Learning from the Best
When you were in school, who was your best teacher? What did they do that made it easy for you to learn?
My best teacher was the one who communicated with me the most, my Spanish teacher in 10th grade. He always reached out to me and made sure to inquire about my issues in his class. Wether I was doing good or was having difficulties, he always made time for me as a student to explain the abstracts information.
Aprilyn, students can tell when we care and when we don't. Thank you for telling us about your best teacher.
Michele Deck
My best teacher was Mrs. V who was my high school algebra teacher. She was very nice and gave a lot of positive reinforcement and encouragement to all her students. She was from South Carolina and she and gave a lot of endearments such as "sweetheart" & "baby doll". Everyone loved her, because she really cared about us.
Vanessa, tailoring your teaching to a variety of learners is the key to success for all.
Michele Deck
I think the teachers that I can remember when in school were those who created activities that were hands on. The reason why I remember them is because the lecture or activity was tailored to how I learn. I can remember struggling with remembering lectures and exams but when it came to doing a hands on activity, I was able to grasp that concept easier.
Makes me think today that I really need to tailor my teaching now to all of my learners to better assist them and make class interesting.
I enjoyed learning history and science. I think it was because I was able to be hands on in science and history can be presented like a story instead of just raw data.
The teacher I liked told stories to explain every concept he was teaching. He'd create these fantastic visuals with his detailed storytelling. It was easy to remember what he talked about and much easier to remember the content.
Kitt, thank you for sharing your memories of her.
Michele Deck
While I don't remember my instructor's name, I will always
admire her teaching style. Her teaching methods included the following:
-real life experiences
-pictures (hand drawn or photo's)
-short stories (humor or unexpected endings)
As a result of her teaching techniques, recalling medical terms and their functions was a piece of cake for me!
Brant, it is sometimes hard to be patient, but what a great role model he was for you!
Michele Deck
Mr. Houston: He always offered encouragement and had patience until the concept was learned.
Kimberlee, what an engaging way to make the subject relevant and exciting for the students.
Michele Deck
I think it was a geography class in junior high. I loved learning about new areas of the world. The teacher had traveled quite extensively so he had many stories and pictures to show and tell. The most memorable was a mummy head that he had smuggled out of Egypt. I was so fascinated by it; how could something be thousands of years old and still be intact. He knew how to teach!!!
Rita, great teaches can plan the flow in a class so that it is chunked in relevant sections while making it interesting.
Michele Deck
My best teacher in school was the teacher who made things relivant and broke them down to easiest parts. Also relating familiar things together. They also mixed things up to keep it fresh and interesting.
Tammy, I wish I had a hands on math teacher. I was taught math by independent study packets, and it didn't work.
Michele Deck
Julie, deeper understanding comes from deconstructing and reconstructing. How lucky you were to have such a wonderful teacher!
Michele Deck
Both my science and my math teacher in high school were incredible. They were obviously kinsthetic learners like me. They did a lot of hands on projects that made it fun wile we learned.
Mr. Cherry (real name) was my science teacher in high school. He was so inter active and fun. He always had us taking things apart and putting them back together. Very hands on which is great for a tactile person like me.
