Case: The Expert Teacher Case Introduction/Commentary
Expert teachers are valuable resources for preservice teachers. They serve as guides for helping us learn about our role as teachers. The depth of knowledge and experience that they possess extend all others and they teach us to realize the importance of our training. The following case describes an expert teacher who has made a strong impression on the preservice teacher with whom she is working.
Case from Preservice Teacher
The observation that I am going to share with you is actually a combination observation and interview. I have had the privilege of observing in Mrs. Bucher's room for the last several weeks. Mrs. Bucher is a seventh grade art teacher at Highland Middle School. Mrs. Bucher has taught at Highland Middle School for 25 years. She is close to retirement age, but she says it will be years yet before she retires. The reason I want to tell you about Mrs. Bucher is because I think she is a good example of an expert teacher.
Last week, I watched Mrs. Bucher teach a lesson on painting with watercolors. She began the lesson with a brief history lesson that included a video and some examples of watercolor paintings from the past. I thought the students would be bored listening to the history information. I was wrong. Mrs. Bucher asked the students questions throughout her mini lecture. She specifically asked how the students felt about the watercolors - how the pictures made them feel. All of the students and I mean all of them paid attention through the entire lecture and all but a few participated in some way.
After the lecture, Mrs. Bucher asked the students to paint an object using watercolors. Most of the students were excited about this opportunity. However, there was one student who did not seem at all interested in the project. Mrs. Bucher let the student sit for a brief moment. Then she went over to him and quietly asked him what was wrong. The student told Mrs. Bucher that he was no good at painting and had no idea what to paint. Mrs. Bucher told the student that rather than paint some sort of object he could make abstract figures and experiment with colors. She told him that she knew he was capable of making something beautiful and challenged him to try. The student slowly started painting. Within minutes he had come up with an elaborate painting that he was very proud of. I could tell Mrs. Bucher was proud too.
After the lesson was finished, I asked Mrs. Bucher how she had become such a good teacher. She said it took a lot of time and a lot of effort. I told her that I was becoming bored with my education courses because they were so theory based. She said that she did the same thing and that only after she was in the field teaching a couple of years did she realize how important that information was for educators. She said that even today she spends at least part of her summer either taking a course or reading teaching journals that she did not have the chance to read during the school year. She said her one piece of advice is to get as many different hands on experiences as you can while you are taking classes because it helps to make the information you learn more meaningful.
Case Questions
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How would you define an expert teacher? Does Mrs. Bucher fit your definition of an expert teacher? Why or why not?
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Do you think Mrs. Bucher handled this student's apprehension about the painting exercise appropriately? Should the student have been allowed to paint something different than the rest of the class?
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How would you respond to Mrs. Bucher if she told you that field experiences and other hands on opportunities would help the class information seem more meaningful?
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How do you intend to prepare yourself for teaching? How do you intend to maintain your knowledge of the field after you leave your college or university?
