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Teachers, Listen to Us!
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Saturday, 27.11.2010, 18:05 | Message # 1 |
 Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
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| What do you think you want to tell your university teachers? What do you think they should know, remember and do to secure your future success? Why do your teachers hear and accept or fail to hear and ignore? What is your advice or recommendation?
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| lovefootball) | Date: Saturday, 27.11.2010, 19:54 | Message # 2 |
 Dean
Group: Users
Messages: 662
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| H'm, but is it polite, tactful and admissible? I guess our view is prejudged and the things can't be different.Besides, our statuses are unequal and I think our opinion can't change anything. If a teacher wants the assessment of his work, he will hardly learn something from his students directly. I think he should just observe.
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| Asya | Date: Sunday, 28.11.2010, 17:09 | Message # 3 |
 Union committee president
Group: Moders
Messages: 298
Status: Offline
| I think that the first thing a teacher should do starting to work in some group is to look attentively at the students and if possible try to get some info about the group beforehand. As far as I've observed there's nothing worse than giving stupid tasks to the students with normal intellectual abilities. After that the teacher loses his/her authority and isn't so much respected.
Another thing young teachers like to do is to TEACH, teach morals I mean. With or without reason, they consider it their duty to give orders, to demand, to teach how to live, study, speak, etc. No successful teacher will do such a thing. Good teachers don't try to MAKE their students respect them. They understand it WILL be so. They are quite confident and respect themselves. They believe in themselves. And the students always feel it. They feel whether their teacher likes to deliver classes or not, whether he/she possesses really profound knowledge of the subject and whether there is an opportunity for them not to do anything at classes. 
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| Nekavaen | Date: Monday, 29.11.2010, 00:21 | Message # 4 |
 Head teacher
Group: Users
Messages: 340
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| I agree with everything you've written, Asya.
I want to add something. Teachers are always older than we are and more experienced. They already have higher education and possess certain experience that we may lack. So, according to the rules of our society we should respect teachers because they are older and cleverer. I don't say it's false. But it irritates me that many teachers, especially young ones, are obsessed with the idea of subordination and think that if they are not strict and demanding enough (unfortunately, they never say the word "enough" to themselves when giving hometasks and insulting students), if they don't show who's the boss in the classroom students will do nothing. In fact it results in fear, despair, hatred and constant stress. Why don't they understand that it's not the right way to gain our love, our trust, our admiration! That's what a good teacher is aimed at. Before giving his or her students a task, a teacher should first inspire and motivate them.
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
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| Asya | Date: Monday, 29.11.2010, 07:57 | Message # 5 |
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Union committee president
Group: Moders
Messages: 298
Status: Offline
| Nekavaen, agree with you. I'm also quite sure that motivation is a key to success. One can do much more when he/she really wants to. And when we are simply forced to do certain activities, it results in hatred and never in brilliant ideas.
Another thing I consider to be very important is that we ourselves understand how teachers should behave. As long as we're going to be teachers (at least during our school practice) we are supposed to make the life of our future pupils brighter and not to spoil anything.
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| lovefootball) | Date: Monday, 29.11.2010, 20:37 | Message # 6 |
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Dean
Group: Users
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| That's the main point. Giving advice and offering an opinion is quite OK but only on the condition that we ourselves follow this advice. We should be very attentive to our teachers' behaviour and working style and imbibe knowledge as long as we have such an opportunity. But, of course, mistakes are inevitable.
And one more thing concerning subordination. Some teachers can't decide what role they're going to play: "a bad guy" or a good one. I mean at first they seem very democratic, insinuating and tolerant but then something changes and they suddenly become aggressive and very authoritarian. What should their students think then! I guess these are two extremes that should be avoided.
Message edited by lovefootball) - Monday, 29.11.2010, 20:43 |
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| Ayayulia | Date: Sunday, 19.12.2010, 18:19 | Message # 7 |
 Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 126
Status: Offline
| I think that one of the most difficult things for teachers to do is to say that they are wrong. I speak about school teachers mostly. I think that it is caused by another problem – some teachers don’t respect their students, they do not treat them as people. That is why children often lose interest in the subject.
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| Cherry_boom | Date: Thursday, 20.01.2011, 19:48 | Message # 8 |
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Student
Group: Users
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| Maybe they respect their students but they are not interested in involving them in the process of studying. We study basic principles of teaching FL. But practice shows that very few people follow them.
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| MissJane | Date: Sunday, 06.02.2011, 15:14 | Message # 9 |
 Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 193
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| Quote (Nekavaen) In fact it results in fear, despair, hatred and constant stress.
More often it results in despise. When a teacher positions him/herself as an all-knowing and impeccable specialist but in fact is nothing of the sort (and the students feel it at once - students' attitude is the most reliable 'barometer' of the teacher's professionalism), such a teacher will inevitably be despised. I think there are only two useful recommendations for a good teacher in times of problems with the students:
- learn more and more about the modern youth's interests;
- and don't forget what you were interested in when you were of the same age.
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| lovefootball) | Date: Monday, 07.02.2011, 20:19 | Message # 10 |
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Dean
Group: Users
Messages: 662
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| I've thought a lot of times about the idea you've expressed ("don't forget what you were interested in when you were of the same age") but still I can't decide what my opinion is. I'm all for democracy and understanding in relations but it shouldn't go too far. Subordination is essential! I mean that at some age we're sure that we'll give our children/pupils freedom (because it seems so important for us at this age) but then we realize that children must be restricted. That's why I tend to think that it's better to be an understanding grown-up, not more, and leave the remembrances for some other case.
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Saturday, 12.02.2011, 11:11 | Message # 11 |
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Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
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| Quote (MissJane) think there are only two useful recommendations for a good teacher in times of problems with the students:
- learn more and more about the modern youth's interests;
- and don't forget what you were interested in when you were of the same age.
Well, this is all very good and I would advocate any of your ideas but...
Education is hard work! Education is not about one's personal interests! Education is not about age preferences!
Education is about constructiing sound professional knowledge and developing solid skills and competences! So, metaphorically speaking, this is a productionl line! This line requires time, space and fuel!
In education, students are second main structure of the production line. Students should understand their professional responsibilities and leave their personal interests and insatiable desires for the kitchen talks and weekends! An important element in this structure is self-study for the better quality.
Moreover, the teacher, one of the two main structures of the production line, should understand the technological requirements and how to manage teaching so that the output satisfies the required quality level.
Well, these are my principles among many others:
- A good teacher must do his/her job well at his/her end.
- A good student must do his/her job well at his/her end.
- A good teacher must prepare a specialist.
- A good student must become a professional.
If there is no agreement about the principles, then somebody has supplied wrong ingridients for the production line.
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| lovefootball) | Date: Saturday, 12.02.2011, 21:11 | Message # 12 |
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Dean
Group: Users
Messages: 662
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| Teacher, I do agree with you on the most of your statements but aren't you being too severe? I didn't get the point about personal interests and preferences. I thought these factors are among the starting points of education. Isn't it of personal orientation to some extent?
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Monday, 14.02.2011, 09:24 | Message # 13 |
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Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| Quote (lovefootball)) I thought these factors are among the starting points of education. Isn't it of personal orientation to some extent?
- The starting point of higher professional education is a personal choice of future area of expertise, work and competence. These are important personal preferences and decisions. Good education is never about 'Don't do it if you don't want to'. This is an important principle for valuable and beneficial cooperation between the teacher and the learner so that the learner's potential and capacities could grow and make him/her a fully-fledged competent professional.
- One has chosen college or University. It means one has chosen certain professional interests, preferences and priorities! His or her education programme is designed in such a way as to meet the modern requirements of the labour market. The labour market doesn't care about your personal interests, academic likes and dislikes, or romantic preferences. These things belong to a person. But when you come to get professional education, please do not ignore your teachers' professional decisions and teaching requirements!
- Personal orientation should remain personal. If these 'orientations' change, change college and do not overload teachers with personal nonsense.
- When I hear about students' personal interests unrelated to their education, I react to them as a normal human being but as an educator I should not let those 'weaknesses' ruin the educational requirements.
Please, go to Seagull's blog on People's Relationships in which I have discussed similar things at length.
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| MissJane | Date: Saturday, 19.02.2011, 11:32 | Message # 14 |
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Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 193
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| Quote (Teacher) One has chosen college or University. It means one has chosen certain professional interests, preferences and priorities!
I'm sorry but I can't agree with that. This is true only with a small group of conscientious young people. With those who choose college or university themselves. But the majority does it under the influence of their parents or (which is more often) is indifferent to it. Our task is to show education is vital. Important. Beneficial. Involving. Motivating. And if we reject their interests, they will reject ours.
Why are there teachers who are able to give a lecture without a single student uttering a word off the topic? Able to make them interested in the subject? To preserve strict discipline? This is not because they're demanding. They can make the educational process rewarding and enchanting for the learners.
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| lovefootball) | Date: Saturday, 19.02.2011, 20:52 | Message # 15 |
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Dean
Group: Users
Messages: 662
Status: Offline
| Agree, the fact that one has chosen college or University doesn't mean that this decision will remain unchanged. Maybe, someone strives not for getting certain knowledge but for some status. He/she may have doubts about the future...even about the present! The point is that such people are not an exception to the rule, there are a lot of them! But at the same time I think that teachers don't have to lay themselves out in order to bring such students to reason because they are not children and should have head screwed on the right way.
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