Act of Teaching

Cruickshank, Donald R., Deborah Bainer. Jenkins, and Kim K. Metcalf. The Act of Teaching.
Sixth ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2012.

Chapter 6:
Planning Instruction
1. Parts of the lesson plan.
2. What is Unit Planning?
3. Seven levels of the psychomotor.
4. Instructional Objectives.

Lesson Plan describes specifically what and how something will be learned within a brief period,
usually one or few class hours- lesson planning defines a daily plan- it is even more detail.

1. Parts of lesson Plan:

Objectives Closing Activity
Recourses Differentiation
Assessment Main Idea
Opening Guiding Questions

2. UNIT PLANNING involves decision about how course can be broken into chunks, parts
or units with a particular theme.

3. Seven Levels of Psychomotor:

Perception Complex or Over Response
Set Adaptation
Guided Response Origination.
Mechanism

4. Instructional Objectives - describes what learners should know, and be able to do.

In this chapter the author is giving us three guiding steps in teaching our future students. First step is
DESCRIBING WHAT TO TEACH. Each country had his own established guidelines or standards
telling what students should know, and what they are able to do at school. Most of the time different
country have their own standards. However, each of those standards have to include curriculum.
There are two kinds of curriculum: Formal and Taught Curriculum. Curriculum determines programs
of study for each teacher what make easier to know what to teach in each grade. The second one is
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES, which describes what learners should know, and to be able to
do. There are two types of objectives general and specific. Both general and specific objectives are
valid. Blooms Taxonomy is a great example in applying your objectives in a learning process. I
think it is significant to remember that the purpose of instructions to change pupils behavior, and
enable them to do things they couldnt do before instructional accrued. The last one is WRITING
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES. Good objectives will tell learners exactly what they are expected to
know. The objectives should be good and written in term of what student should know from the
class. Another important thing is to make sure that objectives are relevant to the curriculum for
which students will be held accountable.
In this chapter I could learn what is a difference between unit plan, and the lesson plan .Still it is
challenging me to make my lesson plans connected with each other to create the whole unit plan.
However, I think that through practice I will learn how to do good lesson and unit planning.

Chapter 7:

1. Four Instructional Alternatives:

- Presentation,
- Discussion,
- Independent Study,
- Individualized Instruction.

In this chapter we have been talking about for ways to lead the class. Is not always that teacher have
to stand in front of the class and teach, but teacher can find different, maybe more interesting ways to
introduce the topic, involve the whole class, and look as well individually at each student.
PRESENTATION- is to informed an audience of certain facts, ideas, concepts, and explanation.
The good presentation need to include three parts which are preparation, delivery, and closure. All
those three have a special task to fulfill, that is why it is important to make sure that we included them
in our presentation. DISCUSSION-is a conversation where students, or students and teachers
interact to share informations, ideas, or opinions to solve the problem. It is healthy for students to be
able to take a part in a conversation, and to express themselves. It force students to think and create
their own opinion, or point of view. Sometimes good discussion requires from the students, or
teacher preparations. INDEPENDENT STUDY- includes any school- related assignments do more
or less alone.Sometimes independent study allowed student to learn how to learn, and have this
opportunity to check his own ability. Teacher can easily see what is student strength and his
weaknesses. Through that kind of study, the teacher can challenge students, but as well help those
who prefer working alone. Lastly INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION- refers to a number of instruction
that will help learning to a learners unique strength and needs. In this case teachers role is to know
and care about the diversity of student. Their task is to see student as a individual, and see learners
strength and needs.

It is very important that teacher will use an INSTRUCTIONAL ALTERNATIVE to help learner, and
to understand individual more.

I could learn to see a different ways to involve students in the lesson. By doing different things you
can learn and see what their strengths and weaknesses are. It is good as well to bring some variety to
the way you will lead your lesson.

Chapter 8.
 1. Four more instructional Alternatives:
Cooperative learning,
Discovery learning,
Constructive,
Direct.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING describes instructional procedures that place learners in small

work teams that are reworded for what they collectively accomplish.

- The purpose of cooperative learning is to engage in students a collective caring one for all,
all for one.

DISCAVERY LEARNING take place when students are presented with experiences, and are asked
derive their own meaning, and understanding from them.

- Good discovery learning teachers believe in the purpose tend to enjoy inquiry, are optimistic
that students are inquiry oriented, and capable of learning in this fashion.

CONSTRUCTIVE want to maximize the like hood that learners will understand, and b able to use
information.

- To do so student must engage in active social or group learning.

- A constructive lesson has identifiable parts purpose of the lesson, establishing groups, and
group activity.

DIRECT direct instruction teachers provide strong academic direction, have high expectation that
student can and will learn, make student psychologically safe, urge them to cooperate, hold them
accountable for their work, and control, monitor student behavior.

As a future teacher I need to learn my students the best way to learn. All of them are different
and sometimes they need a different way to introduce them knowledge. As a future teacher
that will bring a big challenge, but we have to learn how to help our students to discover their
strengths and weaknesses.

Chapter 9:

Evaluating Students Learning:

1. Validity
2. Reliability
3. Formative assessment
4. Summative assessment.

The process of collecting students performance in terms of and number or score is referred to as
MEASUREMENT.
 1. VALIDITY is the term used to describe the degree to which a test or other date sources
measures what it is supposed to measure.

2. RELIABILITY refers to the consistency with which an assessment source, such as test,
yields nearly the same scores for anyone who might take the test repeatedly.

3. FORMATIVE ASSESMENT is CONDUCTED during the instruction process and its used
primarily to help improve student and teacher performance.

4. SUMMATIVE ASSESMENT is CONDUCTED at the conclusion of instruction and is

used primarily to make final judgment about the students learning.

This chapter is pretty challenging when we are talking about the assessment. I found myself struggle
to see the differences between summative and formative. However, I could learn that formative
assessment I am doing during each lesson, or at least that I should. I am checking my students
knowledge and what they learn from my class each day, and I am doing that through many different
ways. The summative one is kind of in the end of my unit, it is like a final test, exam, through what
teacher will check the students knowledge and understanding.

Chapter 13.

Problem Solving Skills of Effective Teaching.

1. Categories of problem.
2. When problems appears.
3. How to solve the problem.

There are about sixty problems that that fall in a five categories, which are : AFFLICATION,
CONTROL, PARENT RELATIONSHIP/HOME CONDITION, STUDENT SUCCED, AND TIME.

1. A problem exist when we need or want something, and cannot readily attain it.

2. Problem result from our inability to achieve primary(biological), or secondary(learned)

needs.
- Biological needs includes air, food, water, rest, safety, and security.
- Learned needs are social- psychological, and some are job related.

3. It is important both to be able to prevent problems, and to be able to resolve them. Teachers
with certain dispositions, and abilities are likely to have fewer problems. Teachers who
employ a problem- solving approach are more likely to resolve classroom problems, and
teachers with a positive problem- solving attitude also are more likely to meet their needs.

As a future teacher I will face many different problems in the classroom, and this is my responsibility
to make sure that I will be able to deal with them the best and right way. All of my students have they
own needs and I have to be able to see all of them Not only those at school with studying,
classmates, but as well those outside the school. As a teacher I need to make sure that all those
students are safe, and have everything they need to have an access to education.

Chapter 10.

Personal Attributes and Characteristics of Effective Teachers

1. Effective teachers.
2. Three specific attributes.
3. Professional demeanor.

1. Effective teachers as those who helped their students learn more than other teachers with
similar students.
Effective teachers are positive people, oriented toward and optimistic about their own and
students success.
Effective teachers are encouraging and supportive of students and convey a sense of genuine
respect for them and for their individual abilities.
Effective teachers exhibit a professional but flexible demeanor in the classroom.4

2. At least three specific attributes are associated with teachers who possess a motivating
personality: ENTHIUSIASM for their students and their subject matter. WORM and
HUMOR, and CREDIBILITY AND TRUSTWORTHY.

Teachers enthusiasm promotes learning by helping to motivate students , by keeping them persistent
at tasks, and by helping them feel more satisfied with the teaching.

3. A professional demeanor includes the ability to calmly and effectively adapt to changing
classroom circumstances. This includes the ability to read what is happening in the
classroom : the level of students understanding and motivation, changes in the classroom
environment, and problems with instructions.

Teacher should be the one that children are learning from. That is why it is really important to be
a teacher that your students will feel safe with you. Teacher should be loving, caring, and
trustworthy. We need to create the right environment for our students, so they can feel accepted
and loved. As a teachers we have to be able as well to see what is happening in our class all the
time. Sometimes certain situations or problems are not visible, that is why we have to be able to
see how our students feel, behave, and act.

Chapter 11.

Professional Skills and Abilities of Effective Teachers.

1. Teaching skills
2. Establishing Set.
3. Smooth transitions
4. Clear teacher
 1. Teaching skills:

Establishing set Providing clear instruction

Using Variety Monitoring student progress
Optimizing instructional time Providing feedback and
Using questions reinforcement.

2. ESTABLISHING SET establish what students already know about a topic.

- Establishing set seems to help students learn more by focusing their attention, improving
their ability to self-monitor their understanding, and increasing the likelihood the new
information is linked to existing knowledge or scheme.

3. Instructional transition require that teachers refocus students attentions on changes in the
direction of a discussion or lesson.

When preparing your lesson, you can predict points where changes in focus or activity will
accrue or when waiting is inevitable.
You should determined which materials and procedures you will need to begin the next
segment as quickly as possible, and what both you and your students should do during the
transition.

4. Clear teacher:

- Use logic organization by informing students of the lesson objectives early in the lesson.
- Elaborate on important ideas and concepts using concrete, verbal, or written examples, and
showing how they are different from one another.
- Help students identify and reinforce important aspects of the lesson by noting and repeating
major points, and writing them on the board.
- Monitor and quickly correct students misunderstandings by asking questions.

I found myself to feel really challenging to see if I will be able to a teacher that is going to teach my
students in a right way. I need to be sure that the knowledge I am sharing with the children will be
fruitful and they will understand what I am trying to teach them. As a teacher I need to be clear
enough when I am teaching them and doing transitions.

Chapter 14.

Reflective Skills of Effective Teaching.

1. Ways of develop reflective thinking skills.

2. Three levels of learned thinking.
Teaching is a complex activity that requires teachers to think about or reflect on what they do. Good
teachers can become even more effective , by reflecting on teaching.

1. Two ways:
- Focus on purposeful discussions that can build higher order thinking skills, and change
teaching behavior and effectiveness.
- The interaction provided through the dialogue journal can help internalize ideas, and build
flexible thinking about teaching.

2. Three levels:
DESCRIPTIVE reflection involves describing significant aspects of a classroom event or
concern.
COMPARATIVE reflection explores alternative prospective or interpretations that help
you why and event happened the way it did.
EVOLUATIVE reflection requires that you make a judgment about how to proceed or
make a changes.

Reflection on what you learn, or heard during the class it is really important for your students. They
need a time to adapt the knowledge and think about it. Through that you are giving them the
opportunity to think, share their opinion, or even think critically. They can share their ideas, and
express themselves. That can lead them as well to be more effective and be open minded.