A comparative Study between Instinctive Teachers and Inept Teachers

By

Fathi Nimrawi

Contents:-

Preface……………………………………………………………………………. 2

Introduction ….………………………………………………………………… 3

Instinctive Teaching……………………………………………………….…3

Instinctive teachers' stigmas…………………………………………….4

Inept teachers ………………………………………………………………...5

Students' perspective and parents' responsibility…………….6

The role of the teacher……………………………………………………..6

The role of supervisor……………………………………………………….7

The role of the principle…………………………………………………….8

Tips for teachers ……………………………………………………………..8

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………9

References……………………………………………………………………….10

Preface

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Most of the information presented in this paper is based on my experience as a teacher. I worked in several schools, and I was introduced to almost all sorts of teachers during the past ten years; teachers whom I can classify as instinctive and others whom I can classify as inept or incompetent. To honor those instinctive, creative and distinguished teachers and to highlight the extremely dangerous impact of incompetent teachers on students in specific and the educational process in general and because it was not fully covered i chose to write in this subject. Moreover during the past ten years, I dealt with variety of students; I learnt from them as much as I taught them .they made me experience new ways of teaching Ways that I think no teacher has ever experienced before, they led me to the extreme They made me think of and create completely new methodology which I called later (My own Methodology). Maybe I was driven by my instinct, or by the covenant that I made to myself to give my best, either ways

I truly believe that I in so many aspects i Succeeded in bridging the gap between myself and my students, and they succeeded in shaping my character as a teacher, it was a partnership that Iam so proud of. So I owe them the gratitude

Introduction

Life is all about instinct ; mama bear teaches her children instinctively how to hunt and get their food in the wilderness; she doesn’t follow certain methodology ,she

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doesn’t plan , she only follows her instinct and acts the way her mother used to act whichmakes her an exceptionally dedicated teacher.Since the rise of man’s history people where divided intothose who teach and those who are taught, those who teach didn’t follow neither communicative approach nor the audio- lingual; they were only driven by their instinct, they were born to be teachers. Teaching, therefore; is just like any other profession either you teach naturally or you learn how to teach.Some of us are instinctive athletes, artists or teachers they never follow any roles,therefore they can be judged as instinctive people, because they set and create roles of their own, because they believe that following roles that already exist will limit their way of thinking, and will reflect negatively on their character as teachers or craftsmen. Because they depend upon their instinct, you always find them full of confidence towards what they are doing.

Instinctive Teaching

Instinctive teachers were born and not taught to be teachers; some teachers start the school year by reviewing previously learned concepts, they tend to repeat themselves in a dull and boring style, which reflects negatively on the teaching leaning process. However, Instinctive teachers are somehow aware that this is a time when students are most motivated to learn, so they introduce new topics student have never seen before. This technique, known as Front Loading, shows students that their teacher is as excited as they are, intends to challenge them, and sets the tone for the whole year. Such teachers are always digging to come up with the best for their students.They have their own approaches, they are no doubt fun to watch and they run their lessons as smoothly as a brilliant maestro.

Most teachers, who follow the traditional way of teaching, believe that English for example is just like mathematics or physics, where rules and laws must be learnt up heart. When I teach math to my little girl, at home, I tend to explain and simplify the rules and laws for her to understand so that she can unscramble the riddle easily, but if I want to teach her how to speak, for example I only need to speak with her without sitting any rules or regulations, teaching – learning unconsciously .

Teaching Englishis something completely different because there are ,as I believe , no specific rules or laws to follow when teaching a foreign language. The more you listen, the more your ears will get used to the tone of the language ,the more you speak the more fluent you will get, the more you write the less spilling mistakes you will commit .all these skills are acquired and are built up gradually within a relatively long period of a hard and persistent work. They are not governed by rules or laws.Eventually, the long term results are exciting, all what we need to do, as teachers, is to brain storm our students, encourage them and remind them that in order to be able to use the language good enough to express themselves, they only need to break the ice and use the mass storage of vocabulary their memories store.Instinctive teaching suggests that teaching is a battle field; you must use all means necessary to win the war regardless how to start or when to start, because the out comes are the most important. Students tend to imitate their teachers, if a teacher sets a fine example, he gets fine results .There is nothing such a bad student, but there is something such a bad teacher who always tries to cover his failure by planting it upon the students' shoulders.

Instinctive teachers have the ability of stimulating and motivating their students, because they are creative and unpredictable for them.They always come up with something different that provokes students' thinking and makes them busy all the

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time. I think instinctive teachers have full control of their classes, they know when to start an activity and when to shift to another, and they also have the talent of switching the mode and changing the atmosphere of the lesson. For example, they know when to make a jock and accept the student's jocks, in this way neither the teacher nor the students will get board and lessons will always be on the right track

Instinctiveteachers' stigmas

The most the important stigmas thatstigmatize instinctive teachers are that they are intuitive. Intuition (present minded) is the ability of the mind to develop answers to questions unconsciously depending on his competence. Often a question will provoke your mind to answer without using conscious processing time, and the answer is said to come "out of the blue or "suddenly". Of all the many abilities of the human mind, this is one of the most astonishing and often used. Just knowing what to do is often an automatic process that occurs without much conscious figuring. Teachers with stronger intuition make fewer mistakes and can seem luckier, wiser, or more mature. They are always present minded i.e. they are always aware of what is going on inside their classrooms, and fully prepared for any unexpected situations that might occur.

The ability to improvise, improvisation is a technique that few people are good at, it is the ability to think fast, even faster than any one can notice, to deal with any issue whither academic or social, and to come up with answers through connecting previous pieces of informationtogether and connect them to the problem, most of the time the outcome is a perfect solution.

Instinctive teachers have a very great deal of competence, stored information, which is enforced by their high performance

They love what they do; they don’t do it because it is just a job or because they are afraid of theirsuperiors.They do it because they believe in it and they are very good at what they do.Which makes them do their work comfortably and efficiently.

They believe that teaching in general is a gift, itis not limited to a certain curriculum, so they create and develop supplementary material, of their own, that gives the curriculum a depth, they are acceptable and interesting for their students. They own a very high self-esteem and self-respect, most of them are not organized, in addition theydon’t believe in restrictions and limitations imposed by some superiors; they see them as obstacles that limit the creativity of both teachers and students.

They never underestimate or patronize their students; on the contrary, they keep the distance very close; they believe that they should be friendly, but firm since they believe that their students are their overall product which they think it must be of a high quality.

It is not easy to be an instinctive teacher because of the very huge amount of effort involved, professionally as well as emotionally. Instinctive teachers didn’t choose to be what they’re nor did they learn to be what they are, they were simply born to be what they are. You always find them happy to be exactly where they are, they make mistakes sometimes just like anyone else, but they accept their errors and drawbacks with humor and self-forgiveness. They are eager to learn more, to gain further skills in their profession.

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Finally, they are fun to watch because of theiroutstanding jobs. Students like their classes and learn all that was required plus a great deal more. I think such teachers must be left alone, got out of their way and left to work in peace; just encourage them to keep up the good work and let them know you are always available incase help was needed or wanted.

Inept teachers

Inept teachers, who form the majority especially in the Arab world, are always complaining and whining about their students' negative attitude towards learning, and about the circumstances that engulf this career. They wouldn’t hesitate to take any opportunity possible to escape classes, and they would cheer with joy the moment they leave school. Such teachers don’t bather about their students or about finding new techniques to develop their performance and improve their students' attitude on the contrary, they tend to repeat themselves even with their mistakes, they don’t have the well or the desire to change. Since they don’t like what they do, you always find them bored and miserable as soon as they enter the classroom and remain so until they exit it. Those teachers have minimal self-esteem and self-respect, they feel fearful, anxious, and insecure they believe that they have no other profession to replace teaching; they can't quit because they need the money and benefits that this work provides. Their classes are boring, because they don’t believe in innovation. They are often skeptic and pessimistic. When it comes to criticism they are the best to criticize. They underestimate what others do or think of. They never provide solutions; they always hide behind their vanity.

They are good at faking lessons out especially, when they know that they will be visited by their supervisor or by the principle; that means they only teach four lessons a year. Nevertheless, the huge gap between them and their students is clearly noticeable. They are good at bootlicking; you find them all the time flattering their superiors. Some superiors disregard the fact thatthey're bad teachers and ignore the main duties that those teachers were assigned to do, just because they pretend to help them in tasks that have nothing to do with the job that they are supposed to do, sometimes personal. The only victim in this chaos is the student who is the core of the teaching learning process.

Students' perspective and parents' responsibility

As for the students, I am particularly struck by the refreshing simplicity of the students' perspective. Students do not have the critical awareness that comes with adulthood. Even though, some of them, especially in the secondary stage, are aware of the type of teachers they are dealing with, but they don’t have the free well to choose their teachers since they are oppressed and not listened to most of the time, so they modify their objectives to get the highest grades regardless the knowledge that they already lost because of careless teachers and ignorant superiors. The thing that has a bad impact on teaching- learning process, a very simple equation

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teachers (inept), superiors (ignorant), and students seek high grades without deserving them the result is catastrophic a half literate generation. As they grow older, however, things change and the complexity of the world around them begins to impact upon the story of their lives. They begin to experience the pain and misfortune which were a result of bad tuition and guidance of some of their teachers they exchange their naivety for a more critical, even cynical, perspective of the teachers who taught them, fully aware of the bad experience and even more aware of the sides of the argument. parents, who must immediately cease all the unjustifiable support for their children against education, play a significant role in their children's attitude towards learning.Since they are not deprived of anything, nothing is capable of motivating them to take school seriously. When they are asked about their sons, they will say we give them everything they ask for without being aware that they are condemning themselves, because they unintentionally have played avery significant role in their children academic deterioration.

The role of the teacher

Some teachers believe that their role is limited to lecturing; they argue that teachers' main and only role is inside the classroom drop their load and go out safely regardless all the other variables involved, mainly students. Teachers should be able to sense their students' physical, social, emotional and mental attributes and needs to be part of their physical and mentalword in order to interact easily with them, and influence the way they think and interact with the outside world. The more the teacher is able to learn about his pupils, their needs, their educational philosophy and about their nature the more he will be in a position to facilitate student learning.

This is a part of the learning role of the teacher which assists teachers in their role as facilitators, people whose job is to make things easy and understandable; the role of the teacher is diverse and has several aspects. One important aspect is that of facilitator of student learning. The facilitator attempts to provide circumstances that will enable students to engage with the learning opportunities and construct their own understandings and skills.

Other important aspects that teachers should attend to besides assessing students are,planning the learning, implementing the plan, and evaluating the process .In addition to being facilitators; teachers should play a very essential role as curriculum evaluators, developers and planners .Since the curriculum is set by the ministry of education as a source of information for the students, teachers should study it thoroughly before presenting it to their students, so that they can correct, modify, add, delete, or edit. They should always have a backup plan to cover any shortages in the curriculum.

Some teachers argue that the school syllabus doesn't meet the needs of the students and the teachers as well. In this particular issue, I would like to answer in three points. First of all if we go back to the beginning of the 19th century and ask ourselves the following, questions how were students taught? Who prepared their syllabuses? What were they taught?

At the beginning of the 19th century, there were very few public schools (schools monitored by the government) especially in the Arab world so the educational system existed at that time was called Alkatateeb or Al Motaw'a.In this primitive

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system of education there was no written laws or regulations; parents at that time send their children to learn reading, writing, mathematics and the holy Quran. Although it was a poor and rigid way of teaching that lake the simplest components, because it was a solo or a one person school who played the role of principle and the staff as well ,there was no building and of course no classrooms and classes were given in the open the outcome was good compared to the circumstances.

The role of supervisor

Thework of supervisors is not an easy task; few people are prepared enough or trained enough to be supervisors, because a lot of work is involved. Before becoming a supervisor I assume that everyone went through the experience of being a teacher the thing that makes him aware of the heavy burden that is planted upon the shoulders of teachers. In this part I will shedlight on how to be a successful supervisor. The role of a supervisor can be discussed in terms of job related responsibilities and staff related responsibilities. As for the job related responsibilities, the supervisor should set short-term as well as long term plans with clear and direct objectives and goals for each one. He should have the authority to provide his stuff with the necessary equipments such as teaching aids and materials, teaching technology and the most recent techniques that facilitate teacher's work, the human and physical resources to perform their work in an efficient manner. The supervisors should train and guide teachers, especially the new ones and the ones whom they think need extra attention.Furthermore, he should set a remarkable example for his stuff through giving demonstration lessons that include the most recent methods of teaching.

Concerning the staff related responsibilities; the supervisor should realize that he deals with human beings, people who have their concerns and fears, people who sometimes make mistakes. Some teachers especially old timers have certain thoughts and beliefs which are very hard to change. In this case we are in a bad need for supervisors who can communicate with all types of teachers taking into consideration the many variables involved. A supervisor should be able to since the needs of his team, and elevate his standards into a more advanced level for example, instead of ordering, he should ask and consult, instead of telling he should listen, instead of criticizing, he should provide the logical alternative, instead of individualism, he should enforce teamwork and finally instead of policing he should coach. These are the criteria that, I believe, a supervisor should take into concede- ration if he wants to be successful in his career.

The role of the principle

A principal is an individual who directs and monitors the academic and nonacademic activities within a school environment. He plans and implements the daily routines within an educational setting. The principal has many general responsibilities which he must carry out on a daily basis. First and foremost, the principal is the head of the educational scene. This individual provides guidance not only for the teachers but for the students as well. The principal must monitor all activities within `his school and be the leader of it all;

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In addition, the principal must act as a link between what happens in the school and those in the general community. The principal will meet requests from parents, school board members and government officials. This individual is the one these people go to with praise as well as complaints. The principal has many numerous duties he must take part in since they are in a supervisory position. The first duty a principal is responsible for fulfilling in their capacity as principal is that of hiring, firing, and disciplining teachers and staff at the school. Those who

Tips for teachers

1- It should be highlighted that you, as a teacher, are not the only source of information and knowledge; students can get information from various sources such as the internet which is the easiest and fastest way of getting information (knowledge at their finger tips).

2- Since you chose to be a teacher, you must start acting like one the moment you step into a school. You should have a very high self-esteem and self respect. You should ask yourself the followingquestions. Why do I want to become a teacher? Am I capable of being a teacher? What are the chances of failure? What are the chances of success? Am I going to make a difference? If the answers to all the above questions came positive, you should go on and pursue your quest. If the answers came negative, you should think seriously of pursuing another career.

3- The one who says I know every thing knows nothing. One of your students might know things that you don’t know ;you should have the courage to say I don’t know ,I will bring the answer next time

4- Love what you do, because if love it, you'll be good at it. Love and respect your students; never underestimate them,never patronize them, give them more than they expect, because they are the only true judges that will judge you now and in the future.

5- If you see that the curriculum does not satisfy your desires nor does it meet the needs of you students, don't complain, and try to add any material that you see of good significance. Since you are the key element in this equation not the curriculum.

6- It is important to read about what others have to say, and about their ideas and their attempts, so that you can form and develop your own ideas.

7- You should never be driven by your ego; listen to what others have to say, if you are not convinced, don't over criticize and try to present an alternative.

8- Don't be fossilized, always try to cope with the new educational ideas and technologies. Use them when you are convinced they will serve the educational process.

9- Never be afraid to speak your mind as long as you know what is best for your students

10- Never be afraid of using new techniques, especially creative ones.Students might find odd at first, but with some dedication and presentence they will get used to it.

11- Don’t be shy to share your experience; sharing is one of the most important sources of personal professional development.

12- Seek PPD through attending conferences, seminars, meetings and other activities, because when you do ,you expand your knowledge through meeting people from different backgrounds with different techniques and ideologies .

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13- Expand your information; you should know a little something out of almost everything, because you don’t know when you will be asked a challenging question.Never hesitate to ask for help ,when you need help

14- Positive and constructive thinking is the key to success. Always be positive; never say I can't always say I will try.

15- Try to be in harmony with your surrounding and in peace with yourself.

Conclusion

Measures should be taken rapidly to salvage whatever can be saved; I think a major step should be made by the decision makers who are responsible for recruiting incompetent teachers whoAfter years of ineptness, become incompetent supervisors. I strongly believe that the struggling nation is a successful nation, unless our children struggle, they will never make it to be efficient members in their work, in their society, and in their families, when they decide to make one of their own. As an educator, who is caught in this phase I think of the future of education only as a set of dilemmas, so complex that it is impossible to discern an emerging step.The idealism that inspired us to enter our profession, driven by a clear understanding of how we would make a difference to the future of our children, is not but a colorful dream, I didn’t even sleep enough to enjoy it.

References

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2003/oct/28/teachingawards2003.teachingawards4

www.potters.org/subject 46235.htm/

William,James.''Talks to the teacher on psychology and the students on some life's ideas.''Arc Manor.po.Box10339.PockVille,MD 20845-0339.RockVille,Maryland2008.

Rose, Mike. “Lives on the Boundary.” The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins Press, 1997, 97-110

Thomas, David. “Lives on the Boundary .” The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins Press, 1997, 120-125

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Spayde, Jon. . “Lives on the Boundary.” The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins Press, 1997, 58-64

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/role_of_supervisor.htm

http://www.hr.virginia.edu/uploads/documents/media/supervisorfiveroles

http://teaching.about.com/od/admin/tp/Role-Of-The-Principal.htm

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