Chapter 7

Ecology of Teaching

Prologue

What is effective teaching?

What characteristics do students bring to learning situations?

• Does effective teaching involve eliciting what a student already knows and enabling the student to accommodate that knowledge to form new concepts?

• Does effective teaching involve choosing from all available information and shaping that knowledge so that it can be assimilated by the student?

• Does effective teaching involve knowing one’s students individually, so one can combine various methods?

The teacher’s role as a socializing agent

• The most powerful socializing influence of the school lies in those who translate program goals into action – the teachers

Fig. 7-1, p. 257

Fig. 7-2, p. 260

Teacher characteristics and student learning

• Teachers as leaders• Teachers as managers• Teacher expectations

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

• Gender– Research has shown that teacher-student

interactions differ according to the gender of the student

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

• Ethnicity

1. Ethnicity is a factor in teacher-student interactions

2. Generalized values of the macroculture

3. Generalized values of the microculture

4. Individualistic and collectivistic orientations affect socialization

5. Contrasts between individualism and collectivism affect teaching

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

• Socioeconomic status

1. Four components of SES– Income– Education– Family structure– Neighborhood

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

• Learning Styles

1. Children have preferred ways of learning and teachers have preferred ways of teaching

2. Researchers suggest that children develop learning or cognitive styles based on the socialization they receive in their families and peer groups

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

3. Because all children learn differently, Howard Gardner recommends that teachers adapt the curriculum to the various multiple intelligences he believes encompasses human capability

a. Logical-mathematical

b. Linguistic

c. Bodily-kinesthetic

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

d. Musical

e. Spatial

f. Interpersonal

g. Intrapersonal

h. Naturalist

Fig. 7-3, p. 273

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

• Disability

1. Educators modified teaching environment to include:• Individualized instruction• Adapting curriculum to various

learning styles• Collaboration with various

professionals• Peer Tutoring

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

2. IDEA requires that an IEP be written annually

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

3. Identification and assessment of children with disabilities

a. Congress passed PL99-457 in 1986, which addressed the needs of infants, toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities

b. An early intervention program was authorized by PL 99-457

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

c. Teacher and parents can observe behavior through a variety of techniques– Anecdotal records– Checklists and rating scales– Time samples

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

d. Assessments may include teacher observations, medical assessments and psychological assessments

e. Assessments are meaningless without follow-up services

f. Assessment is an ongoing process

g. Programs designed to meet the needs of children with disabilities must involve the family

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

4. Inclusion

a. The community, via legislation has facilitated integration of individuals with disabilities into society

b. VRA of 1973: “Bill of Rights” for those with disabilities into society

c. Schools and support services must be involved in enabling persons to make the transition from home to community

Student characteristics and teacher interaction

• Risk and resilience– Children and poverty– Children and substance abuse

• Parental substance exposure• Alcohol• Violence in families

Macrosystem influences on teaching

• Philosophies of teaching and learning– Teacher-directed (traditional)– Learner-directed (progressive or modern)

Table 7-1, p. 285

Macrosystem influences on teaching

• Socialization outcomes of different classroom contexts– Traditional programs generally produce

children who perform academically and are able to work individually

– Modern programs generally tend to foster autonomy and cooperation

– Instructional settings can be organized into “goal structures”

Table 7-2, p. 289

Macrosystem influences on teaching

• Accountability and standardization– Accountability of education refers to the

idea of making schools responsible for student learning or achievement outcomes

Fig. 7-4, p. 291

Mesosystem influences on teaching

• Family involvement in learning• Developmentally appropriate learning and

assessment

Bobby

Video Questions

• What must parents and teachers do to work collaboratively on behalf of children with exceptionalities?

• How does the IEP drive the educational process for Bobby?

Video Questions

• The potential exists that a significant gap will develop between Bobby’s academic abilities and the academic abilities of his classmates over time. How might the educational process change for Bobby as he gets older? Consider changes of classroom setting and the thought of “least restrictive environment”.

Kristina

• How does the educational system meet the needs of students like Kristina?

• What type of pressures/challenges exists for teachers who have such varying abilities in their classrooms? How do they manage such diverse needs? Is every students’ needs met in such an environment?

Video Questions

• How can non-English speaking children be evaluated academically in a fair way?

Video Questions