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Hmmm, David, I'm a piano teacher - 60 years old, have been teaching for at least 37 years, and I'm good at it.And I'd beg to differ with you about whether a student who understands something right away is well taught or not, or whether they are just smarter.People have such different ways of learning, and some have to learn to cope with learning difficulties as they grow and become aware of their own learning styles.Sometimes I'll explain something in what I think is a completely clear and logical manner and get a blank look back. I know that the student was present mentally and paying attention. I'll try something else and bingo! Now they understand! My philosophy of teaching is that if the student doesn't understand (or to a lesser degree, remember) then the teacher is at fault.In my own case, I know that I'm not such a good auditory learner. So when I go to another teacher for coaching, I record the lesson and listen to the recording again and write things into my score. It's that second opportunity to hear plus the kinesthetic sensation of writing that makes the information "stick". I'm always astounded at how much I've forgotten between the lesson and the time that I listen to the recording, even if it's only an hour or so. Part of this is due to stress - the stress of trying to incorporate the new ideas and perform in front of the teacher. But I didn't figure this out when I was 12 years old. It's a gradual process, figuring out how learning occurs. Students are much more self aware now than I was, but they are young and lack experience...Just a few thoughts to start the day - my first student comes at 6:30, so I have to get going!Patti Robertson, NCTM (nationally certified teacher of music, for you non-musician types!)On Dec 18, 2013, at 3:05 AM, "David H. Bailey" <dhbailey52@comcast.net> wrote:On 12/17/2013 11:06 PM, Tony wrote:
> That's right Dave. I will ask my 15 yo. When I was at school, I'm 55, geography was well taught. Not sure about now
>
If you thought it was well taught, then that means that *you* related to
what and how the teacher explained it and it had importance to *you.*
That doesn't mean that all your fellow students would remember the same
things you do.
A teacher facing a classroom of 20 - 30 students will teach something,
and there will be 20 - 30 mental responses to what is taught. Some will
remember it easily, some will need to refer to their notes, but with
enough repetition they will remember it, some will do the same amount of
follow-up study and still not remember it correctly, others will write
down their notes incorrectly because they were only paying partial
attention, and the rest won't bother taking notes or remembering or
caring at all.
One teacher with varying levels of successful learning from the
classroom full of students -- whose fault is it for those who fail to
learn the material?
And who should get the acclaim and rewards for those who *do* learn the
material?
In my opinion the reward and the blame all should fall on the students
who either succeed or fail from their own efforts to remember the material.
The teacher is just a messenger -- whether the message is retained lies
entirely with those who are receiving the message.
--
David H. Bailey
dhbailey@davidbaileymusicstudio.com
http://www.davidbaileymusicstudio.com
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