The Executive Approach to Teaching

     As a student, I have had many teachers that have used the executive approach to teaching. It has been very beneficial to me as I am one that likes structure and organization. I have a hard time trying to achieve that type of structure in my own life however! I call it the joy of having teenagers! Anyway, on to what I was originally discussing about the executive approach to teaching. I had many teachers that could walk that fine line of being a great executive but also hinging on the boarder of facilitator. I feel that it is necessary to have high structure and teacher directed learning, but it is also necessary to have time for the students to direct the learning or education becomes mundane and boring. I see the executive approach every day at school. One classroom is very structured. It is necessary for the young age of the children but there is no room for flexibility. It is structured for each minute of the day and is followed almost to the point of frustration. I have been in a classroom where you can see the dazed looks of the children but the teacher just keeps going "because it is in the lesson plans so it is going to be taught today!"  The executive approach covers classroom management where it is necessary to cover the curriculum in a way that promotes successful learning. It means that a teacher must know the students and their level of readiness to learn. It means organizing material to engage them in learning that is productive.
     I have been in classrooms that are directed with more of  a facilitator approach and to me it is to disorganized. The students seemed unsure of what they were to be doing most of the time. It seemed to be a free period for many to catch up on other classes. That is why I feel it is necessary to have an executive approach to my classroom. It needs to be organized and structured in a way that the students know what is expected of them throughout the day. They know what will be taught that day and what is expected of them to learn from it. There also needs to be a little bit of facilitator included so that the children do not become bored with school. There should be some fun and opportunities for the students to learn about subjects they are interested in. There are benefits to classrooms using the facilitator approach. One is that the students gain better comprehension of the material and if it has not been gained, the teacher can go back and reteach until there is comprehension. The teacher is able to give quick corrective feedback, reinforcement of subject material,  and reteach anything not understood.
    As the classroom size keeps increasing, the teacher needs to have more structure in how it is organized and material taught for comprehension.

Facilitator Teaching Approach

     I have been studying the different approaches to teaching lately  and wanted to  reflect on what I feel a facilitator teaching approach is. A facilitator is one who helps the students own the learning process by becoming a learner as well. The teacher as a facilitator will need to develop a rapport with the student and how better to do that than become a student of learning as well. As a positive role model for the students in the classroom, the teacher will need to model what learning is all about. I feel that often it is necessary for the teacher to learn right along with the students. We cannot always know everything but as a facilitator it is important to have as extensive knowledge as possible. We must be constantly learning new things to keep up with our students.  We can give the students more empowerment  as we direct them in exploring more about the subjects at hand.
     A facilitator teacher must be able to  ask questions and focus on the philosophy that true learning can only take place when the student is able to discover the answers for himself. If the teacher can ask open-ended questions in such a way as to guide students to think more creatively and critically to find the answers for themselves, then that is a successful teaching approach. One must seek and involve the students opinions as this will also open the door for more brainstorming and in-depth discussions. The student's life experiences should always be taken into account and a great facilitator will realize that life experience's value to the student. A facilitator is warm, compassionate, intelligent, skilled in interpersonal communication, and treats everyone with respect while demanding it in return.
     A classroom using the facilitator approach would be one in where everyone's opinion was valued and listened to with respect. Learning would be directed more by the students and what they wanted to know more about. However, the teacher would still have ultimate say in what is directly studied. The teacher would provide the materials necessary for learning as well as imputing a reflection on his/her own principles on the class. The classroom might be more free flowing than that of an executive approach, but it can also include some of both approaches to benefit the learning of the students. It is often necessary to have some structure and rules in order to promote the creative life experiences that can be the drive behind the facilitator approach.
     This approach can be easy to implement into a classroom when students are working on group projects involving learning new material such as careers and development. They can use their life experiences to help other students with their project development. For example, one student might share knowledge of working in a nursing home with another student looking at becoming a nurse. Then that student can expand on that knowledge with extended research. This is not something that teacher would have known anything about without researching also. Some drawbacks to the facilitator approach is that it needs to be more free-flowing than a normal structured routine of an executive approach. It is more student directed so it will often be more unorganized, messy, and loud.
     Overall, the facilitator approach seems to be one that would easily fit into a classroom level of middle school or high school age students. It would be harder to implement into a kindergarten classroom where more organization and structure is needed to keep so many little children on task and receiving appropriate learning instruction time.

The three approaches to teaching.

     What are the three approaches to teaching and which one would I use? When asked this question, I was not sure. In exploring each approach, I learned more about each approach. The executive approach is more of an authoritarian style of teaching. The teacher believes that it is necessary to have a firm control over the class. There are expectations and rules that must be adhered to at all times for the classroom to run smoothly. There is a seating chart and desks are in a uniform row or block that cannot be changed. Students are expected to remain in their seats at all times and absolutely no talking unless called upon by the teacher. There is little or no praise given to the students and discipline is strict.
     The next approach is the Facilitator Approach where the students are valued as a person more than someone to be controlled. It is most often used by a teacher that is more of an authoritative teacher. This teacher likes control and organization but also incourages independence in the students. The teacher is willing to explain the rules and why they are necessary. The students are encouraged to give verbal opinions and discussions and it is okay to interupt the teacher to ask relevant questions. Most authoritative teachers are warm and nurturing but will give out discipline in a firm manner. The student is often guided by the teacher through a project but not lead. The students are free to make choices and decisions regarding the material that they want to learn. The student is important to the teacher and is encouraged, praised, and treated with respect.
     The last approach is the Liberationist Approach, It allows the students to make their own choices on what they want to learn. If a child wants to learn how to build a computer instead of learning history, then it is acceptable for that student to research and carry out the project. It is believed that this will allow the students to think, imagine, investigate and create on their own. The teacher is there more for providing encouragement, to listen, to suggest, and to give support to the student.
     I feel that it is necessary to blend the three approaches to have a successful classroom. There needs to be structure, independence, caring , and creativity to have a solid bases for learning in today's world. I plan to have more of a blend between executive and facilitator as this will work best with younger children. I will try to apply the liberationist approach to some of my class studies as even young children need to be taught to make decisions for themselves and be able to do so in a manner that will promote success.

My season of change and lessons learned!

     I am often asked why would I want to go into teaching with all the changes going on and with the pay so low right now. I struggle to know how to answer that question as I am often asking myself the same thing. The last two years have been one change after another. I have often sat back and wondered if I have yet learned all that I needed to know so that this journey may end. The answer is a big NO! I started out over twenty years ago as an Agriculture Education major but did not finish due to marriage and children. I often thought of going back to finish but had one excuse after another. Now all these years later, circumstances have made it necessary to go back to school to get some sort of education so that I may provide for my children and myself. I had  done some substituted in all grade levels and have worked full time in elementary education for the past 10 years where I  made the discovery that I had no desire to teach middle or high school students. However, I did discover that I loved working with the younger ages, especially Kindergarten age. I also discovered that I enjoyed working with the students with learning difficulties as well as having a daughter with some mild disabilities and having had to be her advocate over the years. I was not sure that I wanted to teach though. I had heard to  many teachers talk about all the changes coming and how horrible the pay was so I kept trying to think of what else I could go back to school for. My heart keeps bringing me back to teaching elementary children even when my mind is telling me to run the other way. I love working with the little ones and seeing their beautiful smiles each day. I love being an example to them and knowing that they have at least one person that cares about them in their life. Many children do not have that. I want them to know that they have a safe place to come to each day. That I will listen, comfort, love, guide, and teach them. I want to be that advocate for them when they are struggling to learn and need someone to notice that they need an extra boost in a direction that can help them learn. I can't save the world or change all the mess in it, but I can try to make a difference in one child's life and help him or her believe that he /she is a wonderful, capable, beautiful person too.
     So, this is the reason I have decided to become an elementary education teacher with an emphasis in special education. Along this path of discovery and change, I have learned to grow and expand myself. I have learned that I can go without sleep for days, my children will survive if not fed big home-cooked meals each night, and my brain will not explode due to stress and overload! Somehow I survive each semester and take one more giant step toward that day when my season of teaching will finally be in front of me. I can't wait to see how I learn and grow from that experience!