The ultimate goal of teachers is for students to learn the information taught. Behavioral methods that reinforce the material are certainly important and still have a place in today's educational system. The Drill Method, for example, is certainly important in subjects such as Math. Here, students practice problems using the same method over and over until the master the material.
I personally am not a fan of tutorial programs or anything that replaces the actual classroom teacher. However, I do feel that they have a place in schools. These programs, though, should only be as an assistance to teaching the material. I am not a believer in using these programs in place of the teacher. Unfortunately though, with the state of the economy, this is the direction that I see some schools going.
In my PE classes, I use the Drill Method quite a bit. We are constantly either outside or in the gym, and we only take tests at the end of the semester. But, I teach them fitness concepts and I try to reinforce throughout the semester.
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Phillip,
ReplyDeleteI can see the pros and cons of tutorial programs but I do agree with you that they should not replace the actual classroom teacher. My wife works in a school that does just that and although she is the teacher, the students all work online on a tutorial program and my wife makes sure that they are progressing in the program. She does not like it but it is the only place that offered a job right out of college. I remember my high school PE teacher and he was a Korean War Marine and to say that we ran drills in class is an understatement. I will always remember the proper method in executing a bunt in baseball because of the drills he ran. I like that you are a PE teacher and I think it is an important thing for our country to have, like you said due to the economy a lot of schools are cutting out specials like PE. Keep up the good work.
PE class like my computer keyboarding class is a different animal than regular academic classes. We are trying to teach our students a skill. Drill and practice helps our students understand and improve as the year goes on. I like that you add the fitness concepts also. When I was in "gym" years ago, we did exercises without knowing why or what good they did for us. If the teacher had told us that the exercise was for building leg muscles or helping the heart get stronger, I would have probably put more effort into it.
ReplyDeleteI like the PE drill. Sometimes, students grasp concept better in the areas that they enjoy doing best.
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