Thursday, February 3, 2011

One tutoring session, over a half dozen strategies...

The more that I think about education, the more difficult it seems to me to come up with one solution that will fit "all students".

As a masters level teacher, I am highly critical of the education system and also, my own teaching. I do not hesitate to scrutinize myself when I fail to enunciate my words in a clear manner, or forget to ask students to make eye contact with me as I am giving directions. Being a teacher is more than delivering content, it is about "connecting the dots" that will help make sense to the student(s) in front of you.

This is the reason for my post today. I have one student in particular who attends one of the more "enviable schools" in the county that I live in. Time and time again I succumb to hearing his stories about the teachers at his school that "deliver content" but fail to really engage the students. For me it is like watching a really good Hollywood Blockbuster movie and...not seeing the end. I remember being in the classroom with students like him and with teachers like the ones that he speaks of and I ask myself, "why do they not explain this information and just not teach it". When I was in this situation I always jumped up in front of the classroom and stirred the class up with countless examples of how you can find this correlation in real life. Learning is not about memorization, it is about creating an emotional connection that will help you remember how to apply it forever.

I am sure that this teacher or these teachers will not change their habits. I am not asking them to change who they are. I will say that somtimes when you show students how passionate you are about your subject, it does become contagious!

If you are in the Atlanta/Marietta/Kennesaw/Dunwoody/Vinings/Sandy Springs/Buckhead area (Cobb County, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Cherokee County, Gwinnett) and have any questions about the JATP, CRCT, SSAT, SAT, GED, Summer Tutoring, Orton-Gillingham, Singapore Math, Handwriting Without Tears, Writing Strategies, Brain Gym or any methodologies or instructional methods that may help your child succeed, please contact me at christine@learningridge.com or visit my website at http://www.learningridge.com//. If you need immediate assistance, you can call me at 404-964-8533.


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