Compare_and_Contrast_the_Differences_Between_an_Experienced_and_Inexperienced_Teacher

Experience is the key in comparing and contrasting the differences between an experience and inexperience teacher. I myself am new at teaching and from observing an experience teacher recently, have so much yet to learn to become more confident and bring the best out of my learners, to manage a classroom more effectively. Being new to teaching I am keen to learn and adapt, learn from the mistakes I will make, and ensure my new chosen career is a successful one, something maybe a more experience teacher is less willing to do, as their career is established and sees no need to change what has worked. Definition of experience is “knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone”. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse -[ Date Accessed - 01/12/10] Experienced teachers have a wealth of knowledge not only in their subject area, but also in making mistakes, learning from these and becoming a more confident teacher. To be able to differential with all learners within their class, more prepared for every eventuality and capable to adapt to different situation whenever they arise. “Experienced teachers don’t deal with problems, they prevent them occurring” [Petty, 2009:104]. More knowledgeable teachers have lesson plans that are tried and tested and include all eventualities. “Experienced teachers' plans reflected a concern about contingencies that might arise during instruction, whereas inexperienced teachers' plans did not” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1925043 [accessed 1/12/10] Definition of inexperience is “lack of experience or of the knowledge and understanding derived from experience”. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse -[ Date Accessed - 01/12/10] Inexperienced teachers have a good subject specialism, this is generally fresh from their training, however not much practical experience in the classroom and dealing with difficult situations. “For many newly qualified teachers, while pupils provide the ultimate reward in teaching, their poor behavior was often the cause of the major low points”. http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/behaviour-for-learning-supporting-new-teachers-2661 [accessed 1/12/10]. New teachers with little experience are however keen to learn and adapt “Being new to teacher training, I am a great observer of other teachers – always looking for good tips, professional ways of cutting corners and adopting good time-management strategies” http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/PDF/SfLIP_Newsletter_edition8_6&7.pdf [accessed 01/12/10, Author Sally Enzer] In some aspects there is very little difference in experienced or new teachers in relation to their knowledge in their subject, both should know their subject well and keep their knowledge updated on a regular basis. Also both want to make a difference to their students’ life, to teach them to the best of their capability. However there are differences in how they teach their subject, how they come across to their students and how they manage their classrooms. More experienced teachers will be more confident in their approach, more prepared to deal with a variety of learning needs, have made mistakes in the past and learned from these to better prepare themselves for the future. Generally new teachers lack the confidence to teach which can only be gained through experience, they need to learn what works and what does not, reflect on this and incorporate this into their next lesson. New teachers do however have a willingness to learn, to adapt, and to mould themselves into a confident and knowledge teacher. In conclusion my insight into the differences and similarities of both the experienced and inexperienced teachers are that experience is the key, and with more experience comes more knowledge and development for the teacher, student and classroom as a whole. Although the ultimate aim of any teacher, be it someone who is new to the job, or been teaching for years, is to make a difference to their student. References Petty,G (2009) Teaching Today: Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Ltd http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1925043 - [Date Accessed 01/12/10] http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/behaviour-for-learning-supporting-new-teachers-2661 - [Date Accessed 01/12/10] http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/PDF/SfLIP_Newsletter_edition8_6&7.pdf- [Date Accessed 01/12/10, Author Sally Enzer] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse -[ Date Accessed - 01/12/10]