What is Teaching?
Most schools have been closed for 4 days now in Chicago. There is uncertainty if they will be closed for just 2 weeks or longer. As many educators, therapists, parents, and instructors of all kinds are being forced to adapt to this new landscape, I found myself reading about what it means to be a teacher.
I’d like to quote a few sections of Julie S. Vargas’ book “Behavior Analysis for Effective Teaching”. The very first paragraph of the book is titled “The Key Role of Teachers”. Here are a few sections:
“If you were asked, ‘What is the most important resource of a country?’ what would you answer? It’s not uranium or oil, It’s not water or timber. It’s not diamonds, or coal, or natural gas. The most critical resource of a country is its people, particularly its youth. The way the next generation behaves will determine a country’s future more than any other resource within its borders. In the United States, the responsibility for producing the academic and social skills of the next generation of workers and leaders rests on its educational system” (p. 3)
Vargas speaks about the impact educators have on children’s ability to master academics, social skills, and handle conflict regardless of what language they speak, what disabilities they have, what trauma they have faced, if they come to school hungry or sleep-deprived.
The second section of the book is titled “What Teaching Is and Is Not”. Vargas defines teaching as an effect on a student’s behavior. She says,
“Otherwise, all any of us would need in order to teach would-be expertise in a subject matter. But knowing your subject is only a small part of teaching…. If one’s person’s actions affect what another person does or can do, teaching has occurred. You can define teaching as designing circumstances that change the way other individuals feel and behave” (p. 5)
So as we head into these next few weeks, as you are developing E-Learning, Home Resources, or as a parent, in charge of monitoring your child’s learning, just remember the science of learning and behavior can be applied to any setting! Even though we may not be in an actual classroom, we can still use motivation, positive reinforcement, and make changes as we monitor our students’ learning!
Written By: Rebecca Pikula M.Ed., BCBA
Reference:
Vargas, J., 2013. Behavior Analysis For Effective Teaching. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, pp.3-5.