What It Takes To Be An Effective Teacher In The Year 2010 And Beyond 1

Table Of Contents Introduction - Page The Networked Teacher- Page 5 Behaviourism - Page

Effective Teaching In 2010 And Beyond Students of the 21 st century have technology readily available at their fingertips, they live in a world filled with technogadgets, cellphones, computers and MP3 players, which they take for granted Pence (2009). Modern day students are digital learners and filter the world through their computing devices. It is therefore important that teachers understand this generation and when teaching, the content they are giving over needs to be specific, concise and fast paced. These students are used to absorbing and gaining information at a faster rate through technology. Today’s teachers must be proficient in the following skills in order to demonstrate good practices for their students and to help students include these skills for learning. The skills include finding and managing resources, publishing on the web and connecting with colleagues, parents, students and global communities. These abilities will give teachers a chance to actively participate in using some of the web-based tools that are commonly used in classrooms and will continue to keep the students engaged. 3

Teachers of the future will take on the role of a mentor and act as facilitators, as pupils build their own route in education (teachers.tv). They are giving over to the students the key skills in order for them to develop, grow and be able to use these tools in everyday life. It is no longer the teachers role to be the 'fountain of all knowledge’ (teachers.tv). In order to be an effective teacher of 2010 and beyond teachers need to incorporate modern technology into their curriculum to maximise students engagement. This presentation will demonstrate various skills that are vital to being a successful teacher in the 21 st century and beyond. 4

The Networked Teacher 5

Behaviourism Behaviourism is a theory that explains learning in terms of observable behaviours and how they are influenced by stimuli from the environment Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p Behaviourist approach in the classrooms have adapted over the centuries due to the changes of learners, the world and technology. Behaviourist techniques have been effective in education to promote desirable behaviour. Classical conditioning is associated with Russian scientist Pavlov, it is a type of learning that occurs when individuals learn to produce an involuntary emotional or physiological response similar to an instinctive or reflexive response Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p An example of classical conditioning is; John has a panic attack when being called upon to give a presentation. John therefore feels uneasy and is nervous to speak in publicly. John has associated his panic attack with public speaking and as a result, he is unable to speak publicly. B.F Skinner is associated with operant conditioning this is a form of learning in which an observable response changes in frequency or duration as a result of a consequence Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p For example praising a student will encourage the student to continue good behaviour. 6

To shape desirable behaviour, teachers use reinforcement in the classroom. This is the process of applying a consequence that increases the likelihood of a behaviour recurring Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p There are two forms of reinforcement; positive and negative. Positive reinforcement is the process of increasing the frequency of duration of a behaviour as the result of presenting a reinforcer. For example, awarding children stars on a chart for good behaviour. Positive reinforcement can unintentially reinforce undesired behaviours Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p. 169 for instance reprimanding a student for getting out of his seat, the student continues to get out of his seat because of the attention he is receiving. Negative reinforcement is the process of increasing behaviour by avoiding or removing an aversive stimulus Baldwin & Baldwin, 2001; B.F. Skinner, 1953 as cited in Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p An example of this would be telling you’re students if they sit quietly when the bell rings, they can go to lunch. If not however, they will miss 5 minutes of lunch period Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p In the 21 st century we are faced with challenging classroom issues such as texting or downloading during class, these are new issues however can still be dealt with positive and negative reinforcement. 7

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behaviour Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p A common classroom occurrence would be when the student is faced with a complex problem, the teacher praises all their efforts, subsequently praising more complete answers and lastly praising them for whole and well thought answers. Punishment decreases unacceptable behaviours but doesn’t teach desirable ones Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p Punishment is the process of using consequences that weaken behaviours or decrease the likelihood of the behaviours recurring. It is important to use punishments effectively; an example of effective punishment would be to give high school students a detention for misbehaving as the teacher is taking away the students free time. Elements of the behaviourist learning theory can be found in every classroom. Students are naturally inclined to display positive behaviours and better learning results when involved in the classroom and where rewarded with desired responses. Advancement in technology and software have given teachers the ability to differentiate practises in the classroom keeping students involved and better their learning. Teachers can use technology to an advantage to track students behaviour on excel sheets and so on. Teachers should employ technology as a stimulus to increase the likelihood of positive behaviours and student success in the classroom. 8