How do I start thinking like a teacher?

To me, to think like a teacher is not just to know the answer to something but to be able to recite the answer in a way that others would gather more than just the basic answer. Sure, someone could tell you that when you factor (x + 3)(x – 9) it equals x2 – 6x – 27, but how did one get the answer and how can one explain simply enough for the average person to understand. As to start thinking like a teacher, one has to go behind the scenes of almost everything that one learns from here on out. No longer can we just accept what is, we have to find out as much as possible to better understand it, to help others understand and learn and grow. I like to think that I think like a teacher most of the times, but sometimes I I’m content just knowing the answer and just leaving it at that.

Is there a way to make people want to know more than just the bare minimum? What are some ways to spark their curiosity? What is making everyone so lazy?

Which theories and historical influences should most impact the schools we'd like to have?

After a quick look-see at some other students answers to this question, I do agree that desegregation is probably the most important impact to schooling today, but if I just went along and agreed with them, I wouldn’t be succeeding at UMF as much as I possibly could. My idea of the biggest impact of schooling in history is the slow but steady evolution of smaller classrooms. The smaller the student to teacher aspect is, the more customized the classroom is going to be and the more the individual is going to learn and grow. While I do agree that a large capacity lector hall is needed now and again for certain subjects, I would like to see more classroom of under 20 students, 15 if at all possible. In past experiences I always seemed to do better in a class when the classroom was more personable and where the student and teacher can build a relationship. While having a good working relationship with all of your students is near impossible, those select few that you do get to know and watch grow will mean all the much more to you and to them.

What is the average student to teacher ratio today? What about in past decades? How many people answered with desegregation?

How can I use knowledge of the learner to be a better teacher?

By knowing multiple ways of learning you are better equipped for the numerous different ways to teach. There is no cure-all method of teaching that works on everyone. You have to celebrate the individual and adjust yourself and your teaching style(s) to accommodate as many students as possible. You are your best resource for this information: think back to all the different teachers you have ever had and all of their wacky, crazy, and sometimes useful tactics to make you remember the information present. Think back to what worked and what did not work for you. But remember that just because one method did not work well for yourself does not mean it will not work for some other student in the future. Think of all of these styles as ammunition to your bag of tricks.

How can someone learn more teaching styles that they never experienced themselves? Is there a kind of “teaching cheat sheet”?

How can I be successful at UMF?

The easiest way to be deemed successful in life is to have that little piece of paper that says you succeeded from whatever school for whatever major. But did you really? To me, to be successful in UMF or any college is to apply yourself to as many different things as possible, to get a taste for everything it has to offer and to respect all of the different aspects of college. By being a more rounded individual one can understand more about one thing and then apply it to the many other things that make up life. By taking risks and straying off the beaten path you are proving your character and proving that being different is sometimes good. UMF to me seems to be the type of school where the student who finds the easiest and straightest path through school is not always rewarded or distinguished as much as the student who asks questions, finds their own way, and is unafraid of being a little, you know, different.

Should their be requirement for extracurricular activities? How far is too far off the beaten path?

How do I become a teacher?

To become a teacher, one not only has to know an extensive amount of material on one (or many) subjects that are required for education, but also must be able to know about life and what it brings. Teachers are not only around to teach the Pythagorean theorem, but also to prepare kids for their future and ours. A teacher must be responsible, self-learning, great at communicating, and a disciplinarian. A teacher does NOT have to be a role model. I have had teachers who were excellent at teaching their subject but were far from being a good role model, yet that does not tarnish their teaching ability. Technically a teacher must pass all of the PRAXIS tests in their field to be certified to work in a school.

Is their any way to help aspiring teachers reach their goals starting in high school? Help studying and/or testing for PRAXIS before going to college?

Journal

I want to be a high school history teacher mostly because of Mr. Willoughby. I had his class twice in high school and were easily some of the most memorable classes in my high school career. If I could make my students learn just a portion of what he taught us while having just some of the fun that we had, I would consider myself an alright teacher. I would like to teach in my alma mater if it all possible mostly for not having to learn a new school system but besides that I would like to teach somewhere where it snows and is not too urban. This is because i'm selfish and want to go skiing in the winter and do not want to deal with urban kids. I would choose high school because I would like to have adult conversations with my students about history, the worlds, and their futures. Being an unofficial big brother to a lot of friends siblings, I experienced a great joy from seeing them do good in school and move on to college to being adults.

Station Field Trip, Mac tools for learning

1. Larger mouse icon.
2. Contrast and Black and White.
3. Voice Commands and Speaking.