Engaging Instruction

Students need to learn and teachers have to teach, but how do you go about accomplishing those two things? One aspect we can look at is the different domains of learning. These are Cognative, psycho-motor, and affective. When students are learning you have to be able to convey facts, information, knowledge, and concepts. The one that’s really important in Agriculture in particular is the idea of the psycho-motor domain, this is because it’s where the student can actually manipulate and use what they are learning in a real world or lab based setting. Lastly, however there really isn’t a way to set an objective for the domain known as affective. This is because affective is just how much students truly appreciate what is being taught to them.

In order for students to appreciate what is being taught to them I believe being an effective teacher is a very important characteric an educator should have, but I also believe that there is more to it than just that. Students are young, but they have opinions too and all too often those opinions are pushed to the side because adults believe that they are too immature to truly have an established opinion. Reflecting on my own personal views I believe it is important for everyone to be heard no matter what the age. It’s possible that one day their view may change, but in that moment, sitting in your classroom that’s when it’s important, that’s when you should take them into consideration. Hearing your students out and taking into consideration what they say and how they feel is not only a big booster for their confidence, but it also increases their appreciation for not only you, but the content you are teaching, because they know they can voice their thoughts in your classroom and they know they are heard.

As a teacher you need to let students know that they matter. I feel that it is pertinent so show students that you are here for them and you are cheering them on every step of the way. Having a student feel as though they matter is SO important. No one wants to feel like they are just another number in the school. Every student is unique and special and it is a necessity to highlight that fact.

Self esteem and confidence is going to come to different students at various times because every student is different. You just need to nurture a growth mindset in your students every day. When teaching it is important to realize these differences and when you are planning to teach you need to take into consideration that there are different ways to teach students and there are different methods to help you accomplish this. These are chunking, rote rehearsal,pattern recognition,elaborate rehearsal, and emotional involvement. Incorporating these different methods of teaching into your lesson plans in various combinations will help you get an understanding across to the students and you’ll be able to reach out to multiple intelligences.