The teacher, his methods and techniques, and the learning process

Abstract

Hardware, in the form of computers, television, tape recorders, and slide and movie projectors, has made innovative approaches to learning possible. Much soul searching about the role of the teacher has accompanied the development of these new methods and techniques. The teacher is not only a facilitator of the learning process, but a motivator and a witness to the values in life which he considers important. Course evaluations by students over a 4-year period suggest that innovations which facilitate learning are received enthusiastically, but student critiques, in general, reflect teacher-student interactions, teacher attitudes, and teacher inputs more than they reflect methods and techniques of learning. A multiple approach to learning and teacher involvement in an introductory soil science course is discussed. The significance of the student-teacher relationship and instructional objectives are emphasized.