Use Various Teaching Methods by Shannon

Use Various Teaching Methods by Shannon - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

I’ve had 57 teachers so far in my 13 years of school, yes, I count kindergarten. The best teachers did not assume that all students learn the same way. They restated things a different way if they saw confused looks in the classroom. They gave students time to think and allowed them to talk to and learn from their peers so they could share ideas and strategies for learning the objectives presented them.

Algebra was a challenging subject for me. The teacher I had was very intelligent, but taught to the smarter students in the class. The ones that understood algebra the way she taught it. She did not find another way to teach it to the ones of us in the room that were struggling to understand the algebraic method that she was applying to solve problems. I ended up going to a tutor outside of class to get another explanation for how to solve problems.

Now in Pre-Calculus, I have a great teacher. One who explains the objectives so that all students in the class, no matter their learning style, can understand them. He provides different explanations of how to solve problems and allows students to work together on class work and share strategies.

The best teachers don’t assume that all students learn in the same way. They offer different explanations, strategies and problem solving techniques so that all students find at least one that is effective for them and enables them to learn.