Article by Angélica Conde
This article brought me back in time. My process of learning English has been influenced by many people, relatives, teachers, and my companions during my mission.
In my country, students typically study English at school. It's part of the curriculum. But some teenagers from high school study English at a different institute in order to be more prepared for college, where are required to speak a second language.
By reading the article "Is the great teacher dead?" my first impression was thinking about a special teacher from high school and how she changed my perception of learning and teaching.
In my second year at high school, I met a great teacher I would never forget, from her, I developed a great desire of transmitting the same she did with me.
I remember those days most of them were full of good memories. She was the kind of teacher who made a positive impact on the students. We were teenagers, some of us with learning problems. I remember the great special relationship teacher-students we established with her. We all learned, we all enjoyed English classes, we changed, we became more dedicated and kind students. She took care of her troops
I can say she was, she was "THE GREAT AMERICAN TEACHER".
Some of us are pursuing our dreams, becoming the great teachers we had, or avoiding being "dead teachers". We're all are learning. I learned from Doctor Ivers some pieces of advice.
There are two important factors with students, those are; a good positive self-concept and a positive teacher-relationship.
You need to be a nice, inviting, and loving person and that's because everyone on the planet, basically, has fragile self-esteem. We all have serious insecurities, just because we're human beings.
I'd like to share the ten most important elements in teaching Doctor Ivers quoted.
1-Positive teacher-student relationship
2. A good “delivery”
3. Edifies rather than damages a student’s self-concept
4. Clarity (through the use of many examples and stories)
5. Encourages deep and critical thinking
6. Variety instead of monotony (do not forget the TenMinute Rule)
7. Grading and workload is generally perceived to be fair
8. Enthusiasm and zest for the topic
9. Meaningful to real-world problems
10. Potentially transforms one’s worldview from one of uncritical acceptance of cultural dictates to one of deep, reflective, and compassionate thinking.
