What Makes a Great Teacher?

A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. – Brad Henry, former Governor of Oklahoma

Great teachers leave a legacy. They captivate student interest and make the subject material come alive. Among their exemplary skills are the way teachers plan lessons, manage the classroom, motivate/encourage achievement, adapt, and are team players.    

     

      1. Plan Daily Lessons:  

• They have well-constructed lesson plans that outline tangible learning goals. These goals are based on school, district, and state learning standards. 
• A great teacher employs various resources to invigorate lessons, and in turn, engage all types of students with differing abilities and learning preferences. 
• Learning is positive and fun. Lessons are carefully prepared to have a captivating introductions to grab student attention. There is direct teaching of the skill/concept and continual guidance throughout the instructional period so students can practice the targeted skill/concept.  
• Students are encouraged to ask questions and share connections, thus seeing the relevance. Student learning is assessed throughout the instructional lesson, followed by closure to sum up what was learned.

      

      2. Manage the Classroom: 

• A great teacher has a bag of management tools to guide behavior and responsibility of all students. Clear classroom rules are enforced fairly and consistently. 
• The teacher is observant and chooses disciplinary techniques to encourage positive behavior. Facial expressions while circling the room and simple verbal reprimands help redirect student behavior. 
• Preferential seating helps selected students to be more easily monitored. 
• A face-to-face student conference can gain insights about the behavior and how, together, there can be improvement. An individual contract may be developed that lists the desired behavior and consequences to shape the behavior.

      

      3. Motivate and Encourage Achievement: 

• A great teacher is the eternal cheerleader. They have a knack of knowing just how to motivate/encourage every student to do their best. 
• These teachers capitalize on individual strengths/interests, while working to bring up weaker areas. They provide immediate feedback and give praise frequently. 
• Student assignments are graded in a timely manner. Student work is shared and displayed. Students play an active role in goal-setting and self-assess some of their own work. They contribute to data walls to further gauge individual, class, and grade level learning progress. 

      

      4. Adapt to the Needs of the Students: 

• A great teacher is flexible. For example, if something needs to be retaught or explored more in-depth to meet the needs of students, then that takes precedent over following a time schedule. 
• They are patient, realizing that students learn in different ways.

      

      5. Be a Team Player: 

• Quality collaboration with co-workers is important as a great teacher is open to share ideas to help other teachers in their classrooms. 
• They care about their leadership, colleagues, and the entire body of students. They are not afraid to spend extra time and hard work to help out.

Great teachers leave a legacy. Their students achieve at the highest level possible, and excel at being well-rounded individuals who embrace life-long learning, and grow up to leave their own legacies.

Can playing games increase elementary science scores?

     The education system in the U.S. is becoming a hot topic of discussion between politicians, administrators, teachers, and parents alike.  There is a need to deliver educational material in a fun way that allows students to retain the information. There is one program that seems to be proving just how possible that is. The Science Bootcamp program is paving new roads in the implementation of fun, education, and retention in science.  

     According to teachers and administrators across the State of Florida, Science Bootcamp, a series of curriculum-based science games, are dramatically improving science scores in their elementary school classrooms and on state standardized tests. According to one science teacher at Coral Reef Montessori in Cutler, Fl, "...the thing we find most extraordinary about Science Bootcamp is the layering of instruction... the program reaches the student by utilizing every angle so that no matter what the students's level or learning style, they end up not only learning science, but having fun with it too.." 

     Essentially, students are playing games and learning science simultaneously. One of the Bootcamp games, "Speed Bag", uses simple illustrations of science concepts, like photosynthesis, which the students compete with one another to see who can draw the science concept in 30 seconds or less. Science Bootcamp developers call this part of the game "building the frame of reference". By combining the frame of reference, built through repeated quick drawing of the concept, along with content constructed multiple choice questions and a written explanation tool, the students learn the concepts and retain it longer because they had fun doing it. 

     The Science Bootcamp Games are fast becoming recognized as the most effective way to increase elementary science aptitude. Just ask schools like Phyliss R. Miller in Miami Shores, which nearly tripled science test scores from 17% to 43% in its first year of using the Bootcamp games. Other schools like Henry S. Reeves Elementary, Three Points Elementary (Orlando,FL), and Poicianna Park Elementary (Miami) are just a few of the schools that are witnessing phenomenal results in science aptitude as a result of utilizing the Science Bootcamp Games. 

     Given the latest news that U.S. students rank 23 in science proficiency, the growing consensus is that our conventional (traditional) teaching methods are simply not working, and that America's educational system needs to find new and innovative ways to improve our classroom approach. Science Bootcamp is proving to be a step in that direction.