Miss Bloom & Mr. Johnson: Comparing Teaching Methods - Essay Sample

Introduction

Both miss Blooms and Mr. Johnson have interesting methodologies of presenting their contents. Their approaches have some pros and cons. For instance, Miss Bloom's method of teaching alphabets using phonics seems exciting, and this can make students enjoy the learning process and consequently recall what they learn. Phonic instructions help students recognize and pronounce words correctly. The relationship between letters and the sounds they make is so crucial to the beginners. Miss Bloom's approach to using phonics not only helps students know the sounds, but they also get to remember the letters. Students get to know the meaning of each letter conveys. Using phonics also improves the confidence of beginner students; students use it as a tool to break difficult words.

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Miss Bloom's approach might have some challenges, including; it cannot apply for non- phonetic words because not all English words can be read phonetically. For instance, using the phonetic approach, the term 'said' can be read as 'sayed' which is wrong. Students get forced to cram some words that do not fall in the category, and it is inconvenient to their part. Comprehension of the words also becomes a great problem; students may read letters in a word but fail to draw some meaning.

Mr. Johnston's approach of introducing letters spontaneously and allowing students to come up with similar words is convenient because a student will come with a wide variety of terms. Students can be able to recall because they take part in the whole reading process. However, beginning with words relate to each other does not contribute positively to the understanding and development of the students. Students will say the words for the sake.

What Can Each Teacher Do to Improve His or Her Instructions?

To improve on her instruction Miss Blooms should focus on making her students understand what she is teaching rather than just mere pronunciation. Learning is not all about pronunciation students should be able to derive some meaning from what they learn. Random questions can help miss Blooms to understand the impacts she is creating. Mr. Johnston should focus on making students concentrate on making more meaningful short sentences rather than just raising words. If the two teaches focus more on students getting messages from their words, it can be better.

How Can Each Teacher Attend to Students With Special Needs?

Students with special needs require special handling to carry them along in the process of learning. For miss Blooms, I think she should focus more on understanding the strengths of such children so that she can help them in the learning process. Mr. Johnson should focus on building the confidence of special needs students and improve their participation in the pronunciation process. The teachers should encourage special needs students so as they can feel free to study with others.

What Instructional Strategies Can Be Used to Improve Student's Phonic Skills?

To improve on phonic skills, teachers may opt to use several strategies. They include; matching sound with their respective pictures. Pictures can help students learn. For instance, a student may be unable to spell the one dog, but when he or she sees one, she can recall. Singing along can help students remember some words. Singing, clapping, and chants seem interesting to students; hence they would not forget what they learn. Teachers should allow students to practice phonic with their friends where they can be independent to learn from their mistakes.

Case Study Activity About Assessment

What Would Your Advice Be to Mr. Manson, And Why?

Mr. Manson is over concentrating on the standard test, forgetting to teach his students the class course work. He wants to make himself a good name by passing in the standard tests. The students are just concerned about the test; they pay less attention to other classwork. In my opinion, Mr. Manson is losing track. I would advise him to try to strike a balance between the classwork and the standard test. To ensure that students cover what they are supposed to and prepare for the test at well. I feel that Mr. Manson is misguided because the standard test is supposed to measure students' understanding of course work and not how best they can pass on a standard test.

What Would Your Advice Be to Mrs. Kimmel, and Why?

Mrs. Kimmel pays less attention to the standardized tests. She feels that they are less important to her students. I would advise her to reconsider her position because the tests equally help students to gauge what they have learned. The tests help students to compete with others and understand their capability. It is good that she is concentrating on the classwork, but she should also prepare the students well for the assessment. I believe she can be able to balance the two; she should not concentrate on one and forget on another. If Mrs. Kimmel prepares well, she can be able to know the capability of her students and understand how to help them improve.

If You Were A Teacher in This School District, What Would Be Your Plan for The Assessment?

If I were a teacher in the district, I would give both the standardized test and the class course work equal attention. The standardized test would be a way of gauging my students' capability. I would take them through the classwork early in advance to make sure that they are familiar with everything. I am confident that the large percentage of the test covers what gets done in class. I would ensure that my students study early in advance and do their revisions thoroughly so that I can help them with the areas they do not understand. I would also encourage my students to use their strengths so that they can perform better. I would guide my students and help them to understand test formats. I would subject them to sample tests to prepare. Generally, I would give my students the confidence they require so that they can pass the tests.