Page 35 - 2016基督教教育‧國際研討會

1-5 Learning Strategies in the English Classroom

Ms. Ramona White
Through its overarching purpose in establishment, the strong school usually has already
determined its mission statement. It knows why it exists. It has articulated its vision statement.
It knows where it is going. Last, it has hired personnel who teach with confidence and
competence any student entering its classrooms.

Perhaps one needs to question the previous statement: Do all schools have a panel of
teachers who are each genuinely confident and competent in his or her teaching? Do
impressive mission statements guarantee strong faculty members who are acquainted with
best teaching practices? Do well-articulated vision statements ensure faculty members who
know how to facilitate teaching strategies that will fulfill all the promises of academic success
made about students’ education in marketing methods used to attract students?

Unfortunately, the answer is probably a strong “ No.” Good teaching happens when teachers
know the nature of their students. Good teaching happens when teachers know the nature of
learning. Good teaching happens when teachers know how to assess the needs of their
students, how to identify the strategies that will best meet those needs, and how to facilitate
the engagement of students in those strategies which best meet their needs and close the gap
in their learning. Realistically, most schools, indeed, most faculties recognize the need for
continual improvement in teaching methods and successful strategies in the classroom,

Consider this: learning is active and learning is dynamic, (Chamot and O’Malley, 1994). But
how do these descriptions of learning translate into goals for teaching? Marzno and Pickering
(2011) tout student engagement in their book The Highly Engaged Classroom. But must one
not then ask, engaged how? In what? And who is engaged? When objectives are written, how
does the teacher express the verb which best describes the method. And how are goals and
objectives related in the engaged classroom? Finally, how does the Christian teacher best
facilitate his or her growth in the classroom? Perhaps a closer look at the perfect teacher,
along with His strategies are in order.

Jesus, considered the “good teacher” by the rich young ruler and many others in his day,
has been known through centuries following, not only as Saviour, but also as Master Teacher.
He knew his students better than any other teacher has, he knew their needs, their culture,
their learning styles. And he knew what strategies for teaching best fit every student. By
examining Jesus’ model, studying the effectiveness of one’s own teaching strategies, and
being willing to learn and to filter new strategies through principles of education taught by the
One who knew the student best, the teacher can move toward effecting positive change in
the Christian school and revived inspiration in the Christian teacher.

References
Chamot, A.U. &O’Malley, J.M. (1994). The CALLA handbook: Implementing the cognitive
academic learning approach. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesle Pub.
Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D. & Heflebower, T. (2011). The highly engaged classroom.
Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.

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