Teacher as a Learner - Essay Example

The idea of “teachers as learners” is founded on the fundamental notion of education as more than the transmission of information and ideas to s, but the development of students’ intellectual capacities, their thinking, and their reasoning. In this respect, effective teachers must also be effective learners who understand the evolving process of education and are committed to: (1) on-going professional development to improve as professionals; (2) integrating education reform strategies to complement teaching methods; (3) and fostering a cooperative partnership between teachers and students encouraging active learning from both parties.

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 integrate 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, listen, and assess themselves and their students’ individual characteristics and differences. They can also effectively experiment with the tools and strategies that will produce better learning outcomes and adjust their pace of instruction in relation to their student’s performance. Thus, this gives teachers better information on how to approach students, while taking greater responsibility for personal growth.

By implementing the aforementioned strategies and becoming effective learners, teachers will have a significant impact in student learning that will successfully improve learning outcomes. Through professional development, teachers can effectively improve themselves as educators and professionals making learning a more productive, rewarding, and enjoyable experience both for the teacher and their students, while at the same time providing them with resources that can improve their practice as professionals.

Through learning how to integrate education reform strategies, teachers can better implement these strategies to fit their current learning environment, allowing teachers and their students to take advantage of the benefits education reform brings about, while at the same time ensuring that reform effectively complements their own teaching methods. Lastly, by being participative and cooperative teachers, they give their students more opportunities to learn and greater incentives to participate, developing students’ intellectual abilities better through reasoning and critical thinking.