Application of Theories in the Challenges Teachers Encounter
Application of Theories in the Challenges Teachers Encounter
Over a long period of time, the teaching profession has been found to be the one of the most challenging careers. More so, the challenges have been much eminent in maintaining a professional relationship in class. This paper seeks to provide an insight about the challenges teachers face and the professional approach they apply to counter the hindrances. To be precise, the paper concentrates its exertions on the three main obstacles being motivation, reinforcement, and learner diversity in relation to culture. Moreover, the paper will relate each challenge to an applicable theory, suggestion, possible approaches to overcome the challenge, and give an overall conclusion at the end of the essay.
In this perspective, the chief obstacle being unmotivated student has varied detrimental effects to an individual student and the entire class. For instant, the teacher might be frustrated, and in the process, the student may notice how he or she reacts and sooner or later embrace the same attitude which eventually creates an unsuitable learning environment. The teacher ought to consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory to understand the student willingness to learn as demonstrated by Eggen and Kauchak. This theory seeks to distinguish whether the student’s needs such as survival, safety, belonging, and self-esteem have been sustained and the application of the humanist theory of motivation to understand student’s behaviours, thoughts and feelings. The attribution theory, mentioned by Marsh, can also be applied in the challenge of lack of motivation. Factors such as past experience of success or failure in tasks, student’s level of performance compared to that of his or her peers, and the level of assistance the student previously received can be applied to the behaviourist theory of motivation. In these situations, the teacher must generate an effective way to reward or praise the student’s achievements and encourage them to persistently achieve.
Accordingly, once the teacher has effectively outlined factors affecting the student, he or she can now decide the specific theory to apply. There are two types of motivation intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation is where student learn with an intention to understand what is being taught, whereas extrinsic motivation is where students learn just enough information to meet the minimum requirements. To enhance intrinsic motivation, teachers must provide students with challenges or mastery goals to encourage students to gain interest, curiosity, and creative skills. Moreover, teachers must provide students with autonomy and self-regulation methods. Mastery goals should be achievable, specific, and challenging so as to promote an overall student development in learning.
Thus, students can still be motivated by scaffolding method. Assistance can be provided within the proximal development to student who has a weakness in a specific area meaning that the assistance should equate to student understanding and knowledge. Scaffolding student’s needs to be communicated is a temporary fixture held until the students assume their full responsibility of learning. This eventually will enhance self-efficiency, and more so, it can be linked to the intellectual and sociocultural theories related to motivation in that it establishes the importance for challenges and feedback.
In this perspective, the subsequent challenge is the effect of poor test result on students. Poor results have been found to discourage student eventually drive them to lose confidence, gain unnecessary anxiety, and mostly they end up not completing tasks. Such feelings makes student to develop negative attitude and behaviour on certain subjects. Reinforcement serves to motivate by encouraging development of positive behaviour and increased learning by providing stimulus for the students. Positive behaviour, reinforcement or actions are rewarded to with an intention to enhance recurrence of the same behaviour. In addition, Marsh noted two types of reinforcements, primary and secondary reinforcements, which relates to the basic psychological fulfillment and secondary reinforcement which concern itself with manners or gestures used by the person issuing gifts. Mostly, teachers issue presents, this can be linked to Pavlov’s theory of classical conditions where student get to learn emotional rejoinders through the process of association.
As stated earlier, students who develop anxiety due to poor results ultimately become weary or resentful about tests which will eventually lead to negative effects on their future life in school. Therefore, it is extremely important that teachers generate a warm and safe learning environment to enhance confidence in student and still enable students enjoy their stay in school. Skinner illustrated that behaviours are highly influenced by consequences rather than stimuli commonly referred to as operant conditioning. Therefore, the students will be motivated by teacher’s praises. This too can be allied to shaping and reinforcement schedules where reinforcement is applied continuously at the beginning and as time goes by, the student develops and then reinforcement is applied when the teacher thinks it’s necessary. However, reinforcement must be administered correctly since inadequate reinforcement may lead to loss of interest in students which eventually leads deteriorated learning. Moreover, it is important to note that excess reinforcement can lose its effectiveness, a progression known as satiation.
The third challenge encountered by teachers is addressing a large assembly of native students who are not actively partaking classroom activities. Unfortunately, institutionalized racism still exist, therefore native students are stereotyped on the basis of theirs culture which in many cases pull back their performance, deteriorate their social skills, and make them portray inappropriate behaviour. This impact negatively to their classroom work since the other student has misconceptions of indigenous people and their attitudes may be reinforced by the behaviour of the uncooperative students. Therefore, teachers must know the background and the cultural differences of the student so as to promote respect to their needs and beliefs. However, the process is challenging since it require the teacher to be personally involved in the student development. This is highlighted by Marsh when he talks about equity in the classroom where education provision should be fair to everyone despite their background.
Moreover, with association to Piaget’s theory, Eggen and Kauchek outlines that a teacher should stress on the importance of education and the benefit of good performance. Social interaction should be the key to promote respect and acceptance which will eventually create a positive environment for learning. Class room rules and code of conduct should be the root for promoting respect and acceptance which eliminate misconceptions and negativity. Therefore, the teacher should establish the best strategies to work with native students. One effective strategy is the introduction of group study. These groups promote mixed abilities which can be integrated to provide to achieve a common goal. This method of teaching is well addressed by Vygotsky’s theory which outlines that group learning promotes social skills, increased self-esteem, and reasoning skills. Aboriginal students can be viewed as student at risk; therefore, teachers must enhance resilience by motivating students through provision of interactive events and generally showing commitment, care, and positive attitudes to native students and their learning. This, in turn, will increase the native student’s chances of success. Motivational variables of a native students and his or her achievement motivational checklist would help teachers in selecting their teaching strategies. The teacher should set achievable tasks, encourage student to set their own goals, choose activities that will increase their self-esteem, and reduce competitiveness. Both Eggen and Kauchek and Groundwater suggest motivating students to identify their personal learning styles to enable teachers to identify their needs and adopt appropriate teaching strategies directed towards what motivates the student to learn.
Finally, the three challenges deliberated at in this essay appear to be interlinked. Although numerous theories can be applied in these three challenges, motivation is the main theory that can apply to all strategies. With the adequate amount of feedback and a positive and safe learning environment at school, students who are eager to learn are anticipated to take control the responsibility of their learning. The teacher’s professionalism, effectiveness, commitment, and resilience are fundamental in approaching any obstacle they encounter. At last, the teachers will achieve a long positive learning journey not only to themselves but also to all students.
References
Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. P. (2010). Educational Psychology (8 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson College Division.
Whitton, D., Sinclair, C., Barker, K., Nanlohy, P., & Nosworthy, M. (2010). Learning for Teaching. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Fetherston, T. (2007). Becoming an Effective Teacher. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Cornu, R. L. (2007). Teaching challenges and dilemmas. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Marsh, C. J. (2010). Becoming a Teacher (5 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education.
