Pedagogy is the art and/or science of being a teacher. It refers to the strategies of instruction – strategy being more important than instruction. This is because the end (learning, which teaching seeks to achieve) only becomes a reality when the means (methodology, which involves the totality of work that goes into ensuring that reality) is properly administered. But when that strategy has been adjusted for the end user of the knowledge and skill we provide, then real learning takes place. Well, there is another ‘but’.
Yes, a teacher wants to teach. It’s okay to drive into this noble profession with passion that fuels the effort to help a group of young people through their journey in search for knowledge and skill. But what worries policy makers, school business owners, and job interview panel members are those questions that are often not articulated before an applicant walks through the door.
What worries anyone who has been teaching for a while is not usually communicated in environments in which teaching is not considered a profession that needs a refresher.
- How well does a teacher know what makes her content so crucial to the learner’s life – realization?
- What needs exist in her learners – requirements?
- What does one need to possess and provide to meet those needs –resources?
- How does one communicate a message so strange or so confusing to a generation so young and so restless – rapport?
- What knowledge is most important for them to remember after the lesson or even apply to life – relevance?
- When is it absolutely critical to turn the content over and inside out –review?
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