Teachers are curious about people and how they learn. In this second of of 5 posts, teacher learning as practiced at SIT outlines the teacher’s influence on learning and learners. Demonstration of these competencies takes place throughout the course of the degree study.
Teachers have awareness of
- the relationship between learning and teaching
- their own assumptions about teaching and learning
- the impact of their teaching upon learners and their learning
Teachers have attitudes of
- curiosity about learners and the learning process
- respect for the whole person of the learner — mind, body, emotions, spirit
- respect for diverse learners
- interest in their own learning
- willingness to allow learners’ learning to guide their teaching
Teachers have knowledge of
- theories of language acquisition and learning
- theories of learning in adults and children
- learning differences: styles, disabilities, strategies, processes
- theories and methods of assessment
- theories and methods of teacher research
Teachers have skills of
- assessing the linguistic and cultural needs and performance of their students
- discerning and naming learning differences
- devising and selecting appropriate and effective learning strategies
- applying learning/acquisition theories and their own learning experiences to analyses of learner language and behavior
- designing and conducting teacher research projects
These teaching competencies are excerpted from the MA in Teaching student handbook (2007-08).
Tags: Marshall Brewer, MAT, SIT, World Learning
