Richard D. Solomon's Blog on Mentoring Jewish Students and Teachers

Our hope is that this blog will become a forum in which people can exchange ideas on how to recruit, develop and retain exceptional Jewish educators through mentoring and e-mentoring students, teaching candidates, and teachers in our day and supplemental schools. The present focus of this blog is to empower Jewish teachers, administrators, teacher trainers, consultants, and staff developers to integrate web technology (i.e. web tools and apps) into their teaching and teacher training.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What are the Major Differences Between the Teacher-Directed and Student-Engaged Models of Teaching?

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. Accordingly, our mentees should know some of the major differences between student-engaged and teacher-directed models of teaching.

Some Major Differences Between the Student-Engaged and

the Teacher-Directed Models of Teaching

Student-Engaged Models of Teaching	Teacher-Directed Models of Teaching
Teacher structures many opportunities for students to talk.	Teacher does most of the talking.
Teacher invites students to help create meaningful classroom rules.	Teacher promulgates the classroom rules.
Students create knowledge.	Teacher transmits knowledge.
Students construct knowledge.	Students receive knowledge.
Teacher respects the prior knowledge of students, and views students as theory builders.	Teacher views students as empty vessels having little relevant prior knowledge.
Teacher taps into the multiple intelligences of students.	Teacher primarily uses visual and auditory means to deliver instruction.
There are many teachers, and learners in the room.	There is one teacher in the room, and many learners.
Teacher and students pose questions to the entire learning community.	Teacher poses the questions.
Teacher uses traditional, and non-traditional, or alternative assessment instruments.	Teacher primarily uses traditional assessment instruments.
Teacher gives students raw data, primary sources, and manipulatives to generate the major concepts in the curriculum.	Teacher tells the major concepts in the curriculum.
Teacher allows student responses to drive the lesson.	Teacher's lesson plan drives what is taught each day.
Teacher provides students with many opportunities to interact with one another, and move around the classroom.	Teacher believes students must be still in order to learn.