My Opinion on a Teaching Scenario

The scenario is a teacher, Ms. Grant, turns down her student’s request for instruction on taking notes. Ms. Grant told her student that she can’t teach that because this is science class. My reaction to Ms. Grant’s reply was anger. A teacher’s job is to give their students all of the tools needed to complete an assignment. This student was asking for instructions and denied. How can this teacher expect her students to complete a task without the knowledge needed to perform all of the steps. I understand that note-taking is taught in reading class, but if Ms. Grant is expects the students to learn her lessons, she needs to give them at least an overview of note-taking so they can succeed.

           

If my student asked me “how to take notes,” I would give a brief explanation of proper note-taking, and then get back to the lesson. In my opinion, when a student asks how to do something, it is the teacher’s job to educate the student. I would not be able to turn my back on a student in need just because the question is not part of my subject. The question was not off base and pertained to the assignment. I would feel obligated to educate my student.

I feel it is important to explain the basics of note-taking. If students do not know how to take notes properly, then they will be ill equipped to complete the assignment. When students ask questions, they are looking for instruction, which is what a teacher is supposed to provide. Teachers need to give their students every tool they will need if they want the children to learn.

I realize teachers are on a tight schedule, and adding something that is not in their curriculum can make it difficult to complete everything. However, it is better to take a few moments to help the students learn to take notes on lessons than it is to repeat the information over and over again because the students don’t remember. Teaching the students the basics will help them do better in class and on tests. That is the goal of a tea