Essay and Lesson Plan

There are many ways to construct ideas and whether it is intended for an individual or for a group, a teacher requires a certain skill in order for the idea to function properly. Whether the teaching method is one of a constructivist, cognitive or behaviourist approach, the skill of asking questions in all phases of a lesson is vital and the wait time to process the question and compose an answer provides learning benefits (Rowe, 1972; Stahl, 1990; Tobin, 1987). Teaching is a complex craft, and the goal of every teacher is to achieve the success of every student forming the basis of effective teaching. Effective teachers have high expectations of their students in their standard of learning and behaviour. When the teacher has high expectations, the students will perform to such expectations. If a teacher believes all students are above average and are capable learners, these expectations will transmit to the student, and the student will succeed. The success of every student is contributed to high quality teaching and effective teachers inspire in their students a love of learning. By setting high standards for a student, the teacher is encouraging the student whom will eventually develop high expectations for themselves (O’Neill, 2009). Constructivism, the present leading teaching model is when a student appropriately constructs their own knowledge. Whether the teaching model is based according to Piaget’s concept of individual perspectives or Vygotsky’s concept of social interaction and language in student’s constructing ideas, it is certain that teachers can support a learners understanding as long as the individual support occurs within each student’s zone of proximal development (Fetherston, 2007).

A planned learning experience (Appendix A) which follows up from a maths lesson on shapes for students in Year 2 jointly defines what it means to be an effective teacher. During the maths lesson on shapes for students in Year 2, the success criteria was based on

References: Collins, A., Brown, J.S. & Newman, S.E. (1989). “Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing and mathematics.” In L.B. Resnick (ed.), Knowing, Learning and Instruction: Essays in Honour of Robert Glaser, 453-94. New Jersey, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Education Queensland. Principles of effective learning and teaching. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/teaching/technology/principl/process.html Fetherston, T. (2007). Becoming an effective teacher. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning McDevitt, T.M. & Ormrod, J.E. (2010). Child Development and Education, 4th Edition. New Jersey, USA: Pearson O’Neill, S. (2009). Effective teaching. Retrieved from http://det.wa.edu.au/classroomfirst/detcms/navigation/the-strategy/ Rowe, M.B. (1972). “Wait-time and rewards as instructional variables, their influence in language, logic and fate control.” Paper presented at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Chicago, IL Stahl, R.J. (1990). Using “think-time” behaviors to promote students’ information processing, learning and on-task participation: An instructional module. Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University, 1990 Smith, C.A. (1995). “Features section: problem based learning”. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 23 (3), pg. 149-52 Tobin, K. (1987). “The Role of Wait Time in Higher Cognitive Level Learning.” Review of Educational Research 57, 69-95 Maths – A lesson on shapes. Retrieved from http://schoolsworld.tv/node/2066?terms=644