A BEGINNING TEACHER'S TOOLBOX

Our God is a relational God, therefore are to reflect this relational aspect of our God (Genesis 1:27).   Relationships are important for every part of life and the school life is no different.   There are many different relationships we hold as teachers but the more prominent ones are between the teacher-student, teacher-colleagues, teacher and the school community.   In order to build effective relationships, it takes time and effort.   Relationships are purposeful, therefore having an effective way of teaching will be purposeful and transformative (Norsworthy, 2006). Ministry of Education (2017) tells us the students learn best when there is a good relationship between themselves and their teacher.   How do we build this relationship though? First we need to know our students, begin by knowing their name so when we see them it isn’t just a ‘hi there’, which can be devaluing the student but remember their name and how to pronounce it correctly.   ...

Grace in the classroom would be how we embrace and accommodate the learner through inclusiveness, differentiation and simply reflecting the characteristics of God, kindness, caring, acceptance and love.   I particularly enjoy what Sapon-Shevin (2008) says about inclusion in the classroom, “Inclusion is about creating a society in which all children and their families feel welcomed and valued”(p.49).   Grace in the classroom is about creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging despite their ethnicity, abilities, disabilities, sexual orientation and religion.   This inclusiveness, is a holistic approach to teaching a student as they are recognised and valued in our classroom.   We not only communicate with the learner but also their whanau eg. parents, guardians and grandparents.    This atmosphere we create in our classes provides support for the learner as their community is involved in their learning experience to help the ...

It is important to understand the two types of motivators.   They are described by Schunk et al (2013 “Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation to engage in an activity for its own sake… extrinsic motivation is motivation to engage in an activity as a means to an end” (p.238). Intrinsic motivation can be influenced by the learner’s interests, if the student is interested in a task then they are more likely to be guided by their intrinsic motivation.   This motivation can enhance the students learning as they follow instructions, rehearse the new knowledge and information, then apply these to what they already know in various contexts.   In turn, the students experience self-efficacy for learning, stimulating intrinsic motivation.   Extrinsic motivation is reliant on tasks and others because they are dependant upon desire praise, reward and avoiding punishment (Schunk et al, 2013). Both types of motivation are helpful to complete tasks but the intrinsic mot...

Students are diverse with various needs and talents.  I believe an effective teacher needs to understand that we are all wired differently but with the same underlying longings to be fulfilled.  We need to appreciate that each learner has a desire to be valued, challenged and encouraged.   As a beginning teacher, we need to be aware that our view of the learners that are before us, impact how we engage and educate the students. Van Brummelen (2002) describes how our learning strategies need to consider that the learner is a unique reflection of God, created to love and serve God and others.   Teachers are called to provide learning which enables students to utilise and grow their unique gifts. There are a range of learning theories and styles, a few being Vygotsky who believed that knowledge is social and is formed through interaction with others (Fraser & Hill, 2015). Jean Piaget believed development is a sequential process.   He stated that, a...