Teacher as a Learner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Teacher as a Learner - Essay Example First, teachers have a responsibility both to students and the professional teaching community they are part of. Thus, professional development in both aspects must be implemented in order to improve the teacher as educator through increasing their subject-matter knowledge, and teaching them ways to learn, teaching them how to make education more enjoyable, and encouraging critical thinking, which they can pass on to students; and as professionals by strengthening their professional knowledge to aid in teaching. All of which fosters continuous improvement and self-renewal on the teacher as an individual, allowing the teacher to be a better member of the professional community and classroom he is part of. Second, teachers, as part of an overarching educational system must support education reform strategies and implement them in the classroom. However, since reform is only as effective as its implementation, teachers as learners must understand how to appropriately and properly integr ate reform initiatives into their classroom. Only through appropriate and proper integration can reform initiatives successfully achieve desired learning outcomes such as enhancing learning capabilities of students, encouraging higher level thinking, fostering creative thinking and open-mindedness, and allowing students with exceptional needs to fully participate in class. Moreover, teachers must also learn to be creative and take risks in designing how education reform strategies will be implemented in the classroom. Lastly, it is important for teachers to treat the classroom as a learning environment and become a cooperative participant actively questioning to elicit greater participation from students, as opposed to an authority figure. By doing so, students are given more opportunities to learn and express themselves. Consequently, teachers are given more opportunities to observe,