Teachers’ Teaching Techniques

Victoria Sewell, Staff Writer
February 6, 2013
Filed under Student Life

Teachers are a driving force in a student’s education. Every teacher’s teaching techniques are preformed in different ways and have varying styles. Students have to adapt to those teaching techniques in order to help further their education. This is why students have the same teacher for the same subject all year long. This cannot be true for every instance. Sometimes a teacher swap cannot be helped, like when teachers have to go on maternity leave, have surgery, or when they are sick. The students are then left with a substitute for an extended period of time. Many find this complicating and confusing to their education. They have to adjust to diverse teaching styles and this does not work for everyone.

Veronica Goode is a junior who is having problems adjusting from Mrs. Vogel’s “walk-in closet style” to the substitutes “display style”. Mrs. Vogel always introduces the entire chapter to her students which is like seeing an entire closet of clothes at once. Then she goes back and explains independent pieces of the chapter like she is showing them one specific article in the closet. After the students understood, metaphorically, they know how to put a cute outfit together. Her substitute, on the other hand, has a completely different style of teaching. She teaches them everything, bit by bit but some people feel the depth Mrs. Vogel give is missing. She shows the blouse but not the full ensemble. Some feel there are gaps in their understanding because of this type of teaching and this effects how they know and apply their knowledge.

This does not affect every student though. Junior, Abby Brandovold was unaffected by having a substitute their instead of her normal teacher. “Physics is hard no matter who teaches it,” Brandovold said. This shows that all people think and learn differently and in their own way just like how every teacher teaches in their own way. Senior Jocelyn Cardenas agrees with Brandovold saying her AP Spanish IV substitute “did marvelous in filling in for the teacher”. Both these students feel that even though the sub did not affect their learning, but it might affect others.

Certain students also feel there is a sub mentality that goes on when their teacher is away. It hinders the education process, subconsciously. Other students feel that with the many different teaching styles they have to try harder than is necessary to try and understand the concept. Goode said that she has had to fight for her grades and go to other teachers to gain mastery of the material.

Some students are more flexible with the different styles of teaching and learning where as others are not. These different situations make it apparent how different people must handle and learn from these events.