to
adapt to situation that they may not find desirable. There are plenty of times
when we move from a teacher we love to a teacher that we find less than
desirable. In the end though, we are forced to learn to get along with people
we don’t like: a daily lesson that we use in the real world.
From
an educational standpoint, I don’t think it’s the teaching style that is the
problem. If a teacher is eager and effective, they will be able to get students
to learn and have an enjoyable time learning. The problem comes when teachers
are complacent and ineffective in the classroom. There are many teachers who
can be using the same style as the teacher in the room over, but if they cannot
effectively communicate with their students, that is where the largest problems
arise.
I
do think that teacher’s and their effectiveness plays a large part. The teacher
should be inspiring students to learn, and we have all had that teacher who has
made us want to give up. I, in fact, decided I would not go into the sciences
because of one teacher who made math such a dreadful subject and in effect made
me believe I was not good at it. I know many people who have dropped courses
because they recognized that they would not be compatible with their
instructor. I find this very sad.
I do agree that an effective teacher is one who is really invested in the students, but I do believe that there are some benefits in having the same teacher for another year or another class. Even in college, when I register for a French class, I look at who is teaching it and I know what to expect from the class and the professor. It's nice to walk into a classroom and already have a rapport with that professor. I'm already comfortable with that person and I know what is expected of me in terms of participation, asking questions, and getting work done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary in regards to the benefits with staying with one teacher. I appreciate that we are able to see what teacher is teaching the class before we take it here at UNH. A teacher can have a serious impact on a subject, and two different teachers can teach the same course completely differently. Having the option to stay with teachers for longer than a year can be beneficial. When I was in middle school my entire "team" of teachers looped with us from seventh to eighth grade. This was nice because even if we didn't care for the teacher, we did know their expectations.
ReplyDeleteI second all of those points raised by Mary and Melissa. Kristin - what do you suggest we do with those teachers who don't adapt their teaching methods for their students. I've had teachers that I don't understand in class, so I go to their office hours, and they say the exact same thing to me, in the exact same way, and I leave just as confused as I went in. It's very unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad if students drop a course because they recognize that their learning style is not compatible with the teacher's teaching style. Sometimes I think that the add/drop period should be longer because students need that time at the beginning of the semester to decide if their schedule of classes and instructors is right for them. By the time you are in college you should know what works for you and maybe if you were able to experience a wide variety of teaching methods than you would not have any reason to drop a course because of a way that one teacher teaches. As students we need to be just as adaptable in case of the situation that a teacher does not adapt to all his or her students. But I do understand the need some students have for switching classes and maybe taking a class with another professor would have a better outcome.
ReplyDelete