Lauren McNease

ELED 300
Professor Isbell
Module 1
Defining what makes a good teacher and searching for the right method of teaching has
been debatable. In the past, educators have focused primarily on the teachers role, and students
were only considered spectators. Now, education has shifted to the student and their learning
processes. One of the main views of modern teaching has been constructivism and its four
components. These components are talked about in detail in Learning & Teaching: ResearchBased Methods Chapters 1, 2, and 3 and correlate to the TExES Pedagogy and Professional
Responsibilities Competencys 001, 002, 005and 006. I will give a brief explanation of how they
are connected to one another.
Learning to Teach
Constructivism is a recent development in learning. It emphasizes that learners construct
their own understanding and that new learning depends on prior understanding and knowledge.
Competency 001 requires that a teacher understands how the student processes information and
is able to plan lessons that are motivating and true to the students needs. Another facet of
Competency 1 is ongoing assessments with students, which is setting standards. The standards
are reflective on what a student should know and be able to do.
Student Diversity

This chapter is the outline of student diversity and its influence on how a teacher should
be able to incorporate it into their lessons. Student diversity consists of a mixture of culture,
language diversity, learning ability and learning styles and a teacher must meet the needs of all
students. Competency 002 states that a teacher understands student diversity and will plan
learning experiences that are suitable for all students. It is imperative for a teacher to be able to
openly discuss cultural differences among their students. In this way, they are able to further
enrich the classroom experience for each student.
Classroom Management
Classroom management can make or break how effective a teacher will be. Classroom
management is how an educator will plan to engage with the students while maintaining an
orderly classroom. Competency 005 is the expectation of how a teacher is to establish a
classroom climate that is supportive, productive, safe, and orderly. One of the most important
messages I got from this chapter was the importance of the first ten days in the classroom.
Research consistently confirms that patterns of behavior for the entire year are established in the
first few days of school. (Eggen & Kauchak) This also ties in with having guidelines for
students by establishing class rules. Not only should students know what is acceptable behavior
in the classroom, a teacher must enforce the rules consistently in a positive manner.
Competency 006 dictates that the teacher understands strategies for creating an effective learning
environment and be able to manage students behavior. Since it is reasonable to expect that there
will be disruptive behavior in a classroom, the right intervention can help. Indirect cues are
useful for disruptive students without interrupting the flow of the classroom.
Defining what makes a good teacher has many facets. While reading Chapters 1, 2, and 3
many of these facets correlate with Competencys 001, 002, 005, and 006.

References
Kauchak, D., & Eggen, P. (2012). Learning & Teaching Research-Based Methods (6th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson.