Assalamualaikum and hi Mr Shahul and my course mates (hehe, in case it happens that ACCIDENTALLY you are reading my comments… (^_^)
I would like to share my opinions and thoughts about the quote that Mr Shahul has pointed out in his blog:-
“If your students aren't learning the way you teach, teach the way they learn.”
Well…well…well… sounds a bit tricky huh? I know, in real classroom situations, this scenario might happen. We can’t expect all the students can follow what you teach and perhaps the way you teach, so from my point of view, it is essential for a teacher, in this case, to be FLEXIBLE. Be flexible to learn from your students. Do not be too self-centered and (sorry to say) arrogant and think that “I am the teacher, I am in charge, so YOU students should learn MY way”. Perhaps, it may work for kids those days, but in today’s era, it is totally different. In this new age, the notion has changed. No more “I teach, you learn” instead “I and YOU learn together, from one another”. It is a kind of reciprocal way, or I should say a WIN-WIN situation. Students will get the knowledge and understanding which will ultimately grow their interest towards the lesson, and the teacher on the other hand, will be able to know, understand, realize and cater to the needs and wants of the students. Therefore, through this kind of learning style (teaching through the way students learn) it gives a teacher an opportunity to upgrade and polish their pedagogical techniques or teaching methods.
So, how does it apply in this course? Well, I believe, the teacher should be a democratic leader who can learn from his followers. So, both parties will strive to achieve the excellence and success together at the end. Don’t forget, be tolerate and considerate to each other’s needs.
For me, FUN is the greatest element which I think is necessary to enhance the learning atmosphere. As Krashen puts it in his Affective filter hypothesis, when the affective filter -- “a barrier that prevents the learners from acquiring the language although the input is available”, (Spada, 2006) is low, learners can grasp a great deal of input; and this will eventually assist the learners to learn more effectively. Perhaps, inject more fun activities in learning is a good idea so as to boost (our) motivation. Hehehehe…
Well, that’s all from now. Would like to hear from you and the rest of my coursemates. Till then, thank you! (^_^)
Good observation..and congrats for being the first to post your comments. I posted this quotation not just because I believe there's always more than one way of teaching something. Rather, it's because I believe you can utilise the fact that the children want to learn, even if it's not in a way you require. Teachers, most importantly, should let them learn in their own way. Well, if you can't accept this, then you should ask yourself this question: Are you teaching if they are not learning? By the way, there is yet another theory that is related to this quotation. I would like to hear from the class. ;-)
I am agree with this quote and also asmah's opinion..may i to add a little bit about this matter..in my opinion, this quotation is very realistic.. as a teacher we should be flexible in teaching (like what asmah has mentioned earlier).. we don't want to speak for 40 minutes to the wall! As a teacher to be, we have learnt before about Gardner multiple intelligence (i.e spatial, musical, kinesthetic..) so we should adapt our teaching to suit the way they are learning.
I could see that this course has helped us to experience the good way of being a good Math teacher in future..by activities and hands-on we did in class...and that's my humble opinion :)
As what Asmah and Siti mentioned earlier, FLEXIBLE is the most important aspect as a teacher. A teacher should be able to adapt or change lessons at any moment in order to accommodate the pupils' needs, interests, background, etc. Therefore, I think this characteristic suits the quotation well. About this course, it really helps us to be creative and imaginative in providing fun activities to children. The course teaches us on how to improve our lessons where variety of ways, methods, and resources can be used to drive the children's interest and understanding better. According to Piaget's theory which is at concrete stage, children can learn better through concrete materials. Hence, it is crucial for teachers to provide hands-on activities in Maths lesson so that children will be able to grab the input better.
First of all, I am wondering who coined the quote. If it originated from Mr. Shahul himself, it is just a wonderful quote!
I can't help but to agree with those people above stating that teachers should be FLEXIBLE and should adapt to children's style of learning.
Logically, new teaching and learning startegies always evolve in line with children's behaviour towards learning. In the olden days, teachers are the authority, the ones who have a total control. At that time, that worked in a sense that the style produced geniuses today.
However, as the world changes, children's attitude towards learning also changes. Therefore, teacher should adapt to children's learning style IF their students aren't learning the way they teach.
As the application part, I think it is already being applied. As tertiary level students, our learning style is no similar to firts,second or third graders'. Therefore, it is very important to be FLEXIBLE as it would be a more effective lesson.
Hi everyone, Looks like a very constructive discussion is going on here. Well, I truly agree that we should teach the way students learn. Most children dislike learning Mathematics in a conventional method, for instance, chalk and talk; therefore, it is our duty to make the lesson USEFUL and WORTHWHILE. As Gardner advocated, children have multiple intelligences. However, I believe that most children learn by doing. We are dealing with young children, who are also in the concrete operational stage. Therefore, I believe that in order to get them LEARN, we should bring more hands on activities to the classroom. I believe that while dealing with concrete objects,they can remember what they learn better. I believe games would be useful as well. Children learn rapidly through games.Hmm.. perhaps integrating games in the Maths lesson once a week would be ideal as it can keep them attentive. As Siti said, we should adapt the way we teach to suit the way pupils learn. I'm still in the process of learning and I hope we all can do that in the future. Well,that's my opinion. Thanks for those who have commented, I've learnt greatly from your comments too :) Have a good day everyone!
Hi everyone!*Hmmm..A hot discussion going on here i guess.By the way, thumbs up to all my dear friends who have given such wonderful trains of thoughts and suggestions pertaining this quote. Indisputably, i truly agree with all the notable elements pointed out especially in terms of ‘flexibility, ‘adaptability’,'games and fun' and etc.Thereby, i think i shall add on a little bit more...
As future teachers of the 21st century, i am pretty sure we have the capacity, aptitude and facilities to engage our pupils in their lesson according to their preferred way of learning.However,i deem that besides being flexible, adaptable and conscious of the pupils learning needs ,it would be ideal if the teacher constantly apply the 'constructive approach'in their teaching practices and games as well.(p/s:indirectly/circuitously)Hence,by tapping or relating the pupils' previous knowledge to the maths lesson it eventually trigger/evoke the pupils' higher order thinking ability to form a better understanding of the learnt mathematical concept as they are able to retrieve and intergrate the new information better and effectively thus,obliquely applying them in their daily lives.As Piaget reckoned, "the constructive approach encourages learners to construct new knowledge from their experiences which indirectly promotes 'active learning'".
Thus, in my point of view, teachers should build the bridge from 'known to the unknown'as they commence their lesson.For example, pertaining the topic of shapes, instead of directly introducing the properties of the shapes, teachers might as well guide the pupils to relate the shapes with the objects that they can see around them.In fact,it would be more practical if the teacher injects the 'constructivism' element in all the games they create as i believe it would be more meaningful and sensible in their current living situation.
Well,that's all for now.Till then..Thank you! *Thank you Mr Shahul for coming up with an evocative quote to ponder upon.
“If your students aren't learning the way you teach, teach the way they learn.”
Hmm, initially when i read this quote, i felt that it was true in the fact that being a teacher doesnt mean FORCING your teaching principles to be accepted by your students.
Thus, it is true that the teacher has to be flexible with his/her teaching methods/approaches.
However, as most of the ppl who gave positive feedback regarding this quote, i would like to think about it from another side of the perspective.
What i'm trying to convey here is that teachers should not OVER-COMPROMISE their teaching methods/approaches and 'OVER-PAMPER' students with the teaching methods/approaches they like.
I believe the BALANCE of flexibility is of utmost important in this issue. Teachers should be flexible enough to accomodate student's learning needs, and at the same time, expose students to new teaching methods/learning styles that might be beneficial to them.
As always, talk is easy. Got to try it out in the real situation to really see the 'workability' of this quote in the long run! (:
shah.jpg)
Assalamualaikum and hi Mr Shahul and my course mates (hehe, in case it happens that ACCIDENTALLY you are reading my comments… (^_^)
ReplyDeleteI would like to share my opinions and thoughts about the quote that Mr Shahul has pointed out in his blog:-
“If your students aren't learning the way you teach, teach the way they learn.”
Well…well…well… sounds a bit tricky huh? I know, in real classroom situations, this scenario might happen. We can’t expect all the students can follow what you teach and perhaps the way you teach, so from my point of view, it is essential for a teacher, in this case, to be FLEXIBLE. Be flexible to learn from your students. Do not be too self-centered and (sorry to say) arrogant and think that “I am the teacher, I am in charge, so YOU students should learn MY way”. Perhaps, it may work for kids those days, but in today’s era, it is totally different. In this new age, the notion has changed. No more “I teach, you learn” instead “I and YOU learn together, from one another”. It is a kind of reciprocal way, or I should say a WIN-WIN situation. Students will get the knowledge and understanding which will ultimately grow their interest towards the lesson, and the teacher on the other hand, will be able to know, understand, realize and cater to the needs and wants of the students. Therefore, through this kind of learning style (teaching through the way students learn) it gives a teacher an opportunity to upgrade and polish their pedagogical techniques or teaching methods.
So, how does it apply in this course? Well, I believe, the teacher should be a democratic leader who can learn from his followers. So, both parties will strive to achieve the excellence and success together at the end. Don’t forget, be tolerate and considerate to each other’s needs.
For me, FUN is the greatest element which I think is necessary to enhance the learning atmosphere. As Krashen puts it in his Affective filter hypothesis, when the affective filter -- “a barrier that prevents the learners from acquiring the language although the input is available”, (Spada, 2006) is low, learners can grasp a great deal of input; and this will eventually assist the learners to learn more effectively. Perhaps, inject more fun activities in learning is a good idea so as to boost (our) motivation. Hehehehe…
Well, that’s all from now. Would like to hear from you and the rest of my coursemates. Till then, thank you! (^_^)
SITI NUR ASMAH KAMAL
Good observation..and congrats for being the first to post your comments. I posted this quotation not just because I believe there's always more than one way of teaching something. Rather, it's because I believe you can utilise the fact that the children want to learn, even if it's not in a way you require. Teachers, most importantly, should let them learn in their own way. Well, if you can't accept this, then you should ask yourself this question: Are you teaching if they are not learning? By the way, there is yet another theory that is related to this quotation. I would like to hear from the class. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI
ReplyDeleteam agree with this quote and also asmah's opinion..may i to add a little bit about this matter..in my opinion, this quotation is very realistic.. as a teacher we should be
flexible in teaching (like what asmah has mentioned earlier).. we don't want to speak for 40 minutes to the
wall! As a teacher to be, we have learnt before about Gardner multiple
intelligence (i.e spatial, musical, kinesthetic..) so we should adapt
our teaching to suit the way they are learning.
I could see that this course has helped us to experience the good way of being a good Math teacher in future..by activities and hands-on we did in class...and that's my humble opinion :)
As what Asmah and Siti mentioned earlier, FLEXIBLE is the most important aspect as a teacher. A teacher should be able to adapt or change lessons at any moment in order to accommodate the pupils' needs, interests, background, etc. Therefore, I think this characteristic suits the quotation well. About this course, it really helps us to be creative and imaginative in providing fun activities to children. The course teaches us on how to improve our lessons where variety of ways, methods, and resources can be used to drive the children's interest and understanding better. According to Piaget's theory which is at concrete stage, children can learn better through concrete materials. Hence, it is crucial for teachers to provide hands-on activities in Maths lesson so that children will be able to grab the input better.
ReplyDeleteThat's all my thoughts.... Thank you!
First of all, I am wondering who coined the quote. If it originated from Mr. Shahul himself, it is just a wonderful quote!
ReplyDeleteI can't help but to agree with those people above stating that teachers should be FLEXIBLE and should adapt to children's style of learning.
Logically, new teaching and learning startegies always evolve in line with children's behaviour towards learning. In the olden days, teachers are the authority, the ones who have a total control. At that time, that worked in a sense that the style produced geniuses today.
However, as the world changes, children's attitude towards learning also changes. Therefore, teacher should adapt to children's learning style IF their students aren't learning the way they teach.
As the application part, I think it is already being applied. As tertiary level students, our learning style is no similar to firts,second or third graders'. Therefore, it is very important to be FLEXIBLE as it would be a more effective lesson.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteLooks like a very constructive discussion is going on here. Well, I truly agree that we should teach the way students learn. Most children dislike learning Mathematics in a conventional method, for instance, chalk and talk; therefore, it is our duty to make the lesson USEFUL and WORTHWHILE. As Gardner advocated, children have multiple intelligences. However, I believe that most children learn by doing. We are dealing with young children, who are also in the concrete operational stage. Therefore, I believe that in order to get them LEARN, we should bring more hands on activities to the classroom. I believe that while dealing with concrete objects,they can remember what they learn better. I believe games would be useful as well. Children learn rapidly through games.Hmm.. perhaps integrating games in the Maths lesson once a week would be ideal as it can keep them attentive. As Siti said, we should adapt the way we teach to suit the way pupils learn. I'm still in the process of learning and I hope we all can do that in the future.
Well,that's my opinion. Thanks for those who have commented, I've learnt greatly from your comments too :)
Have a good day everyone!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone!*Hmmm..A hot discussion going on here i guess.By the way, thumbs up to all my dear friends who have given such wonderful trains of thoughts and suggestions pertaining this quote.
ReplyDeleteIndisputably, i truly agree with all the notable elements pointed out especially in terms of ‘flexibility, ‘adaptability’,'games and fun' and etc.Thereby, i think i shall add on a little bit more...
As future teachers of the 21st century, i am pretty sure we have the capacity, aptitude and facilities to engage our pupils in their lesson according to their preferred way of learning.However,i deem that besides being flexible, adaptable and conscious of the pupils learning needs ,it would be ideal if the teacher constantly apply the 'constructive approach'in their teaching practices and games as well.(p/s:indirectly/circuitously)Hence,by tapping or relating the pupils' previous knowledge to the maths lesson it eventually trigger/evoke the pupils' higher order thinking ability to form a better understanding of the learnt mathematical concept as they are able to retrieve and intergrate the new information better and effectively thus,obliquely applying them in their daily lives.As Piaget reckoned, "the constructive approach encourages learners to construct new knowledge from their experiences which indirectly promotes 'active learning'".
Thus, in my point of view, teachers should build the bridge from 'known to the unknown'as they commence their lesson.For example, pertaining the topic of shapes, instead of directly introducing the properties of the shapes, teachers might as well guide the pupils to relate the shapes with the objects that they can see around them.In fact,it would be more practical if the teacher injects the 'constructivism' element in all the games they create as i believe it would be more meaningful and sensible in their current living situation.
Well,that's all for now.Till then..Thank you!
*Thank you Mr Shahul for coming up with an evocative quote to ponder upon.
Priyatharisini Jeyabalan
Greetings to all..
ReplyDelete“If your students aren't learning the way you teach, teach the way they learn.”
Hmm, initially when i read this quote, i felt that it was true in the fact that being a teacher doesnt mean FORCING your teaching principles to be accepted by your students.
Thus, it is true that the teacher has to be flexible with his/her teaching methods/approaches.
However, as most of the ppl who gave positive feedback regarding this quote, i would like to think about it from another side of the perspective.
What i'm trying to convey here is that teachers should not OVER-COMPROMISE their teaching methods/approaches and 'OVER-PAMPER' students with the teaching methods/approaches they like.
I believe the BALANCE of flexibility is of utmost important in this issue. Teachers should be flexible enough to accomodate student's learning needs, and at the same time, expose students to new teaching methods/learning styles that might be beneficial to them.
As always, talk is easy. Got to try it out in the real situation to really see the 'workability' of this quote in the long run! (: