25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Introduction
Reflective scenarios of students’ worst experiences with a teacher and
teachers’ worst treatment of students, when used as a teaching strategy, can
be effective in a variety of educational contexts. They may be particularly
useful in professional development seminars, staff development workshops,
and education courses. In professional development seminars, they provide
real-life examples of undesirable teaching techniques, strategies, and their
effects. Working through the scenarios informs students of the psychological
minefields present in the intangible environment of the classroom. The solutions
and recommendations literally provide them with a map to help them
successfully navigate the academic terrain. A sample staff development
workshop would involve discussion, interpretation, expanding and building
on scenarios, an exchange of personal experiences, and using these scenarios
as an intervention or a preventive measure. A sampling of courses that could
effectively incorporate reflective scenarios are: Educational Psychology,
Classroom Organization and Management, Curriculum and Instruction,
Academic Behavior Management, Instructional Strategies, Learning Theory
and Classroom Practices, Social Foundations of Education, Sociology of
Education, and Teaching Labs. In my Educational Psychology classes, students
used the reflective scenarios and the accompanying analyses to identify
good behaviors and strategies to use in the classroom, and behaviors and
techniques that they should avoid.
The book is intended for practicing teachers, preservice teachers, professors
of education, resource teachers, educational administrators, school psychologists,
and counselors. I think it would be of interest to practicing
teachers to make them cognizant of their overt and covert negative teaching
comments and actions that could possibly have a negative impact on their
students. Administrators and other teacher evaluators could benefit from
this book because it would help them to recognize dysfunctional teaching
practices or the potential for them, and help them give teachers some feedback
in this area. The book provides an essential tool for inservice or staff
development training. It would also be useful as a prevention strategy.
My wish is that readers will view this book in the same positive spirit that
it was written. My desire is that, in using this book, readers will learn from
the mistakes of others and acquire some positive strategies and approaches.
My hope is that this book will help more teachers become better teachers and
subsequently will help more students become better adjusted, successful
learners. My aspiration is to enlighten teachers who feel the urge to mistreat
a student, with knowledge of more acceptable, positive alternatives. If I can
spare one child the hurt, pain, and scars that can last a lifetime, then writing
this book was not in vain.
5