Effective Teaching vs. Effective Learning
In order for one to learn anything, regardless of the subject matter, he or she must first have an interest in the material. It dosn't have to be much, but having a little just proves that there can in fact be more in the future.
It is not very easy to effectively teach someone something who didn't really have a desire to learn the material to begin with. I feel that this is not entirely at the teacher's fault. Too many times teachers and mentors are blamed for a student's lack of education. Yes, in a public or private grade school it certainly is up to the teacher to spark some interest in their students. Just barely enough however, to produce a "passing grade" on paper. Sadly, this is often called "education". This may also be due to the young age of students in grade school. Then again there are vast amounts of people over the age of 18 who just aren't capable of rational thought or even a hint of critical thinking. So we cannot begin to sleep well at night while just blaming it on age. Here lies a problem. Do you continue to attempt to teach?
If you answered yes, you are probably a very patient and nice person. If you answered no you may want to read a different essay. The answer is not yes or no. The answer is in fact another question. Does this individual have the ability and the capacity or even the interest to really understand what I want to share with them? You decide and continue from there.
So on with the material ensuring to be as informative as possible while maintaining subject integrity. Ask questions often throughout your presentation regarding the material. This keeps students involved and makes it seem like more of a discussion rather than a period of instruction. Now the time comes for testing or, in a non formal setting, practical application. Is this the end all figure of effective teaching? Absolutly not. An effective teacher will teach a student certain material and then will teach their...