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Wrong Practices Teachers Make Unconsciously

Teachers as facilitators of learning need to take account of so many things for the transfer of learning to become effective. Teachers need to realize that they are chosen to be the bearer of light for millions of children.

It is without implying directly that teachers need to be worthy of the place that they have to the lives of these children. “To be worthy” is rather vague for some people, but for teachers who put so much dedication in their craft clearly understand this.

Upgrading credentials and translating these upgrades into actual classroom performance are never easy. Today society somehow molded the status placed upon the teachers; teachers are expected to be excellent in paper and in performance; thus the amount of time and dedication they invest is truly extraordinary.

Although investing in professional development courses, seminars and further studies don’t guarantee total growth and improvement for a teacher, but these opportunities pave the way for teachers to realize many things and reflect on their teaching practices.

How many of the teachers today still reflect on the kind of education they offer to their students? How many of these teachers realize the things that they are doing wrong inside their classrooms? How many teachers take advantage and reinforce the things that they are doing right inside their classrooms? Most importantly, how do they set an example for others?

Education is not exclusive to your classroom. Good educational practices need to be shared, and the wrong ones can be considered as bases for improvement. If we continue to practice our profession without much reflection on our practices, then we are losing the true potentials of education.

Let’s ask ourselves: What are the things that truly matter inside my classroom? Perhaps many of the teachers today will say that developing the cognitive abilities of their students matters the most–that their primary product is always what the students think they have mastered from a bulk of lessons they have taken for a particular period rather than what they have become as a person.

Sadly, education today is mostly intended for the sharpening of the mind instead of holistically developing a child, and a run-of-the-mill classroom mostly has this setup. The danger of neglecting to build a solid foundation of good character can be seen later as it will inevitably manifest in the way students think about the world and how they deal with people.

Wrong Practices Teachers Make Unconsciously

Often, there are wrong practices that we are doing unconsciously. The following are the “too much” and the “too little” things that we need to consider.

Too much focus on the cognitive aspect

Teachers have long recognized the value of helping students develop their cognitive abilities, but just like any other task, it does not only involve the use of our brain.

Joseph who is a bright student excels too much in academics. He can quickly get 100% to every examination, but he has a hard time to cope with group activities. Joseph lacks social skills. When teachers focus too much on mastery of the subject matter, the fewer students become involved as individuals. Make sure that you strike a balance in the learning you set for your students. In which way/s each student learns best? Am I developing my students as responsible and thinking individuals or am I just merely creating future professionals?

Too much attention to the teacher

When we create lessons, do we design learning for our students?

Let students work. Give them a lot of opportunities in which they can hone their skills and be able to interact among themselves. Let them experience the education that they deserve. Shift from the traditional way of teaching and disregard yourself as the only source of learning in the classroom. Students can learn from themselves and the people around them.

Carmina who was an eager student lost her motivation because she couldn’t find the value of education as applicable to her. Carmina became disengaged. When teachers design lessons that center around them, students will become disengaged and demotivated. Students need to realize the purpose of their education. They have to see it as a valuable means in which they can use in practical situations. As a teacher, what are the things that you consider in planning for a lesson?

Too much freedom

Creating a favorable class atmosphere means catering to the varied and unique needs of each student. Teachers need to provide as much support as possible to sustain each student’s interest. Freedom, as applied in the educational setting, means the teacher’s right to speak and to make decisions and actions as he/she sees fit. However, when we use too much of our freedom as teachers, we tend to be biassed towards other people and to ourselves too. Too much freedom can be controlling and can cause students to lose motivation.

Ben likes to express his taste whenever they do activities in their art class. Ben has his ways of expressing his emotions through painting. When we direct students to the outcome we set for them, we aren’t encouraging them. Remember, each of your students is unique and has his/her way of thinking. Each of these students differs in thoughts.

Having too much freedom also leads to the mismanagement of the classroom. Make sure that you and your students exercise the liberty that is fair and realistic for everybody. As a teacher, how do you make sure that there is just enough freedom in your classroom?

Too little trust

Students need to be trusted. As much as we would like to create a learning direction for our students, but having too little trust in their strengths and contributions in the class can make learning uninteresting for them. Further, learning is not unidirectional.

Tina has innate leadership skills. Although Tina is an average student, she likes to take responsibility and lead a group. However, the teacher doesn’t want to give her a chance for she is an average student. When we trust students, we lift their morale, therefore, encouraging them more to do their best. Trusting students can also be seen in many ways. We can trust their opinions, the extent of their knowledge, the level of their comprehension and their sense of responsibility. Trusting doesn’t also mean that we take everything as the absolute truth; it only means that we take importance to each student’s contribution to the class. As a teacher, how do you show trust to your students?

Too little diversity

Teachers need to consider the differences among his/her students. With regard to learning, it is a known idea that students learn in a variety of ways. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences highlights categories in which students learn: verbal-linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial-visual intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, naturalist intelligence, and existential intelligence. Classrooms comprise of students who learn in ways different from what we set for them. Encourage diversity in the classroom and highlight each student’s skills and potentials.

Jayson’s inclination is in music and the arts. He learns best when the lessons involve music and the arts. Teachers need to be innovative enough to provide for the conditions in which each student learns best. As a teacher, how do you encourage diversity in your classroom?

Too little encouragement

In 1989 and 1995, Evans developed the encouragement model which reflects the belief that teachers need to acquire human relation skills to manage democratic and cooperative classrooms. According to him, encouragement is most useful when a concept of responsibility is based on involvement and cooperation rather than unquestionable obedience. This shift from the traditional ideologies started this educational reform. Having an “encouraging attitude” helps strengthen students’ motivation. Carlson, Sperry, & Dinkmeyer (1992) identified six practices for encouraging attitude:

  1. Make relationships a priority;
  2. Conduct respectful dialogue;
  3. Practice encouragement daily;
  4. Make decisions through shared involvement;
  5. Resolve conflicts and
  6. Have fun on a regular basis

Cherry has low self-esteem, and she achieves less compared to all of her classmates. Teachers need to realize that they need to have a shift to their focus from perfect results to improvements. We don’t aim for students always to have excellent results; instead, we encourage them to exert more effort. As a teacher, how do you encourage students so that you can sustain their interest and help them become the best that they can be?

Feel free to share your own practices and walk us through to your experiences as a teacher!

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Junnie Armel Salud

Junnie Salud is a licensed teacher and an education specialist. He graduated cum laude with a BS degree in Secondary Education major in English and he is a candidate for a master’s degree in English Language Studies. He likewise finished special courses in English and Education such as Certificate in Assessment and Teaching (with distinction) facilitated by University of Melbourne and the Intensive English Program of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is currently finishing special courses in Educational Psychology (Ireland) and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - TESOL (USA). He taught in different institutions such as the Institute of Education, Far Eastern University, FEU East Asia College (now FEU Institute of Technology) and National University. He is currently affiliated with the Bureau of Education Assessment (formerly National Testing and Research Center), Department of Education.

7 thoughts on “Wrong Practices Teachers Make Unconsciously”

  1. Thank you, Sir, for this paper. This helped me in answering my assignment. As a teacher, I have to give my best to my learners. You are giving me insights into the practices I make inside my classroom. Godspeed.

    Reply
  2. Hello sir, i am totally new in teaching. Got 21 units, passed the BLEPT and now im teaching in SHS. I am just wondering, for i am sort of confused, is it ok for us teachers to assign the checking of assessment tests and even the item analysis to our students? Could you please write something about the practices teachers can and cannot do? Although i already have an idea about this i need someone like you to confirm these ideas. Thank you and keep writing and helping us.

    Reply
  3. I have posted things that i don’t like in DEPED where number 5 is connected to the checking system and the way it compels teacher to lie to their student. Reading this article makes it feels bad how much basic Public school system sucks since you have given a good article on what is wrong about the classroom and not know what is happening outside the classroom of a public school teacher. You are lucky to be part of those who only look from the outside of the public school system without feeling what really happens in the inside. Do you even know that the DepEd system actually make liars out of teachers?

    Reply
    • Thanks! I’m currently involved in research for PUBLIC schools and I definitely know your concerns. I may not be in the public school system but I AM IN THE SYSTEM. Take note that MY OPINION DOESN’T REFLECT THE OPINION OF THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT. Further, you’re the only one who’s liable to everything that happens in your own classroom. Your experiences don’t also reflect DepEd’s policies. Most importantly, we never whine about what we do as teachers.

      DepEd will never ask teachers to lie. Do you even realize that this may just be an “isolated” case and probably existing in the school level? I don’t really understand the sense that “DepEd system make liars out of teachers” because first and foremost academic freedom is exercised in the Philippine education system. I created this article based on my experiences and your arguments and intentions don’t fit in to my goal. This is supposed to be an avenue for intellectual discourse and not for you (and anybody else) to insult me.

      Reply
    • I beg to disagree Ms. Panizales. The article, I believe, is written for the purpose of providing insights and situational contexts and is not intended for blaming the educational system. Generalizing that the whole educational system of the Philippines is at fault for the micro and macro situations that persist simply because they happen inside the classroom is an alibi to make excuses, dispel truths, and ignore students. Teaching is not about the teacher, rather about the students. If our only allegiance as public school teachers is to we view education individually and act selfishly, we really do not contribute anything to the growth and development of our students. If the only problem that we see is the “inside” and “outside” of the classroom, or largely, if we see education as helpless and without direction, our efforts will ultimately be futile. Nobody said that teaching is easy. I am a public school teacher myself but I don’t think the educational system “suck”, as you would like to term it. In thinking as such, you forego of the fact that you are the teacher and you can make a difference. Change your perspective because if not, you are compounding on the hypothetical reality you create and effect to your classroom and to your students. Lastly, teachers who lie because the system made them such is reflective of low self-esteem, low emotional quotient, and lacking professional accountability.

      Reply

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