During the early days of his teaching career, the author of the article took a lot of time to prepare for his classes. He then taught with the conviction that he was making a difference in the understanding of the students, but they were often left confused. The principal commented that he was a good teacher although the students were capable of doing better than they did, so he decided to change his teaching strategies. This essay analyzes the article; never say anything a child can say.
In this article, the author is compelled by the low performance of the students to find out what is wrong with his teaching methods. After doing intensive research, he discovers that there is a fundamental flaw in his teaching methods and embarks on a journey to change them. He makes a list of strategies that work and ones that he revisits regularly.
He says that it is important to create a plan, share with students the reasons behind asking questions, be non-judgmental about responses or comments by students and avoid repeating the answers of students .
The author takes a strong position that, participation is not optional in the class room. Based on the long-term experience in teaching he has, participation is one of the strategies through which students can perform well. This is an expectation that he reminds the students every time for them to know that they are expected to contribute. It is a valid and useful position since through participation, he is able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the students. Consequently, the best ways of assisting them can be devised.
In my opinion, it is important for teachers to ensure that they do not teach for the sake of teaching. A teacher should be in a position to determine whether the students understand or not. The strategies of teaching well outlined by the author are very important and practical. I would therefore advise other teachers to follow them in order to ensure that students understand all the content taught.
Reference
Reinhart, S. (2000). Never Say Anything A Kid Can Say. Web.