Title and brief synopsis of professional readings and references

TITLE AND BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF PROFESSIONAL READINGS AND REFERENCES

In this page there is an example of professional readings in education that is really helpful for the teacher. I myself learn a lot in the article that I clipped here. 

Four Ways Teachers Can Show They Care

Research suggests caring relationships with teachers help students do better in school and act more kindly toward others.

BY VICKI ZAKRZEWSKI | SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

If I asked you to tell me what you remembered most about your favorite teacher growing up, I bet you wouldn’t say much about the subject matter. Instead, I’d expect you to describe how he or she made you feel as you learned that subject matter—the sense of excitement or discovery you felt, or the safety to take chances and make mistakes, or the confidence that you were valued as a human being, warts and all.

According to research, few factors in education have a greater impact on a student’s educational experience than a caring relationship with his or her teacher.

One researcher described it this way: Imagine two teachers teaching the same lesson on poetic construction. One is very impatient with students and the other supportive. Knowing only that, we can probably guess which students learned the lesson better.

Science has found that students who have caring relationships with teachers are academically more successful and show greater “pro-social” (or kind, helpful) behavior. A caring teacher can transform the school experience especially for students who face enormous difficulties, such as dropping out or dysfunctional home lives. One student who faced these kinds of hardships told a researcher that the greatest thing a teacher can do is to care and to understand. “Because if not,” he said, “the kid will say, ‘Oh, they’re giving up on me, so I might as well give up on myself.’

Fortunately, research has identified practical tips for teachers to help them build caring relationships with students. Here are some of the tips I find most important:

1) Get to know your students and the lives they live. This is especially important if your students are from a different cultural or socio-economic background than you. Numerous studies have shown that cultural misunderstanding between teachers and students can have a hugely negative impact on students’ educational experience. But research has also shown that teachers who visit students’ homes and spend time in their communities develop a deep awareness of students’ challenges and needs and are better able to help them.

If your time is limited, then ask students to complete an “interest inventory,” which can be as simple as having students write down their five favorite things to do. Their responses will give you ideas for making the curriculum more relevant to their lives—a sure method for letting students know you care about them.

2) Actively listen to students. A teacher who actively listens to students is listening for the meaning behind what students are saying, then checks in with them to make sure they’ve understood properly. This affirms students’ dignity and helps develop a trusting relationship between teachers and students.

If the chaos of the classroom doesn’t allow you to give this kind of focused listening to a student who really needs it, then set a time to talk when there are fewer distractions.

3) Ask students for feedback. Choose any topic—it doesn’t have to be academic—and have students write down, in a couple of sentences, what confuses or concerns them most about the topic. By considering their feedback, you are showing students that you value their opinions and experiences. It also creates a classroom culture where students feel safe to ask questions and take chances, which will help them grow academically.

4) Reflect on your own experience with care. Oftentimes, we unconsciously care for others the way we have been cared for—for better or worse. When one researcher interviewed four different teachers at the same school who all shared one particular student, she found that each teacher cared for the student in the way she had been cared for as a child. It didn’t even occur to the teachers to ask the parents—or the child himself—what the child’s needs might be. Instead, they made assumptions about the child’s background based on their own childhoods; as a result, the child received four different types of care—which may not necessarily have been appropriate to his/her needs.

Reflecting on how you were cared for or not cared for as a child will give you insight into the kind of care you might be extending to your students, and allow you to adjust your care to fit their needs.

As teachers, we often don’t realize how even the smallest caring gesture can have a huge impact on our students. As evidence, I’d like to share the story of Sam, a high school student from south central Los Angeles who had transferred high schools three times before being interviewed by researchers for a study.

After years of feeling uncared for in school, Sam was very surprised when he received a phone call at home from his current school’s office, wanting to know why he was absent that day. His other schools, he said, never called to check on him. A small act of caring—but here’s how Sam said it made him feel:

When they call my house if I’m not here, they’re real friendly. My auntie has an answering machine, and sometimes I’ll hear a voice start to leave a message like ‘Hi Sam. If you’re there, we’re wondering why you’re not in school today…’ If I hear that, I pick up the phone and explain why I’m not there. And they believe me. They trust me, so I trust them.

Retrieved at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/caring_teacher_student_relationship on December 28, 2017.

"Four Ways Teachers Can Show They Care"

SYNOPSIS

       i.                   Introduction

              School, facilities and equipment are not the prior reason to the have pleasant-sounding learning environment for the students. It is the teacher who holds the mind and touches the heart of every youth. We as a teacher have different obligation in our life but our responsibility to the life of our learners is different. We as teacher can change uplift their spirit for better or for worse. We as a teacher can hone their hearts, make them cry and ponder they mind, but how can we really touch the hearts of the youth? How can we change the life of each student who treated like a second parent to them? How can we remove the boundaries that pushing us away to have a connection to our learner? Can we really earn the trust of our students?

ii.                Summary/Discussion

         In the article written by Vicki Zakrzewski in September 18, 2012 about the four ways teachers can show they care, she emphasize the role of teachers in the learning environment and the their attitude towards their students.  She also supported her article through a research about the impacts of relationship of teachers to the students which gain a lot of importance in the educational stability of their learners. Zakrzewski provided four ways to help the teacher to have a caring relationship to the learners. Helpful tips which can be the foundation to eradicate rapidly the educational problems. These ways may also help the teacher to know the real purpose of being a teacher and may also help him to engage in the life of his students to improve academically

iii.              Reaction/Reflection

         No matter how good you are in the field of teaching it will be a waste for your students if you cannot give them a simple assurance that you cared for them. Gestures and simple acts to show you loved and trust them is a big opportunity for them to trust the institution and build a trusting relationship for the teacher. Indeed, this article of Vicki Zakrewski really enlighten me that showing care to your students may change their life and make your teaching career be enjoyable and helpful to the people around you.

"Four Ways Teachers Can Show They Care"

LONG 

PERSONAL REFLECTION

The introduction, discussion and reflection below are the long version of my personal format in the article. I learned a lot in the article, I would like to share how I understand and how captivated I am in this educational readings, although the most most important part of the article is already written in my synopsis. 

i. Introduction

“Research suggests caring relationships with teachers’ help students do better in school and act more kindly toward others,” said Vicki Zakrzewski.

School, facilities and equipment are not the prior reason to the have pleasant-sounding learning environment for the students. It is the teacher who holds the mind and touches the heart of every youth. We as a teacher have different obligation in our life but our responsibility to the life of our learners is different. We as teacher can change uplift their spirit for better or for worse. We as a teacher can hone their hearts, make them cry and ponder they mind, but how can we really touch the hearts of the youth? How can we change the life of each student who treated like a second parent to them? How can we remove the boundaries that pushing us away to have a connection to our learner? Can we really earn the trust of our students?

            Every teacher can change the life and help to solve the problem of the students. Every teacher can helps to guide the students to improve academically. In the article written by Vicki Zakrzewski in September 18, 2012 about the four ways teachers can show they care,  you are going to learn how to properly communicate with your learners and how can you remove the tension of having a trusting relationship to your students. You’re going to witness a simple tips yet realistically sensible to apply on your students.

            Continue to read her article and improve yourself to touch exquisitely the heart of the youth. This article shows how a teacher can hone our relationship to the students. If you are having a conflict of perspective to your students, if you are having trouble to the behavior of your students and if you didn’t know how being a teacher really is, this article is for you. Having a hard time to understand the youth is no longer a problem of a teacher if they read this article.

 Read and improved your own teaching skills and engagements to your students inside or outside the school.

ii. Summary/Discussion

In the article written by Vicki Zakrzewski in September 18, 2012 about the four ways teachers can show they care, she emphasize the role of teachers in the learning environment and the their attitude towards their students.  She also supported her article through a research about the impacts of relationship of teachers to the students which gain a lot of importance in the educational stability of their learners.

The research stresses the example of two teachers teaching the same lesson, one is impatient and the other one is supportive teacher. As Zakrzewski said in the article you may already guess what would be the result how effective the attitude of the teacher in this situation or we can probably guess which students learned the lesson better. She also helps her reader to be convinced by explaining the caring relationships scientifically. It stated that “science has found that students who have caring relationships with teachers are academically more successful and show greater “pro-social” (or kind, helpful) behavior.” In this statement she noted that the teacher alone can shoulder a great part in the vast problem of students -  like a problem at home which maybe  the reason of absenteeism. The teacher must be the one who shall provide and help in the downward moment of their students.

In the article of Zakrzewski it provided four ways to help the teacher to have a caring relationship to the learners. Helpful tips which can be the foundation to eradicate rapidly the educational problems. These ways may also help the teacher to know the real purpose of being a teacher and may also help him to engage in the life of his students to improve academically.

First, Get to know your students and the lives they live. According to Zakrzewski understanding the background of your learner may help you to know what are their differences in your own perspective where in they may came from another religious and cultural background than you.  Unlike perspective of teacher and student is the main reason for misunderstanding, which sometimes leads to conflict of views. In order to understand what and how the students cultural background deeper, the teacher may visit his/her home and community to engage with them and get the primary information and awareness of life behind each student. But, if the time is limited and there is a problem in terms of schedule Zakrzewski recommended an “interest inventory” which can be helpful in understanding the students’ behavior and the teacher can properly assess their own views. Interest inventory may also help the teacher to have an accurate method and strategies in teaching, because the interest inventory is consisting of the favorite things to do of the students. The teacher may also change the question as long as it may leads to an answer why the students behave like the way they do today. Interest inventory is also a reassurance of the teacher that they care to their students.

Next tip or way given by Zakrzewski is to actively listen to students. Listening is one of the most important part in the of process communication. Listening is also integrated inside the classroom discussion. Teachers’ always want his students listening to him, but some of the teacher didn’t know that some students also want to be heard out by their teacher. Active communication to the students helps the teacher to build a strong relationship and help them to solve some of their problem. Also, listening may promote trusting relationship of the students to their teacher. In order to attain a proper communication of the teacher and the students the proper place and time must be observed to remove the possible distractions.

Asking students for feedback is the third way how teachers’ can show they care to their learners. The sense of openness and freedom, draw attention in this tip because asking for students’ feedback helps the teacher to create a learning environment where in the teacher can adjust to certain problem asked by the students. And through this assessment tool the promotion of showing attention and value to their opinions is highly considered. Zakrzewski believe that asking fir feedback may help the student to improve academically.

Lastly, reflect on your own experience with care, only the teachers’ decision can change anything if they are going to follow some adjustment. The teacher is also the one who can show how care they care to their students’ and some of the teacher also treat learners as their own children. A premise on her article about a research that interviewed four different teachers’ she clearly understands that the teacher share or cared to their students like their own child. Though in the article it said that those four teachers’ just made an assumption of child’s background based on their childhood experiences, the tendency for this according to Zakrzewski the child may receive four different types of care, which may be unnecessary for him or her. Zakrzewski emphasize that reflecting on your own experience with care means that the teacher must be aware and must assess properly what kind of care the child really needs in order to properly adjust and fit in with their certain needs.

            As a conclusion in her article, Zakrzewski narrated a story interviewed by a researcher for a study. A simple story of Sam a high school who had transferred three times in different school, the short story is about a simple gestures showed by his current school asking wandering why he was absent in the school, the tone and way of the question really touched and surprised by Sam. According to Sam in his former school he did not receive any phone calls to check on him. In the small gesture of the school they immediately earn the trust of Sam.

iii. Reflection/Reaction

A teacher can make a change, and can vary the history of the future.   

Teaching Profession is not easy at all our own life may inspire a lot of children that are listening to us or our life can deepen the problem of our own students and probably add up to their own misery. As a teacher we can help the lost soul of our student to be more profound in their own life and be their parents’ voice that they are loved and special to them. As a teacher we can change the life of our students by letting them know that we are here for them and can shoulder the half of their problem.

The role of the teachers take a great part in the learning of each student in the class in depends on the attitude towards their students and how they interact to them. In the article written by Vicki Zakrzewski about four ways teachers can show they care it enlighten me that it’s not about the interesting subject and physical appearance of the teacher which can help the students to be highly participative in the class, but it is about the heart who teach and the heart who motivate their students in making difference each day.

In inspiring student it`s not about the prepared visuals, educational references and how good your skills are in the field of teaching. As a teacher we are the ultimate resource of learning in an environment of the students. We are the blood of the school who sheds learning’s to the students other than that, we also the one who pump love, caring and understanding to our learners. This attitude towards our student may also help them to remove the feeling of loneliness and moments of being with no one else. Sometimes we as a teacher forget that our student also may face several problems and may need our guidance. We are the second parent of our students and as a teacher our priority is to know them deeply and understand why they act the way they do.

In this article I understand deeply the importance of Home Visitation because it plays a big role in helping and promoting awareness to us. If the teacher and students have their own conflict between their own understanding maybe the reason was the different cultural background.  We as teacher may also know what are the reasons behind students the action and understand their own behavior. Through home visitation we can engage and reconnect to their life and possibly help them to have a harmonious connection to our learners. But, if the home visitation cannot be execute as a teacher we can innovate and things of a way how can we connect ourselves to our own learners. Using several assessment tools or recreational activities can give as indication about the students’ behavior.

Other than an assessment tool and home visitation the good counts are all a result of proper communication which may help the teacher and students to resolve and build a trusting relationship. Listening purposes may help the teacher to get to know their students and probably guide if they needed. Also, as a part of communication feedbacks of day to day, weekly or monthly teaching to the students is helpful. Asking for feedbacks to the students either negative or positive one can help the teacher to adjust and improved his own teaching skill. This may also help the student to be open to their teacher and remove the boundary behind the classroom set up. I also understand that using feedbacks may help my own classroom strategy and what things should I improve to adjust and focus on to their needs.

A fruitful relationship is the result of active communication inside the schools’ environment therefore we as a teacher must know what type of attention does our students really needed. Every teacher must really know how to care to their children; we must understand the behavior of each student needs in order to give the appropriate care for them. Every children seek for different attention they might be overwhelm to that type of attention though they barely need it and still lacking of another kind of attention. Sometimes assumptions of a teacher that they know the life background of the student may lead us to incorrect conclusion, like how home visitation really important is we should also dig deeper to the students attentions.

No matter how good you are in the field of teaching it will be a waste for your students if you cannot give them a simple assurance that you cared for them. Gestures and simple acts to show you loved and trust them is a big opportunity for them to trust the institution and  build a trusting relationship for the teacher. Indeed, this article of Vicki Zakrzewski really enlighten me that showing care to your students may change their life and make your teaching career be enjoyable and helpful to the people around you.