Do you "walk the talk"?

p.67. “…students often say that such teachers ‘walk the talk’.” (Brookfield, 2006)

Objective:

            In the fourth chapter of his book The Skillful Teacher, Brookfield explores a wide range of characteristics of what students value in teachers. A teacher is perceived as being effective when he/she combines credibility and authenticity in teaching. Credible teachers have something important that students can learn from. Authenticity is defined as the perception that the teacher stays open and honest in his/her attempts to help students to learn. Students view authenticity as more than just being helpful. It is also seen as being trustworthy. “Students say that such teachers ‘walk the talk’, and ‘practice what they preach’”. Four specific indicators of authenticity are mentioned (Brookfield, 2006): (1) congruence between words and actions (2) full disclosure of criteria, expectation agenda and assumptions that guide teacher’s practice (3) responsiveness of student learning (4) personhood that teachers are seen as real people moved by enthusiasm or dislikes. Brookfield emphasizes that this kind of autobiographical disclosure can be done for the cause of supporting student learning.

Reflective:

            When discussing student evaluation with colleagues, I have often heard our students comment on things such as “he/she is very kind and approachable”, “he/she responds to emails quickly”, and “the standards are high but transparent and achievable”. It appears that students do not only perceive teachers in terms of how well-structured our class is, how thoughtful the lesson plan is, or even not much of how knowledgeable we are. To some extent they would rather evaluate teachers as a person, and how capable and willing we are to help them learn. Teaching is not a popularity competition but skillful teachers understand the value of positive relationships with students. Personal authenticity helps minimize disruptive classroom behaviors, improve student engagement, increase student motivation and create a positive learning environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinions. The quote reminds me of my own experience as a student. I often put more effort into a course taught by a teacher that I respected as an honest and trustworthy person. To build on the authenticity as perceived by students the first thing we need to assure is to always keep our words and do what we ask our students to do.

Interpretive:

            Walk the talk literally means to put your words into actual actions. It is a rather simple but effective student engagement strategy. If a clinical lab instructor doesn’t obey safety rules herself, how could she expect her students to follow safety instructions in their practice? It applies to what we promise in changes in curriculum and classroom activities. When we inform students certain changes will be made according to their suggestions, students expect to see actual influence (Keys, 2006). Whether or not a teacher “walks the talk” affects the levels of openness and trust between the teacher and students. Learners reported that they usually experience more affective learning and motivation with a highly immediate and responsible teacher. (Pogue & Ahyun, 2006)

Decisional:

            The most effective approach that has improved my teaching skills is to become a learner myself. Taking PID program allows me to re-evaluate my learning and teaching decisions from a learner’s perspective. I came to understand the struggle to find innovative ideas, the hard work that I have to put in to complete an assignments and the joy of finally achieving the goals. I shared my learning experience with my students – how I overcome all the barriers in learning, how I deal with my own resistance of changes and how I keep myself motivated. Coming from a nonnative background, I will have to make additional effort to improve authenticity and credibility. In my future teaching practice, I will continue to build on authenticity and credibility. When I ask for professionally formatted report with minimum grammar and spelling errors, I should make sure I also follow the standard in course materials and written grading feedback. While setting high academic standards and expectations upon my students, I should regulate my actions to meet these standards at the same time. Actions always speak louder than words. While the ongoing professional development has extended my knowledge and skills in teaching, now I need to make sure I get to implement these positive changes into my actual teaching practice. Journal entries have helped me decide what can be done in the future. If walking the talk means to act the talk, I will first consciously consider what I can do, in what sequence gradually, and when I can possibly get it done then inform students a realistic decision.

Bibliography

Brookfield, S. (2006). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Brown, B. (2015). Teaching style vs learning style, myth and realities. Retrieved from http://www.cete.org/acve

Corno, L. (2008). On teaching adaptively. Educational Psychologist, 43(3).

Fisher, D. F. (2008). Content-Area Conversations: Chapter 1. Why Talk Is Important in Classrooms. Retrieved from ASCD: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108035/chapters/Why-Talk-Is-Important-in-Classrooms.aspx

Fisher, D., Rothenberg, C., & Frey, N. (2008). Content-are Conversations: How to Plan Discussion-based lessons for Diverse Language Learners. ASCD.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligence: the theory in practice. Basic Books.

Keys, P. (2006). Are teachers walking the walk or just talking the talk in science education? Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 11(5).

Oblinger, D. (2005). Educating the net generation. Retrieved from Educause: http://www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen

Pogue, L., & Ahyun, K. (2006). The Effect of Teacher Nonverbal Immediacy and Credibility on Student Motivation and Affective Learning. Communication Education, 55(3).

Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital: the rise of the net generation. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Week, E. (2013, Janurary). Student Engagement Drops by Grade. Retrieved from Gallup Poll Report: http://www.gallup.com/