THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF TEACHING

As teachers, we acquire experience throughout the time we practice this profession. Experience gives us certain knowledge to understand what teaching is about; however, we can not ignored an indispensable aspect in every teacher’s life: Research. Research is an important tool that helps us improve our understanding of the teaching process.

Research allows teachers to have theoretical bases in order to have good classes. Theoretical bases provide methodologies, approaches, and techniques used in the teaching process. Undoubtedly, teachers can not get to know this knowledge without making some research. By researching, teachers have the opportunity to put theory into practice; they can try many sorts of teaching methods so that they find out a method that best suits their students’ needs.

Also, research helps teachers perform a good role. Teachers interested in having the best classes look for information sources that give guidelines of how to organize the development of a class. Different ways of making effective lesson plans are set in books and web pages; and good teachers are aware that they can not be devoid of such information.

Finally, research provides teachers necessary information for them to understand how students behave. Students behavior can be understood when reading what psycho-pedagogic books say about learners’ attitudes. Psycho pedagogy gives enough information to help teachers have empathy when students are going through difficult situations that hinder students’ learning.

As a matter of fact, research plays a very important role in every teacher’s life. Research makes teachers stand out; thus, teachers feel satisfied and proud of their jobs!

MY EXPERIENCE LEARNING ENGLISH

 

My experience learning English as a foreign language has been very rewarding. At the very beginning, I had no idea about English, in fact, before starting studying English, I thought I did not like it. So learning English seemed to be a huge challenge to me. Later, I discovered my gift to learn a new language easily, so, I began enjoying my English classes. Nowadays, I experience great satisfaction every time I produce something in English accurately. Moreover, the ability of speaking English has open many doors to me. My English learning process has not finished yet, and I think it will continue during the rest of my life.

Undoubtedly, I have had many different kind of teachers, but I am certainly sure that no matter what kind of teachers they are, all of them have used the direct method to teach English to me. My teachers never use Spanish in their classes. In addition, they always use English, and they focus on the four macro skills of English: speaking, writing, reading, and listening. As a matter a fact, I found the direct method very effective since having been taught by teachers who use this method, I have learnt a lot!

SELF-FULFILLMENT

“Self-fulfillment is a liberating part of education.” When it comes to teach, we, as teachers, want our students to be successful, but, to be part of student’s success, we should know not only why we teach, but also who we are in the teaching process. We teach because we are concerned about issues that affect the human spirit. Furthermore we are the ones that believe in students.

HOW TO HELP OUR STUDENTS REACH THEIR POTENTIAL TO THE FULLEST

“Teachers who contribute to encouraging students to desire lives of fulfillment meet a most worthy teaching goal.”  The spiritual goal is the key to encourage students to desire lives of fulfillment because it aims the human beings’ spiritual component which helps students achieve their potential and their purpose. We need to transform students’ life and help them reach their potential by respecting and trusting them. Respecting and trusting students will create a good relationship between teacher and student; that relationship helps create communication between learner and teacher. While communicating, teacher can be aware of the students’ potentials, so that the teacher will help develop the skills a students has. “It is not what teachers do with disadvantaged students, but what they believe and how they think about them make a difference in successful teaching.”

HOW TO BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION TO OUR STUDENTS

If we want to be a source of inspiration to our students, we must have a surer sense of what to teach to whom and how to go about teaching it in such a way that it will make those taught more effective, less alienated, and better human beings. We should teach in such way that our students can get a meaningful and endless learning. “Human beings are personal, timeless, subjective, and social.” So, if we teach to inspire learners being better students, better citizens and better human beings, we will become a source of inspiration to them. Eventually, we can make the social, academic and spiritual goals work in synergy to help our students reach their potential to the fullest and to be a source of inspiration to them as well.

WHY DO WE WANT TO TEACH?

There would be many different answers to this question, but, certainly, the most significant answer is that we teach to inspire our students. There are many different methods to teach, still, any of them can be said as the best to inspire students. To inspire our students requires teachers to be willing to make a difference in the teaching process. We have to aim to be teachers who motivate students to overcome their limitations. Teachers should be aware that “Students need teachers they can believe in.”

THE TRANSFORMATIONAL PEDAGOGY

“If we believe that teaching is a mere imparting of information, we have surely aimed to low.” Good teachers influence their student’s life. The transformational pedagogy means to have three important goals that teachers can use to help students succeed. These goals are academic, social and spiritual. For example, in the academic goals, teachers should assess students mostly formatively. “Overemphasis on summative assessment can discourage learners.” To assess students formatively means to help students every day by being sympathetic and make them feel they can do anything. Social goals are related to the relationship teachers have with students. Students handle many problems in their lives, and teachers should be capable to help them in order to they can face their problems and do a good job at school, “Moral concern for our students begins with building respectful relationships.” Spiritual goals set that “Emotions affect learning” “Why are student and teacher feelings important for educational success? Neurobiological studies are confirming what teachers have known for a long time: we remember what we feel” it is important to create a good atmosphere in the classroom because we remember all we live when we experience a good feeling, so, students will be able to learn and to remember all they saw in classes. The transformational pedagogy can help not only pre-service teachers to have expectation of how they want to be as future teachers, but also in-service teachers to better their teaching techniques.

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