Teaching Education - Essay Example

?Teaching the correct ideologies to is one which is traditionally based on fulfilling the curriculum and the requirements which come from the administrative lists within schools. However, to truly teach children to retain information and to have a different understanding of various facts is also the need to alter the approaches which are a part of the environment and the way in which students respond. The issue of teaching then confronts the specialized needs of children and the approaches to learning. More important, are confrontations with the individual child and the way in which they are engaged in the classroom according to personal needs and desires. Looking at various aspects of the complexity of teaching then offers different insight into the methods and approaches which are taken to children in the classroom. The specific challenge of teaching today is based on how to engage students in the classroom and what this means with meeting traditional requirements and offering new solutions to learning the necessary knowledge of different topics. An issue which is engaged with learning and teaching in the classroom is based on engaging the minds of students and how this can be done. According to Barry Schwartz, there isn’t the ability to create a sense of engagement among students, specifically because the occupation of each student’s mind. The reality is that most students are looking at life choices and daily choices on a continuous basis. These come from the necessary consumption that is within society as well as alternatives which are approached in terms of the life questions that consume minds. The idea of consumption of questions and choices is one which comes from the ideologies of belonging to an area that is engaged in choices and the freedom to decide among a variety of things. The challenge to teachers then becomes based on creating the right approach to reach students while understanding that the ideologies of choice and consumption are continuously a part of the mindset of children and their decision to engage in specific activities (Schwartz, 2005). The concept of choice among students and the changing engagement which this leads to is one which is furthered with the new tools and technology that is in the classroom. For teachers, this poses both new challenges and opportunities for teaching. This comes from the same choices and the stimulations that students are surrounded by in the environment that is altering the way in which students learn and the teaching which is available to students. The challenge comes with the engagement in the classroom and the way in which technology often detracts from the ability to create the right atmosphere with teaching. However, other experiments show a different outcome, where technology works as a tool in creating links with children. According to Nicholas Negroponte, an experiment with offering 1 laptop per child created stimulation in the learning where fewer kids were dropping out and more students were becoming engaged with the material that was being learned. The question was then based on the idea of certain choices and technologies that led to deferment from materials, while others used the same materials to create even more engagement to the learning process and to offer exploration with the topics learned (Negroponte, 2006). The challenges and opportunities that are presented with the learning with children are defined specifically by the way in which teaching needs to be approached in terms of individual needs and cultural affiliations. Teachers are now responsible for looking at the conditions which students are under and the defining points that are associated with this. The affiliations are combined with looking at the pragmatics of teaching, specifically which applies to how a teacher can effectively grab the attention of children and students in a changing world and with different tools that are now available. While the historical and traditional dynamics of teaching are still presented in the classroom, this limits what is done in terms of teaching conditions. Changing the perspectives on teaching becomes essential to reach the necessary mechanics and to find ways to keep students engaged with the altered cultural affiliations and depictions which are coming from the fast – paced society that students are in (Davis, Sumary, Luce, 2008). The challenge of engaging students with the current social and cultural stigmas is one that needs to be questioned in terms of what should be expected within the classroom. However, there is also a question of the pragmatics that many are leaving behind because of the belief that students are being approached with technology or with the pragmatics of modern day choices. The shift back into the traditional forms of teaching also comes with engaging students at levels that recall the historical and past cultural affiliations which are not tapped into. Even though teachers are required to create a sense of pragmatics that relate to students, there is also a responsibility to continue to develop and create an appreciation for the past theories and concepts that are associated with society. An example of this is with Benjamin Zander as he shows that there still can be an appreciation and love for more traditional concepts, such as the classical music that is traditionally taught. However, this requires tapping into the connections to classical music. This is furthered with finding new ways to teach the classical music that allows a changing audience to understand and connect to the music that was played. Finding a way to build experiences with students, such as Zander does with classical music, then builds a different affiliation with how traditional subjects can be taught to keep the interest in the classroom (Zander, 2008). The approaches taken and theories created show that there are a variety of dimensions which are taken to teaching in the classroom. There is not a specific set of pragmatics that are used or set with teaching. The traditional approach is one that requires specific topics to be learned and memorized with students, specifically with standards and grades that are expected. The new challenge with teachers is to move beyond this and into a classroom which engages students and connects to the new cultural and social personalities that enter into the classroom. The new pragmatics that are a part of pedagogy rely on each teacher combining creativity with the needs of students to create a more effective and stimulating environment. Using technology, engaging students in different ways, working with the concepts of culture and finding new ways to explore and use innovation within the classroom become the main ways in which students can find a new way of understanding traditional concepts while exploring different avenues of information that were not traditionally a part of classroom teaching and which help to build a sense of evolution with teaching and learning. The challenge of teaching moves further than the pragmatics that are used and into a question of how teachers influence students and the future of those who are learning about both traditional and newer methods. The question of the intent of the teacher becomes the main question, followed by ways in which the teacher can engage minds that are continuously changing and evolving into different concepts and experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. The question becomes linked directly to the ideology of sociological perspectives which take place both outside and inside of the classroom. Each student comes into a school with a background and diverse perspectives that are a part of their learning experience. The job of the teacher becomes one that is based on shaping a different sense of social structure inside of the classroom and with the expected rituals that are a part of the classroom. The objective is to found an institution that supports a different sense of sociology while tapping into the changing cultures and the traditional elements that are a part of society. Understanding how to use teaching with ideologies such as creating a sense of success, supporting social relationships and building roles within the classroom are combined with the information that is taught. Each of these builds into a complex experience in the classroom that forms the way in which students think (Wotherspoon, 2009). The challenge of teachers then becomes based on combining the several dimensions and elements that are associated with the classroom. Teachers first have to look at the social and cultural trends that are in society. This is inclusive of the mentality of students, such as having more choices and responsibilities than in the past. This is followed by the social affiliations and the cultural expectations that are now influencing society. New tools, ways to teach and the ideas of exploration are some of the new mentalities that are coming into the classroom and shaping those that are associated with different topics. The concept of the ideologies of students are followed by sociological perspectives that are brought into the classroom and which create several dimensions to the teaching that is constructed. The main objective of the various dynamics of the classroom then leads to the responsibility of the teacher in the classroom. This is inclusive of teaching the ideas of looking at traditions and cultural affiliations and showing a sense of appreciation with the new mentality that is with students. The responsibility of teachers furthers with the idea of understanding what the social and cultural mentality is of students and finding ways to connect and click to the needs of students. This is the only way that the idea of learning and preparation for the next steps for students can be created. The concept of responsibility for teaching is further defined by creating a sociological perspective within the classroom to help in shaping and developing students in both terms of information and the association with different concepts that are in the classroom. The methods that are in teaching are now moving beyond the concepts of historical and traditional perspectives. Meeting the grades and the standards within the classroom have become limiting to the dimensions that are now in the classroom. This comes from the challenges that students are now bringing into the classroom with alterations in society and the development of new tools. This is combined with the need for teachers to associate with the responsibilities required to build a new appeal to older information while finding new ways to connect to students. The right approach and understanding from teachers then creates a stronger response and connection to students so learning can take place on the several dimensions that are brought into the classroom. References Davis, B., Sumara, D., & Luce-Kapler, R. (2008). Engaging Minds: Changing Teaching in Complex Times. New York: Routledge.  Negroponte, Nicholas. (2006). “One Laptop Per Child.” Retrieved November 24, 2011 from: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/nicholas_negroponte_on_one_laptop_per_child.html. Schwartz, Berry. (2005). “The Paradox of Choice.” Retrieved November 24, 2011 from: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html. Wotherspoon, Terry. (2009) The Sociology of Education in Canada: Critical Perspectives, 3rd ed. Toronto: Oxford U Press. (W) Zander, Benjamin. (2008). “Classical Music with Shining Eyes: Benjamin Zander.” Retrieved November 24, 2011 from: http://blog.ted.com/2008/06/25/benjamin_zander/. Read More