Are you an Effective Teacher? Unveiling Teaching Expertise (Part 1)

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Grace Velasco
738 DZRB AM, 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday

Research and publication contribute immensely to effectiveness in teaching. Launching of books published by UST in celebration of its 400th anniversary

Professors of SPUQC take time out on a retreat. Angels' Hills, Tagaytay

Lesson: Are you an effective teacher? Please read this article. Find out the basis and criteria of an effective teacher.

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The characteristics of an effective teacher are described in a book written by Dr. Flordeliza Clemente-Reyes, Unveiling Teaching Expertise – A Showcase of 69 Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines. The book summarizes the results of a nationwide research initiated and funded by the Commission on Higher Education in cooperation with non-governmental organizations and various colleges and universities.

Profiling the outstanding teacher from the 69 finest teachers of the country was conducted on 28 private and 12 state universities distributed in 12 regions of the country. Twenty-eight of these teachers are Metrobank Outstanding Teachers and were automatically included in the list, while the other 41 were chosen by a composite team from CHED, the National Council of Educational Innovators (NCEI), with the support of NGOs, with De La Salle University as its research base. At the time of the study these teachers were handling courses in PAASCU Level-3 accredited colleges and universities, or Centers of Excellence, or both, and have earned the reputation of being outstanding teachers in their respective institutions.

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In a capsule an effective teacher is generally

§ An expert in all four areas of teaching, namely, subject matter, classroom management, instruction, and diagnostics in teaching;

§ One who has a personal educational philosophy regarding beliefs, assumptions and convictions regarding his role as a teacher;

§ Married, and most likely a woman in her middle age – 40 and above; (Women dominate men in the teaching profession, 4 to 1)

§ A college performer, but not necessarily an honor student and campus leader;

§ One whose initial career was not set to teaching - in fact did not take up formal undergraduate education subjects and training;

§ A postgraduate degree holder with a master’s degree at least, in any specific field in natural and social sciences, and other disciplines;

§ A “mix-brain” that is, a person whose logical and creative hemispheres of the brain are effectively put to use in tandem;

§ A model person with personal attributes, virtues, and teaching methods that nurture favorable teacher-student relationship;

§ One who draws inspiration from both within and outside the school, such as members of his family;

§ A cheerful, willing and motivated person always in pursuit of continued professional growth.

Four Areas of Expertise of the Outstanding Teacher

The expert teacher has been found to possess four types of expertise, namely:

1. Subject matter expertise, which means that the teacher has a mastery of content-specific knowledge and the organization of this knowledge for effective instruction.

2. Classroom management expertise, that is, the expert teacher maintains a high level of on-task students’ classroom behavior, which prevents or eliminates learning disruptions, while it creates an environment conducive to learning.

3. Instructional expertise, which means that the teacher has both implicit and explicit knowledge on various teaching strategies and methods to attain predefined instructional objectives.

4. Diagnostic expertise, which refers to the ability of the teacher to know both the class and individual needs and goals, abilities, achievement levels, motives, personality attributes, and emotions, which influence instruction and learning.

Holistic Mentor-Learner Interaction

The key to effectiveness in teaching is a holistic approach whereby there is a mutual and orderly interaction in the teaching-learning process, with the teacher placing a high premium on the development of thinking and understanding. Educators attribute teaching expertise to the teachers’ affectionate interactions with the learners, and to their efforts towards developing learners’ responsibility for learning. There are of course many other factors that influence effectiveness in teaching because of the wide diversity in culture, affected by certain economic, ecological and political conditions.

Attributes of the Expert Teacher

1. Women dominate the teaching profession. Of the 69 outstanding teachers, women constitute 74% as compared with that of men which is 26 &, or a ratio of 4 to 1. The reason for this is that men place less priority to teaching than better paying jobs. This is manifested in the choice of careers. In the case of men, they prefer law, engineering, and applied courses in industry and technology that offer better professional growth opportunities and pay as compared to teaching.

2. The median age of the expert teacher is 50. Majority of the experts (82.6%) are in their past 40. Surprisingly one-fifth of the experts is in the 60 to 79 age bracket. These data point out that teaching – contrary to common belief – does not deteriorate with age. On the other hand, teaching improves with time and experience. Distilled and seasoned knowledge is wisdom.

3. Forty-five of the 69 expert teachers are married. The remaining 24 are single with two of them a nun and a priest. Again at this point, contrary to common belief, being married and having a family is not a deterrent to being a good teacher. On the contrary there are many cases where teaching career is enhanced by an understanding and cooperative family.

4. In general, the 69 outstanding teachers did not choose teaching as their first career. Only 26 actually set their minds to teaching as early as upon graduation in high school. For one reason or another the 43 set out for other careers. Others found teaching compatible with their present professions, while a good number opted to spend their retirement as teachers or professors. Among the outstanding teachers are practicing agriculturists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, doctors, engineers, TV hosts, and the like. This shows that a good teacher may not have started out early in his career as teacher but ended up becoming a good teacher. Professions and experiences outside of teaching greatly contribute to teaching effectiveness.

5. The experts were academic achievers in college. There were only 14 of the experts who were active in extracurricular activities in college, say in athletics and campus politics. Fifty-eight are academic achievers, with 33 as top performers but who did not make it in the dean’s list, and 25 who were consistent scholars and honor students. Only 11 were average academic performers. Dr. Reyes explains the relationship of academic performance and expertise in teaching this way. “Academic achievers generally have good self-esteem and exude high self-confidence – personal attributes that are helpful to teachers, cognitive intelligence as a facilitative factor to subject mastery and instructional skills, notwithstanding.” An intelligent teacher is therefore highly desirable so long as he demonstrates humility patience and understanding. On the other hand, “magtitser ka na lang,” is an insult to the teaching profession.

6. On the educational attainment of the expert teachers, 35 of them have doctoral degrees while 26 have master’s degrees. The remaining ones were at the time of the survey still pursuing their graduate studies. This means that 88.4% of the expert teachers have at least a master’s degree, which points out to the importance of graduate education as a factor in effective teaching. Graduate education is characterized by “extensive professional reading and research, as well as personal discipline, perseverance, diligence, and a strong motivation to succeed,” in the words of Dr. Reyes. The pursuit of graduate studies confirms the strong conviction of the teacher towards excellence and dedication in his profession. Graduate studies confer the imprimatur of a teacher’s professional status, and his place among his peers.

7. The expert teachers do not only possess high educational attainment; they also excel in specific disciplines or fields of study. Here is a breakdown of the findings:

§ Education and related fields 36 %

§ Applied and natural sciences 26

§ Languages, literature, communication art 15

§ Medicine, nursing and public health 6

§ Political, social science, economics 6

§ Psychology, guidance and counseling 5

§ Philosophy 3

§ Agriculture 3

It is interesting to note that 55 of the experts have either completed or enrolled in programs that offer rich opportunities for sharing research, information, and work experiences in the school setting.

8. On teaching experience, the range is wide – 2 to 47 years, with a median of 25 years. Yes, it takes 25 years to be a model teacher. There is a saying, “Experience does not only make a good teacher; experience is the best teacher.”

9. Which hemisphere of the brain is more useful to the expert teacher? The different specializations of expert teachers attest to a left-right brain combination or mix-brain, which means that the use of both hemisphere in proper balance and harmony is needed in teaching - the left for language, mathematics and logic, and the right which is dominantly for creativity is for intuition, inspiration and imagination. Majority of the expert teachers are mix-brained (43 women and 11 men). The rest are left-brained who are experts in the fields of science, mathematics, language, philosophy, research, nursing and agriculture. The survey came up with a negative right-brained among the experts.

10. The effective teacher draws inspiration from his or her family. Almost one-half of the expert teachers consider the supportive role of family members who understand the nature of teaching as having greatly contributed to their success. Twenty of the expert teachers mentioned of a family member as their mentor and source of inspiration. On the other hand the role of school administrators is very important, with almost 70% of the participants attributing the administration’s support to their success. The ambiance of teaching is equally important whereby the school is one large respectable family with a community atmosphere.

11. The 69 experts are divided according to the following philosophies of education, namely

v The majority of the participants (29 women and 6 men) are experimentalists. They uphold the experimental educational philosophy. This means that these teachers are flexible and open to educational change.

v Twelve are advocates to eclectic educational philosophy, which means that they do not subscribe to just one philosophy, and they shift their roles from being facilitators of learning to transmitters and interpreters of knowledge.

v Twelve are perennialists, that is, they perceive themselves as authority figures in the classroom, transmitting and interpreting knowledge.

v Nine are realists. They tend to focus on the here and now. They stress knowledge as how it is applied or observed. For example the laws of nature are better understood through observation and research.

v Only one among the expert teachers is an idealist. She views education as a means of developing students’ intellectual abilities. Influenced by the Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato, she stresses the importance of logic and philosophy.

Given these premises, the expert teacher is motivated to learn more, to expand his horizon as new things evolve – in science and technology, management, education, research, and in the many ways the world and human society are changing. His love for his profession takes him to a higher realm of continuing professional growth, his love for knowledge itself, which is the primordial tool in teaching, and in sharing them to the younger and future generations in the wisdom and humility of the Good Shepherd. ~

 About Plato's Academy 

Plato's Academy, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Socrates and his pupil Plato are shown at the center. Below, ruins of the Academy 



"Academy was a suburb of Athens, named after the hero Academos or Ecademos. The site was continuously inhabited from the prehistoric period until the 6th century A.D. During the 6th century B.C., one of the three famous Gymnasiums of Athens was founded here. Moreover, it is recorded that Hippias, the son of Peisistratos, built a circuit wall, and Cimon planted the area with trees which were destroyed by Sulla in 86 B.C. In 387 B.C. Plato founded his philosophical school, which became very famous due to the Neoplatonists, and remained in use until A.D. 526, when it was finally closed down by emperor Justinian."

 Plato established a very special school  2.380 years ago. He named his school The Academy, built on the idea far ahead of its time, on the belief that every person has the potential for mastery and greatness.

Influenced by the philosophy of Socrates, Plato and his associates posed questions and problems which the group would then discuss and solve.  Thus they gained knowledge, developed character and friendship, as they pursue truths and insights. This collective and integral approach - rather than individual - is the key in elevating the academy on the highest plane of learning.  

Plato’s Academy became a beacon of wisdom and development throughout the ages. Its tradition was preserved and carried on by many, starting from Aristotle who studied in the Academy for twenty years (367 BC – 347 BC) before founding his own school, the Lyceum.

Albert Einstein was so inspired by Plato’s approach that with a group of friends he founded his own school – the Olympia Academy.

(Reference ISOD - Integral School of Organization Development, Internet)  

 Are You an Effective Teacher?
An Evaluation

Opposite each item, indicate your score based on the Likert Scale (1 Very Poor, 2 Poor, 3 Fair, 4 Good, 5 Very Good) Answer those with dot/square marks only

1.Subject matter expertise

 Thorough/excellent knowledge of content

 Being up-to-date with the latest developments in their fields

 Knowledge of the interrelationships among the structural elements or concepts of the subject matter -

 Knowledge of the relationship of the lesson with other courses or disciplines

 Knowledge of practical application and concrete, interesting examples to clarify abstract ideas/concepts

2. Classroom Management Expertise

 Efficient handling of routine activities and time management

 Maintenance of students’ on-task behavior

 Absence of class disruptions

3.Instructional Expertise

 Use of varied teaching strategies

 Use of varied instructional equipment and materials to enhance education

 Instructional clarity

3.Communication Expertise

 Expressive non-verbal or body language.

 Excellent oral communication skills

 Provision of two-way communication

4. Diagnostic Expertise

. Sensitivity to students’ learning problems/difficulties

. Anticipation of probable problems or misconceptions

5.Relational Expertise

 Non-threatening disposition

 Enthusiasm

 Providing a psychologically safe learning environment

 Making learning pleasant and enjoyable

 Classroom humor

 Magnetism/Charisma

 High rapport with students

 Affectionate interaction with students


B. Responsible Teaching

 integrate values in teaching

 communicate their belief in the students’ capacity for learning

 facilitate development of understanding and draw out generalizations and insights

 provide students opportunities to assume an active role in the learning process and to be responsible for their own learning

 select and implement teaching strategies, learning activities and instructional materials.

 Learner-centered teaching

 Learner-centeredness

 Developing students’ responsibility for learning

 Values integration

NOTE: We are all teachers in our own rights - at home, in our community, in the office, and the like. This evaluation applies to all of us. xxxx 

THE BET - A Model in Short Story Writing

"The singer and his song, the writer and his story. Knowing both gives us a better view and fuller understanding of many classical works. Only when you know Vincent van Gogh can you grasp the meaning of his paintings.  So with knowing Anton Chekhov to understand human nature on the philosophical level of life and human existence. 

NOTE: I have included in this lesson quotations by Anton Chekhov to give the reader an insight of the author's thoughts that reflect the theme of the The Bet. 

Dr Abe V Rotor
 

I have chosen one of Chekhov's favorite short stories.  The Bet is about two men who agreed to a bet. Two million rupees is the prize offered by the older fellow, a banker, to the younger man, a journalist - if he can outlive solitary confinement. The challenge arose from a heated discussion on which is better, capital punishment or life imprisonment? 

What happened to the journalist who took the challenge to live in solitary confinement - not only for five years, but on his volition to fifteen years?

Here towards the end of the fiftieth year with certainty of winning the bet, the "prisoner" prepared for his prize and freedom. He wrote a letter for his opponent-benefactor to read.   

To quote:

"Tomorrow at twelve o’clock I regain my freedom and the right to associate with other men, but before I leave this room and see the sunshine, I think it is necessary to say a few words to you. With a clear conscience I tell you, as before God, who beholds me, that I despise freedom and life and health, and all that your books call the good things of the world.

“For fifteen years I have been intently studying earthly life. It is true that I have not seen the earth nor men, but your books I have drunk fragrant wine, I have sung songs, I have hunted stags and wild boars in the forest, have loved women… Beauties as ethereal as clouds, created by the magic of your poets and geniuses, have visited me at night, and have whispered in my ears wonderful tales that have set my brain in a whirl. In your books I have climbed to the peaks of Elburz and Mont Blanc, and from there I have seen the sun rise and have watched it at evening flood the sky, the ocean, and the mountaintops with gold and crimson. I have watched from there the lightning flashing over my head and cleaving the storm clouds. I have seen green forests, fields, rivers, lakes, towns. I have heard the singing of sirens, and strains of the shepherd’s pipes; I have touched the wings of comely devils who flew down to converse with me of God … In your books I have flung myself into the bottomless pit, performed miracles, slain, burned towns, preached new religions, conquered whole kingdoms.

“Your books have given me wisdom. All the unresting thought of man has in the ages is compressed into a small compass in my brain. I know that I am wiser than all of you.

“And I despise your books, I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. It is all worthless, illusory and deceptive, like a mirage. You may be proud, wise and fine, but death will wipe you of the face of the earth as though you were no more than mice burrowing under the floor, and your posterity, your history, your immortal geniuses will burn or freeze together with the earthly globe.

“You have lost your reason and taken a wrong path. You have taken lies for truth, and hideousness for beauty. You would marvel if, owing to strange events of some sort, frogs and lizards suddenly grew on apple and orange trees instead of fruit, or if roses began to smell like a sweating horse; so I marvel at you who exchange heaven for earth. I don’t understand you.

To prove to you in action how I despise all that you live by, I renounce the two million of which I once dreamt as of paradise and which I now despise.”

Anton Chekhov (1864-1904) Russian writer, wrote hundreds of short stories and numerous plays. The elements of melancholy, loneliness, and futility that pervade Chekhov’s works are tempered by touches of humor and gentle irony. He emphasized mood rather than plot, and realistic rather than a romantic treatment of life. He once wrote to his brother, “Don’t invent sufferings which you have not experienced …  lie in a story is a hundred times more boring than in a conversation.”

Homesite and Home Gardening Models (A to Z)

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School on Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 Evening Class, Monday to Friday 

Home gardening is fun, exercise, and source of food and medicine - and income. Study these models and find out which ones are applicable in your area. Share your experience with the members of the family, school and your community.

Patola (Luffa acutangula) on trellis. Home garden project at Barangay Valencia, San Juan, MM

These gardening models have been developed from studies and observations of successful projects locally and abroad. They serve as guide to participants and listeners of Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (School-on-Air) to help them in their projects, particularly in times of food scarcity, such as the present situation caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

But even during normal times, these models are useful to gardening enthusiasts, especially children and senior citizens who find this hobby highly rewarding to health and leisure, and as a source of livelihood, notwithstanding. Those who are participating in projects in food production and environmental beautification, such as the Clean and Green Movement, and Green Revolution projects, will find these models similarly valuable.

One however, can modify them according to the peculiarity of his place, and in fact, he can combine those models that are compatible so as to develop and integrate them into a larger and more diversified plan.

One who is familiar with the popular Filipino composition Bahay Kubo, can readily identify the plants mentioned therein with those that are cited in these models. And in his mind would appear an imagery of the scenario in which he can fit these models accordingly.

Here is a plan of a Homesite - an ideal integrated garden around a home in a rural setting. Compare this with Bahay Kubo. Update it. Innovate it according to your concept, situation and needs. Allow innovations as long as these do not lose the essence of the plan. You can even expand the area, adding more features to it.

In effect, this Homesite model becomes a model farm, a Homestead - one that has economic and ecological attributes that characterize the concept of sustainable productivity cum aesthetics and educational values.


I invite all followers and readers of this Blog to adopt these models in their own capacities wherever they reside - in the rural or urban area - and whenever they find them feasible, and thus join the movement which PBH has been carrying on in the last twenty years or so.

It is for this nationwide campaign that PBH has earned, among other programs, the Oscar Florendo Award for Developmental Journalism, indeed a tribute to all those who have participated, and are going to participate, in the pursuit of the noble objectives of this campaign.

Keep track with the development of this project, learn more about its practical methods and techniques, and participate in the open forum of the radio program. Most important of all, share with the millions of listeners your experience with your project on how you made it a successful and rewarding one. Which therefore, makes you a resource participant to Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid. 

Tragedy of the Commons: The case of the shrinking and disappearing "dilis" (anchovies) and "espada" fish.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Considered "poor man's food" in the rank of galunggong, pork and beans, and pandesal - this prolific marine fish once the main source of fishmeal for feeds, has spiraled beyond the  means of ordinary people. 

Espada (bulong-unas Ilk) is another marine fish that is fished in its juvenile stage, similarly with many other species that are over harvested, usually with close-knit fishnets - and without let-up in the absence of strict regulations.   

Tragedy of the Commons*

Tragedy of the commons, a term scholarly phrased,
     means simply shrinking resources
in the midst of open competition to all in the name 
     of freedom with whatever process
of acquisition in social Darwinism falsely applied;
     at the end, the winner neither the best
nor the vanquished, the passive nor meek, but all 
     victim swept by the current of unrest 
where the old Malthus' ghost once more roam,
     where lost the essence of progress,
and Toffler's ecospasm of economics and ecology 
    clashing and falling from their crest. ~   
    
* The tragedy of the commons is an economics theory by Garrett Hardin, according to which individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each one's self-interest, behave contrary to the whole group's long-term best interests by depleting some common resource. The concept is often cited in connection with sustainable development, meshing economic growth and environmental protection, as well as in the debate over global warming. "Commons" can include the atmosphere, oceans, rivers, fish stocks, national parks, the office refrigerator, and any other shared resource. The tragedy of the commons has particular relevance in analyzing behavior in the fields of economics, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, game theory, politics, taxation, and sociology. Some also see the "tragedy" as an example of emergent behavior, the outcome of individual interactions in a complex system. (Wikipedia)

Reel Buggy - A Child's Invention

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM 8 to 9 Evening Class, Monday to Friday

If only my Reel Buggy take the road, people would wonder where on earth did it come from?
Because anything that comes from a child is strange to the grownup, and the child a stranger.
Strange this world, every car is a copy of another, and another, millions, perhaps billions, 
The game? Invention.  Invention from another invention, imitating and putting in some change.  
But they are all the same: gas fed, inflated tires, body, bumper, seat - all of the same pattern.

My Reel Buggy has little, if ever, of these.  It is bare to the basics when the wheel was made.
The wheel is not an invention.  It was serendipity that led to its use. Some round stone rolled off.
Then an axle was fitted, then a cart on it. The ox was tamed. Road laid. Communities grew.
Beyond that the wheel became useful in many ways, and took the high road to sophistication.
And stopped at man's yearning for freedom to travel fast, to go to the moon and outer space,

To build machines, machines to build other machines, to robots, to explore and tap everything.
And Eureka! A new order.  A new ecosystem under man's command, the world shrinking fast,
All in the name of globalization, a term we least understand, and the world a roaring wheel. 
Losing the essence of invention on the grassroots, which itself bears the subsidy of invention:
From rubber to ore, to labor, to land supporting industries and cities, all spawned by the wheel.

We love momentum though dizzying - momentum for super economy, affluence, ad infinitum.
Pity the only rational being, his very own inventions taking him fast to his demise and doom;
Nuclear armament, genetic engineering, cyberspace conquest, probing deeper into sea and sky.
And looking back at the Tree of Knowledge our forebears violated, where are we headed for?
I look back sixty years ago on a sketch of my invention, pure and simple, and almost bare.

All I needed were an empty spool, rubber band, stick, a slice of candle - presto! a Reel Buggy!
Its power stored by the torque of rubber, stored inside the reel, released slowly by the wax,
Steered and balanced by a stick, and a smaller one at the other end to release excess torque.
There my buggy would move forward slow and steady, on the playground, smooth or rough. 
 Kids cheered and copied it.  Soon each one had his own Reel Buggy.  And that's the beginning of this story. ~ 

The famous Moon Buggy (left), and a simpler version. In 1971, the Moon Buggy was first used by during the Apollo 12 landing to explore the Moon. The inventor Eduardo San Juan (aka The Space Junkman) worked on the team that worked invented the Lunar Rover or Moon Buggy. Eduardo San Juan graduated from Mapua Institute of Technology. He then studied Nuclear Engineering at the University of Washington. In 1978, San Juan received one of the Ten Outstanding Men (TOM) awards in science and technology.

      

Global Warming is Creating a New Art Movement (Part 3)

Paintings by Dr Abe V Rotor

Onslaught of the Glowing Armyworms 
Armyworms are so-called because of their gregarious, voracious and they suddenly appear and attack. When food is scarce and environmental conditions unfavorable, they become wild and uncontrollable. Such is the tendency of a bandwagon, building up into a mob.

They come in an army strong in spring, 

rising from quiescence with the first rain,

greed and abandon the rule of their game

spoiling all rules, free- for-all, and insane.

But only when cornered the biologcal

instinct reigns, survival the ultimate aim,

where nature lost its order, its pristine,

by man craving for wealth, power, fame.  

How similar a pattern, could it be the genes

dictating? Creatures behaving like beast,

and man in neither in need nor in plenty, 

fights in army whether in war and peace. ~   

Degeneration of the Roses

Global warming has caused many problems in plants and animals. Hybrids are among the first to succumb, while the native species or varieties are the last. Their survival secret? Natural resistance built through countless generations in the open. As a rule. hybrids can't be left alone - they will revert to man-directed lines which are unstable and uncertain. The failure of science is when its progeny is abandoned or misguided.

"My luv is a red, red rose," in romanticism gone,
"Paper roses," a song of love lost and lament;
and Gertrude Stein, wanting of the right word, 
said, "A rose is a rose is a rose," is truly meant.  

The rose is very sick, not only in social norms,
it is sick with the loss of its indigenous genes,
it is sick with the pollution of its genetic pool,
manipulated to suit the market by all means.

While the whole world grows hotter each day;
Carbon in air traps heat; it too, turns into acid 
falling as toxic rain, dousing the red in the rose.
Where have all the roses gone, their lovely bid? ~