Written Response 12

While there is no secret or magic formula for great teaching, Natalie Steele does list some attributes common to great educators in “Three Characteristics of Effective Teaching” (2010). Steele suggests that these three characteristics are non-verbal communication, self-efficacy, and servant leadership.

I believe that non-verbal communication is important because our actions communicate messages just like our words do. Everything including eye-contact, clothing, gestures, and posture sends a message. If inconsistent, students will notice and may distrust you or push the limits because they do not believe you will follow through. However, if these messages are consistent, they will likely inspire trust and respect with students and order in the classroom.

Self-efficacy is important because failure and difficulty will inevitably come. But our response to the failure is more important than the failure itself. Those with low self-efficacy may give up, while those with high self-efficacy are confident that with questioning, planning, adaptation, and hard work, success is possible.

Servant leadership is valuable because the classroom should not be a dictatorship. Servant leaders are willing to learn along with the students. They also put the needs of students first. All of the lesson plans, repertoire, and communication is done with the mindset of helping the students because schools are for students, not teachers.

No teacher is perfect, but as long as we put students first, keep trying, and refuse to be complacent, we will continue to be more and more effective educators.

Written Response 11

While the Conway article focuses on the implementation of the 1994 standards, it can also help with the implementation of the 2014 national standards. Educators approach standards in a variety of ways. One educator may only cover the standards they deem relevant to the class, leaving the others to be addressed elsewhere; Others stress over the details to ensure that every standard is thoroughly addressed and may lose the interest of their students as a result (p. 35). Perhaps balance between these approaches can be achieved by considering the “spirit of the standards.”

The article goes into depth describing how to apply the “spirit of the standards” to each individual standard, but I believe this spirit can be found by asking one simple question: What is the purpose of this standard? As educators explore the purpose of each standard they will discover the relevance and application of these standards in their own classroom. Then educators can use the standards to refine their current teaching practices and help their students become equipped with the necessary tools to make music for the rest of their lives. Standards do not need to make the lives of educators or students complicated. They simply help the educator plan and reflect on the relevance and effectiveness of their teaching.

Written Response 10

One major takeaway from Chapter 7 in the Ayers reading is that fact that teaching is very dynamic. Effective teachers do not teach in the same way twice. Why is this the case? Teaching the same way twice implies that the original method was effective and should be repeated. However, there is no such thing as perfection in the art of teaching. Even if a particular method appears to be effective in one setting, there will always be some aspect that can be changed or improved. Additionally, each student has unique abilities and learning styles, so a technique that works with one student may not be effective with another. Furthermore, if an educator teaches the same way over and over again, they are sure to become bored and unenthusiastic. It can be hard to inspire passion and excitement in the students if the educator has become complacent and lacks passion and excitement themselves. But if the educator is excited about the learning process and keeps their teaching fresh, it is easier to inspire excitement and learning among their students. Thus it is important for educators to reflect on their teaching often and make the necessary adjustments.