Haley Hemric April 9th, 2013 English 1102 Carrie Sippy Academic Conversation: Draft #1 TV Talk Show - Final

Characters: Host: Lively woman, host of the show Good Morning America. Paul: Former teacher and author of a book relating to teaching techniques; open minded on different ideas within the classroom. Rich: Author of a book relating to different types of teachers; opinionated in the fact that he believes one way about teaching. Barnett: Author who is for the advancement of students in the future; very sarcastic and enjoys making smart comments to others. Derek: Preformed a personal research project on teaching methods effects on students; sensitive man in that he tries to directly relate to the students in all ways possible. Clute: Collector of numerous journals written by teachers about teaching methods; believes in different methods for different subjects and doesnt mind voicing his opinion on that. (Scene begins on the set of a talk show host getting ready to go on the air for its daily show. The host is having last minute touches done by the hair and make up team as the 5 guests are sitting behind the scenes waiting to be called on to the stage. The producer now notifies that the show will be going on the air in 5 4 3 2 1 Showtime!) Host: Good morning America! We have a very special show in store for all of you today, especially those students and teachers out there. We have 5 special guests here today to discuss with us their views on the topic of teaching methods and how one style over another could impact the students learning ability. Now, if we could give a warm welcome to all of our guests! (Audience applauses) (Guests enter stage from the right and sit down in the chairs provided for them) Host: Welcome to you all. From left to right, this is Paul, Barnett, Rich, Clute, and Derek. (Audience applauses) Host: I am just going to go ahead and get started with this. It seems as if you would think that most people would see teaching as a one way street type of thing, which not much room for variation, especially depending on the subject being taught. Paul, how would you say that you feel about this statement?

Paul: As you know, I am the author of the book Methods for Effective Teaching which solely in the title would tell you that I would have to be opposed to your statement. Within my book, I provide all of my personal beliefs on my subject, and that is that there are so many different methods and ways teachers can go about providing the information necessary, never just one. Rich: I couldnt agree more with you Paul. You see, in todays time I feel as if there are two different types of teachers in the world, red light teachers, and green light teachers. I see the red light teachers as the ones who only believe in standing in the front of the room and talking the entire time, never engaging themselves with the students, or even allowing them to expand their minds on the topics being taught about. Barnett (sarcastically): In all honesty, I think you both are taking the wrong impression of what we are really here to talk about. I believe that at this point in time, teachers need to be worried about preparing these students for the future no matter what method it may take to do so. They need to be worried about the fact that once these students are finished with college, they need to know how to be able to carry themselves and their self-efficiency all on their own. I do not think that it really matters as to whether the teacher is standing up in front of the room the entire class period or walking around talking to the students, letting them engage themselves with one another. Derek: I can relate more to Barnett in your thoughts on this topic, even though I do not fully agree. I preformed my own personal research about this in Hong Kong, China, and came up with some pretty interesting results. I found that the teachers methods of teaching and ways of engaging with her students DOES directly impact them in the future when they no longer attend school and have to be engaged with students every day of their lives. This topic can be stretched so far and in so many directions, but the main direction that I can see it going is not only will teachers affect the students in their classrooms at this moment in time, but also how they will carry their self into the future. Barnett: I can see where you are coming from, and the fact that you have done first hand research on this would more than likely make people turn their heads towards your way of thinking, but I still believe that it really does not matter how the teacher uses or doesnt use different methods of giving information to their students. In the end it falls back on them as to whether they retained what they needed to or not. Host: Okayyyyy. It seems as if that topic is getting pretty heated there. What are you guys opinions on the different subjects that are taught in school, and whether or not different subjects should be taught differently than others?

Clute: I have also been able to preform my own form of research on this particular topic. I have collected a vast number of journals from different teachers that are all in different areas of studies at a local university. Within all of these journals, it is really distinctive that every subject does indeed require the teacher to act in many different ways, and interact with her students in different ways as well. Some subjects are more of a hands on type of thing where the teacher constantly has to show the students how to do different things, which would require more teacher/student interaction. There are other subjects though that is solely just the students ability to learn the material provided for their major and never really have to interact with their teachers. Rich (In a funny manner): I couldnt agree with you.. Less! I think that it is definitely the responsibility of the teacher to figure out ways to engage herself with her students, so they can not only bond but so there is also room for questions to be asked and for the students to feel comfortable enough to come to him/her for any question or opinion that they might want to share. Paul: Once again, we are both seeing eye-to-eye on this subject. Seeing that I was a teacher myself and that is who my book is mostly relating to, I can understand where some might think that there are just some subjects that absolutely cannot be anything more than a lecture hall, but that isnt the case at all. There are so many ways a teacher can find to be able to have her students expand their minds and try out different ways of learning to figure out which one seems to work the best. I do not think that any student would like to just go and sit in a classroom every class period and do nothing but hear the teacher talk. Students have voices, opinions, and questions too! They need to be heard because they are our future. Clute: You have some great points Paul, and seeing that you were once a teacher that should make you be able to think outside of your own personal opinion into those of others and consider their thoughts as well. I just do not see how a nursing major, who would need a teachers hands-on instruction through the majority of classes, and a history major, which is mostly memorizing facts and dates, could not be taught in different ways, or even the same ways at all. Rich: That should make you see that there is always room to make exceptions and for teachers to make their classes fun and engaging, because for those factual based majors, like history, you want to always keep the students attention and not make the feel as if there is only one way to see certain situations and things that have happened in our past. You want to find activities that make them feel comfortable in the class and make them actually enjoy the class so that they are able to voice their opinions on anything that they feel needed to. Derek: I think that we all need to learn to see things as not just what is happening right now with the students, but also how they will act in the future. If the teachers arent allowing them interaction and engagement in the classrooms today, how

are they suppose to be able to voice what they think comfortably once they get out in the real world? Most people really have a hard time seeing how much teachers really do impact students lives for the past, present, and future. Host: Well, that was certainly an interesting talk that we were all able to have! I would like to personally thank you all for coming on the show today and being able to help us all really think about this topic, especially us parents who have students in school. It really does make you wonder what is the best option for your child not only for right now while they are in the schooling process, but for them whenever they are not and finally get out into the real world. That is all for today, and we for everyone to tune in tomorrow morning for another interesting show! Thank you all, have a great day! (The audience begins to stand and applause) (All gusts stand on stage to shake hands and hug the host goodbye and continue to walk off of stage) (Host remains standing on stage as the lights dim and the cameras go off)

Haley Hemric April 9th, 2013 English 1102 Carrie Sippy Academic Conversation: Draft #2 Academic Essay - Final When you think of a teaching method or a teaching style, what is the first thing that might pop into your mind; Group activities? Long lectures? These are just a few of the things that most people consider being a teaching style, and most are either one sided with a style that is very interactive with the classroom all together, or a style that isnt very interactive. Yes, there is always the opportunity for someone to be stuck in the middle between the two, yet one way or the other is the most reasonable in this situation. Everyone has his or her own opinions and views on this topic, and that is what I will be discussing throughout this essay.

After doing some research of my own, I have configured several pieces of work that directly relate to this topic. Authors Paul Burden and Rich Allen for example are strong believers in the fact that there are numerous ways for a teacher to become involved with their classroom, and make the class more engaged in their learning process all together. Rich Allen really focuses in on the teacher being involved with the class and having communication as a vital role in their every day teaching. He has even came up with his own classification of teachers, red light teachers or green light teachers, based off of their interaction and communication skills within the classroom and the students. Paul goes more into detail with stating that there is never just one way for a teacher to get her point across to their students, and in fact, the more interaction that the teacher has with the students, the more they will grasp onto the concept and the longer attention span they will have for the teacher and the topics that they are discussing. Looking at the opposing side, I was also able to read into a book written by an author by the name of Barnett Berry. Berry is more of a believer that teachers need to be more concerned on preparing the students that they have now for the future outside of the classroom when school is no more. He also mentions within his text that it shouldnt matter the teachers teaching styles or methods within the classroom, lecturing or classroom discussions, as long as they are helping the students build their self-efficiency within themselves to be successful once they are officially out of school all together. An author by the name of Derek had written an article that had somewhat relation to the book that

was written by Berry. In Dereks article, he had actually done a personal study of his own in Hong Kong, China, and had found that the way teachers go about teaching their classrooms and whether or not they choose to interact with their students or not does directly impact the students once they step foot into the real world. The students who were exposed to a teaching with communication between the class as a whole and who introduced different activities to the students to enhance their learning were prone to be more social and successful in being open to expressing their opinions to others; compared to those students who were in a classroom that the teacher stood in the front of the room and lectured the entire class period, these students were more apt to be timid and not as willing to voice their opinion or be open to new ideas in the future. The last author that I was able to read about as part of my research went by the name of Clute. He had composed a huge database with numerous journal articles compiled from numerous teachers at a university who all taught different majors. Within these journals, teachers explained their methods of teaching what worked and didnt work for their particular major. Clute goes on to say that he is a believer that each major/subject can require different types of teaching styles that would be the most beneficial. He explains that some subjects simply require more hands on and interaction between the students and teachers than others do, while some require more lecture and the student just simple retaining and memorizing information. I will also be conducting some primary research myself in relation to this topic. I plan to interview two teachers, which I have had at the university already

and ask for them to explain why they choose the teaching methods that they do, and why that they might think this is the most beneficial way to teacher their particular classes.