Untraditional+Teaching

While teaching in first grade I found out that I am not very good at a traditional set of teaching methods. I found out that it was boring and frustrating to me. I could only imagine how the children I was teaching felt as well. I often found some bored, yawning, and looking confused. No matter how well the concept was taught, there were some who just didn't get it.

Today's teachers have many different pressures upon them. We have to compete with TV, computers, video games, and life in general. We have to make sure the children pass the PSAAs so our schools get funding. We have to make sure that children who don't get it eventually understand it and that those who do understand it are not bored. We start 'teaching to the test' in kindergarten, though the testing doesn't start until 3rd grade. Teachers follow the manuals with little to no room to include what the children find interesting. if it isn't in the manual -we don't do it. We don't dare to think about the children who need additional support-we don't have time to prepare extras for different learning styles. I have observed that you either get it or you don't. With such a high emphasis on testing, it is only natural for teachers to be come dependent upon manuals and to ignore what they know about how children learn. often children who don't learn quick enough, fall behind, which makes any new concepts a challenge for them to learn. This leads to frustration, children becoming discouraged, and sometimes may act out because they just don't know what else to do. It is as if they are screaming 'hey, look at me! I need some help!'

So what is the difference between a traditional teacher and an untraditional teacher? It is quite simple- how they present the teaching materials. In my opinion a traditional teacher follows a manual, stands at the board, and uses worksheets/workbooks frequently. An untraditional teacher takes a concept and provides multiple learning experiences for the children. She listens to the students to find out what is interesting to them and them become semi responsible for their own learning.

Teachers may find themselves teaching the manuals instead of encouraging the students to 'teach' themselves. 'Teaching' themselves doesn't mean no interaction, but instead more delegation. It doesn't meant throwing standards out the window-it means applying them in new innovative ways.I am not the teacher who stands in front of the class reading from a manual and expect everyone to follow along happily. I am not the teacher who expects each student to learn the same, I am not the teacher who believes that children should sit back and learn with out experiences to help the concept become alive. I am the teacher who believes that children all learn differently. I am the teacher that doesn't believe a child will not learn a concept just because I teach it differently then the manual suggests. I am the teacher that believes children learn by doing, by hands on experiences. Teachers are meant to foster learning, to encourage children to pursue what they are interested in and to encourage them to learn the best that they can. Teachers shouldn't discourage or 'teach to the test' they should inspire and encourage children. We all know that children learn best by doing - why does that change as soon as they start school? Why should that change when they start school? If a preschool child can learn multiple science and math concepts while playing, why can't an elementary student learn by doing group based projects?


 * * A note of caution is that this means of teaching doesn't mean to throw out the standards, ignore our societies need for testing- instead it means we need to present materials and teach differently. **

Here are some articles about how to teach differently within the classroom.

**[|Activities for Differentiated Instruction Addressing All Levels of Bloom's Taxonomy and Eight Multiple Intelligences.] ** **[|Making the most of young minds] **

[| Developing Multiple Intelligences in Young Learners]

Here are a couple lesson plans I used for our preschool unit on Dinosaurs

Here is my 1st grade lesson plan for Black History Monthy: Here are a couple of the poems the 1st grade wrote: If I had a scanner, I would scan and show you the maps that they drew

Here is a website that I found incredibly useful in planning and inspiring some ideas for dinosaurs

[] [|Dinosaurs] [|Preschool Activities about Dinosaur] [|dinosaur train] [|PBS Kids Dinosaur Train]

Websites for underground railroad: [|underground railroad] [|underground railroad II] [|National Geographic Underground Railroad]