Читайте также:
|
Every year, over 100,000 college seniors head into the public schools to student teach. They bring with them their hopes and dreams for the start of a successful career in teaching. But, many student teachers learn that they must walk a tightrope between a variety of conflicting demands and issues.
The most immediate challenge facing student teachers is the match between the student teacher and the cooperating teacher. Many university supervisors agree that a perfect match is impossible. So, student teachers must learn to collaborate with the cooperating teacher in order to gain as much as they can from their placement.
In addition student teaching experience creates new demands for time management skills: planning the next week's lessons, grading papers, contacting parents, and still having time to spend with friends and family. Yet, the development of these skills as a student teacher will yield benefits throughout one's career.
Student teachers must also balance the goals that they have for their students with the demands of the setting. As temporary guests in the classes, student teachers cannot implement all of their ideas in a 10 or 16 week period. Instead, they must set realistic goals that are attainable within the time frame.
Student teachers are often frustrated by other "things" that take up time during the school day: lunch, fire drills, announcements over the intercom, photocopying handouts, bus duty, monitoring the halls, communicating with colleagues, and phone calls to/from parents. In the end, the actual teaching represents only a fraction of a teacher's job.
Student teachers must also learn to balance theory and practice. They must now apply what they learned from teacher preparation courses to design practical classroom activities. For example, many teacher education courses introduce the theories of cooperative learning and inclusion. But, student teachers need to know how to plan group work to ensure that each student is responsible for one part of a project, while making sure that learning impaired students are not overwhelmed by the tasks or that faster students do not go unchallenged. It takes years to learn how to do this effectively.
Finally, secondary level student teachers must learn to function as an authority figure while maintaining a pleasant demeanor. This is difficult for many student teachers. Because the age difference between high school students and college seniors is not that great, many student teachers want to be viewed as a friend to their students. Finding a way to establish rapport with students which accounts for these dynamics is a challenge for many beginning teachers.
Student teachers share many concerns as they begin their experience. It is important to remember that student teaching is one step in the continuing process of becoming an effective educator.
Дата добавления: 2015-09-11; просмотров: 86 | Поможем написать вашу работу | Нарушение авторских прав |