How to Be a Transformational Teacher in 2020

How to Be a Transformational Teacher in 2020 In business, you often hear about transformational leadership, wherein leaders create a vision, inspire others to achieve that vision, and execute important change with buy-in from those around them. So, what does transformational teaching look like? Research published in Educational Psychology Review describes transformational teaching as creating dynamic relationships between teachers, students, and a shared body of knowledge to promote student learning and personal growth. Here are several tips to help you engage in transformational teaching practices that have a long-lasting, positive impact on your students: Engage students in active learning. Your students should not be passive receivers of information; rather, they should be active participants in their own learning. Assign work and activities that invite them to explore ideas, analyze, synthesize, and articulate their thinking. Aim for student-centered learning. Differentiate your instruction by paying close attention to students needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles. Give your students choices (when feasible) and autonomy. Foster their responsibility as self-directed learners. Foster collaborative learning. Encourage students to work together, but also create experiences that give them opportunities to solve problems and discuss one anothers ideas. Allow your students to challenge themselves and their understanding of different concepts. Whenever possible, have your students tackle complex problems independently and in small groups. Scaffold your lessons through good modeling activities, guiding them to be independent as learners. You want to help students master content while also maximizing their potential, both in the classroom and life. Guide them, support them, and teach to them to think. The results will amaze you. Transformational Teaching: Theoretical Underpinnings, Basic Principles, and Core Methods by George M. Slavich and Philip G. Zimbardo, Educational Psychology Review, December 2012

Learn How To Use Those Pesky English Articles In 10 Minutes

Learn How To Use Those Pesky English Articles In 10 Minutes In todays class, we are going to look at something that a lot of students forget about when learning English. They are those pesky little words that go before nouns, a part of grammar called  articles.First, lets look at the articles a and an. These articles are known as  indefinite articles, which means that they are  non-specific, and we use them when you are talking about something in general. A and an are always used before singular, countable nouns. Use a before nouns that begin with a consonant or a consonant sound, and an before nouns that begin with a vowel or a vowel sound.Examples:He is a teacher.  teacher  is a singular, countable noun that begins with a consonant. Use a.He is an actor.  actor  is a singular, countable noun that begins with a vowel. Use an.He has a euro. euro  begins with a vowel, but it has a consonant sound (ow-er). Use a.I have an hour for my lunch break. hour  begins with a consonant, but it has a vowel sound (ow-ur). Use an.Can you think of any oth er sentences that use a or an? Wed love to hear from you, so please write your ideas in the comment section below.Now that you have mastered the use of a and an, lets move onto the last article in todays post, the. With a and an, we are talking about something that is new, unknown or introduced to the reader/listener for the first time. When we use the, we are talking about something that has already been introduced to the reader/listener, also known as a definite article. Look at the sentences below to help you:I have a dog. The dog is black.There is a book in my bag. The book is very heavy.That was easy right!? Sometimes articles  can be a little more difficult, especially when a  clause or phrase in the sentence tells the reader/listener which person or thing we are talking about.Example: Can you give me the pen on the bed.This may seems incorrect, as the pen hasnt been introduced yet, however the phrase  on the bed  tells the listener/reader exactly which pen we are talking abou t. That means that the listener/reader knows the specific (definite article) we are talking about, so we use  the.We hope you enjoyed todays blog post. If you think you are now fluent in the use of articles in English, go ahead and try this challenging quiz. As always, leave any comments you have in the section below and sign up here today for a trial class with LOI English.