Week 2: Response "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?

During this week reading the article "Is the Great American Teacher Dead? Principles to Resurrect Meaningful, Effective and Consciousness Raising Instruction by John J. Ivers professor at Brigham Young University, Idaho, In this article Ivers address some of the issues that teachers have faced and are continuing to face in the classroom. He mentioned that teachers have the mission to make things meaningful. I like the idea because teachers need to be exciting, inspiring, and engaged with their students. I believe that teachers can make a difference. They have the opportunity to help students to think deeply, and feel love for learning or what Ivers said: "Be romantic." We need to put an extra effort.
Even though teaching is not always easy, because it brings ups and downs. We have the opportunity to find guidance from our Heavenly Father. We need to pray and teach by the spirit as we find in the scriptures because when we teach by the spirit we can penetrate hearts. Education is the most beautiful tool that any human can access. Professor Ivers gave us a list of 10 most important elements in good teaching, "assuming that adequate lesson planning and instructor competence are there." Here is the list:

1. Positive teacher-student relationship.
2. Good delivery.
3. Edifies rather damages students self-concept.
4. Clarity, using many examples and stories.
5. Encourages deep and critical thinking.
6. Variety instead of monotony. (10 minutes rule)
7. Grading and workload perceive to be fair.
8. Enthusiasm and zest for the topic.
9. Meaningful to real-world problems.
10. Potentially transforms one's world view from one uncritical acceptance of cultural dictates to one of deep, reflective, and compassionate thinking.

I like John B. Watson quote: "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specific world in which to bring them up and I'll guarantee to take anyone at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes even beggarman and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race his ancestors" because as a teachers we have the opportunity to help Heavenly Father children to develop their potential in this earth. Education can bring healthy lifestyle and higher perspective to develop new skills. Education is the most important gift that our Heavenly Father gives us. 

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