Teaching must employ not only the mind of the student but the heart as well. A good teacher needs to engage a student's emotions to his/her study. This way, whatever the students learned will be committed not only in mind but more importantly in his/her behavior and actions.
Enthusiasm for learning, thirst for knowledge and curiosity are just but a few of the desirable traits that enable the students to learn and absorb classroom instruction quickly. A good teacher knows that once she/he is able to touch the student's heart and fire enthusiasm within him/her, teaching becomes easier and quicker.
Personal Responsibility
Encouraging personal responsibility is an important part of learning. The teacher must encourage participation of the student. Students feel committed to an endeavor that they participate in. Participation is, itself, a conscious decision each student makes. Teachers can invite participation of students by : sharing common interests of the group, knowing the goals that could be attained in the future, finding what's idea in the present and asking for commitment from each student (Drummond, 2002).
Personal Beliefs & Moral Standpoints
Personal beliefs and moral standpoints refer to the opinions of a person based on experiences in life. A great deal of learning revolves around changing or acquiring opinions or beliefs. It is the teacher's job to guide the student's to right thinking and doing.
In Heider's theory, when beliefs are in conflict, there is stress and a pressure to change views or beliefs. The two basic factors contributing to balance are sentiment and unity qualities of beliefs. Balance occurs when the sentiment or unity between beliefs is equally positive and negative, imbalance when there is dissimilarity.
Another theory about belief is the one developed by Abelson where it maintains that people will work to maintain consistency among beliefs and make changes when this doesn't happen. For instance, if a student wants to earn good grades and is confronted with the reality that those who study often gets good grades then the student will either accept this idea and adjust accordingly or change his views on studying or good grades.
Change in beliefs often leads to change in attitudes. There are factors that affect the differences in opinion. By influencing these factors, one can ultimately change a student's attitude.
