The Qualities of a Good Teacher
The word 'good' can have quite a few interpretations. For the purpose of this blog post, it is assumed that "good" here means "Effective", that is, a teacher can impart his knowledge and whatever other values it is his responsibility to spread to his charges. It is also assumed that the teacher under discussion is one who teaches secondary school and/or junior college.
First of all, a teacher must know his profession thoroughly. He must know his subject for beyond the point he intends to teach. The teacher needs to translate those abstract concepts and turn them into interesting things that the students can relate in their everyday life. It is only in this way, he can then make cross references and answer all the questions that arise in the minds of his students.
Knowing his subject is of no use if he does not know how, or does not bother to, teach it most effectively to his students. Many times, we have seen scholars-turned-teacher that fumble big time when they started their teaching careers. Though it is true that in a secondary school and/or college, students should take responsibility for their own learning, it would be dull and boring to learn from a teacher who does not present his subject in an interesting manner.
It is the teachers' duty to promote love of his subject among his students. An ineffective teacher usually by his lack of enthusiasm and interest, will cause his subject to be hated by the students. It for such reasons that a teacher should adopt good teaching methods instead of resorting to easier methods like just reading out of a textbook, or even worst - students have "Peers Teaching - students teach students!", Online Teaching, "Read That Chapter On Your Own".Every teacher must be genuinely interested in his job.
Over and above teaching his subject, a teacher has the responsibility to develop the characters if the students in his life. Quite often, a teacher is a student role model. All of us go through school, hero worship at least one teacher whom we would like to emulate. A teacher should always be aware of his responsibility. Since the birth of civilisations, teachers have been the pillars of society. Staying in the background, at least for most of the time, they have been indirectly responsible for the advancement of the race. Often, it is their lot to go unnoticed. But time and again, all great men and woman have been unsparing in their praise of teachers. This is by far their greatest responsibility. Teachers are the ones who guarantee that our tomorrows will be as good as, if not better than, our today. By shaping characters and instilling knowledge, they ensure that the world continues to be.
See also:
* Good Teaching
* Really Good Teacher
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Really Good Teacher
Are You a Really Good Teacher
There is a common belief among people not involved in public and private education that a teacher's main function is to teach reading, writing, maths and sciences, both hard and social. While the academic knowledge is certainly important, there is another crucial aspect of teaching in the classroom that takes precedence: Nurturing hope and confidence in students.
In his theory of personality, Erikson suggests that the first stage of infancy creates hope which in turn is developed through trust in the person taking care of us. Such hope however may be shattered during the initial school years if the teacher doesn't create a learning experience based on the positive. I still vividly remember my third year teacher, an unmarried woman, who apparently had decided that all men were evil and who took every opportunity to ridicule the male students in her class. The experience destroyed what little faith I had in my own abilities - I was 9 years old after all - and it took me several years with caring teachers to recover.
With hope comes confidence in oneself, for a child cannot develop self-esteem if the environment is bereft of hope; hope is a fertile soil that requires constant care in order to grow other positive emotions. The famed psychologist emphasizes the role of the teacher in making certain that his/her students don't develop a sense of inferiority; this makes elementary (grammar) school the most important stage in education. Again, hope, self-confidence and competence go hand in hand in creating a high degree of self-esteem without arrogance or sense of superiority.
If we are able to create and maintain such a stable ego in our elementary students, their subsequent experience in middle - and high school will almost certainly be positive. Unfortunately, as a high school teacher myself, I see too many cases of teens who have lost hope and confidence in their own abilities. We can, of course, still guide our teens toward social success through adequate counseling, but sometimes high school teachers don't have the time and/or training to detect such needs and offer their help.
We should, as a society, provide schools with sufficient resources to assist students in need of personal attention. The family itself must participate in order to help the parents give the psychological care that children need.
See also:
* Good Teaching
There is a common belief among people not involved in public and private education that a teacher's main function is to teach reading, writing, maths and sciences, both hard and social. While the academic knowledge is certainly important, there is another crucial aspect of teaching in the classroom that takes precedence: Nurturing hope and confidence in students.
In his theory of personality, Erikson suggests that the first stage of infancy creates hope which in turn is developed through trust in the person taking care of us. Such hope however may be shattered during the initial school years if the teacher doesn't create a learning experience based on the positive. I still vividly remember my third year teacher, an unmarried woman, who apparently had decided that all men were evil and who took every opportunity to ridicule the male students in her class. The experience destroyed what little faith I had in my own abilities - I was 9 years old after all - and it took me several years with caring teachers to recover.
With hope comes confidence in oneself, for a child cannot develop self-esteem if the environment is bereft of hope; hope is a fertile soil that requires constant care in order to grow other positive emotions. The famed psychologist emphasizes the role of the teacher in making certain that his/her students don't develop a sense of inferiority; this makes elementary (grammar) school the most important stage in education. Again, hope, self-confidence and competence go hand in hand in creating a high degree of self-esteem without arrogance or sense of superiority.
If we are able to create and maintain such a stable ego in our elementary students, their subsequent experience in middle - and high school will almost certainly be positive. Unfortunately, as a high school teacher myself, I see too many cases of teens who have lost hope and confidence in their own abilities. We can, of course, still guide our teens toward social success through adequate counseling, but sometimes high school teachers don't have the time and/or training to detect such needs and offer their help.
We should, as a society, provide schools with sufficient resources to assist students in need of personal attention. The family itself must participate in order to help the parents give the psychological care that children need.
See also:
* Good Teaching
Good Teaching
Good Teaching
A foremost characteristic of good teaching is expert knowledge of the subject matter, and of teaching methodologies (Woolfolk, 2004). Expert knowledge can be derived by being a good college student making preparations to teach, and through dedication to acquiring the necessary subject matter knowledge to be on the cutting edge of ones selected field. I personally have seldom ever experienced good teaching by someone with weak knowledge of subject matter information. However, expert teachers with little expert knowledge in subject matter may exude expert teaching through acquired skills and expertise in other areas such as, knowledge of general teaching strategies, proper use of curriculum material, knowledge of characteristics and cultural background of their students, the most appropriate settings in which students best learn, and overall knowledge of the general goals of education (Woolfolk, 2004, p. 6). This process, of course usually takes time and experience.
An example of characteristics mentioned above is supported by a position statement of the International Reading Association in which they argue, "Every child deserves excellent reading teachers because teachers make a difference in children's reading achievement and motivation to read," (International Reading Association, 2000, p. 235).
According to the International Reading Association, excellent reading teachers share several critical qualities of knowledge and practice:
1. They understand reading and writing development and believe all children can learn to read and write.
2. They continually assess children's individual progress and relate reading instruction to children's previous experiences.
3. They know a variety of ways to teach reading, when to use each method, and how to combine the methods into an effective instructional program.
4. They offer a variety of materials and texts for children to read.
5. They use flexible grouping strategies to tailor instruction to individual students.
6. They are good reading "coaches" (2000, p.235)
Gore's work (as cited in Montgomery & Thomas, 1998. p. 372) suggests that the ideas of reflective teaching methodology in teacher preparation go back to Dewey (1904, 1933). What does reflection yield in providing teachers the proper feedback by which they may become better teachers? `What do teachers do that helps? What do teachers do that hurts? What advice do you have for teachers?
Speaking more on the topic of a sense of humor, I can easily recall an outstanding science teacher who I had in high school. One hundred sixty-one students participated, and the results showed significant differences between the two groups in favor of the group learning with humor. The students (all females) were divided randomly into two groups. Humor was used in one, and the same teacher taught the second group without using humor. Indications support my experiences in school, i.e., humor in the classroom enhances not only interest in the subject matter, but better performance by students.
The above-mentioned characteristics of good teaching reflect the feedback from students, results from scientific studies, and reflection by teachers. One more source of input on what constitutes good teaching is derived from those who hire teachers, namely the school administrators. What qualities do school administrators seek in prospective teachers? In a 1998 study (Kesten, Lang, Ralph, and Smith (1998) conducted with Canadian school administrators, the school district hiring preferences in a Western Canadian province were depicted.
These Canadian school administrators ranked the following attributes of good teaching as prerequisites for hiring:
1. Establishing positive classroom climate
2. Building/maintaining rapport with students
3. Classroom management/discipline
4. Personal qualities (e.g., creativity)
5. Using communication/interpersonal skills
6. Planning/preparing for instruction
7. Maintaining rapport with parents/community
8. Using instructional methods/strategies
9. Building/maintaining rapport with staff
10. Using instructional skills (e.g., explaining)
11. Knowledge of subject matter
12. Using evaluation/assessment procedures
13. Extracurricular work
14. Professional development
15. Knowledge of core curriculum
16. Record keeping/reporting
17. Multi-/cross-cultural sensitivity
18. Using computers/e-mail (Kesten, Lang, Ralph, and Smith (1998, p. 47)
A foremost characteristic of good teaching is expert knowledge of the subject matter, and of teaching methodologies (Woolfolk, 2004). Expert knowledge can be derived by being a good college student making preparations to teach, and through dedication to acquiring the necessary subject matter knowledge to be on the cutting edge of ones selected field. I personally have seldom ever experienced good teaching by someone with weak knowledge of subject matter information. However, expert teachers with little expert knowledge in subject matter may exude expert teaching through acquired skills and expertise in other areas such as, knowledge of general teaching strategies, proper use of curriculum material, knowledge of characteristics and cultural background of their students, the most appropriate settings in which students best learn, and overall knowledge of the general goals of education (Woolfolk, 2004, p. 6). This process, of course usually takes time and experience.
An example of characteristics mentioned above is supported by a position statement of the International Reading Association in which they argue, "Every child deserves excellent reading teachers because teachers make a difference in children's reading achievement and motivation to read," (International Reading Association, 2000, p. 235).
According to the International Reading Association, excellent reading teachers share several critical qualities of knowledge and practice:
1. They understand reading and writing development and believe all children can learn to read and write.
2. They continually assess children's individual progress and relate reading instruction to children's previous experiences.
3. They know a variety of ways to teach reading, when to use each method, and how to combine the methods into an effective instructional program.
4. They offer a variety of materials and texts for children to read.
5. They use flexible grouping strategies to tailor instruction to individual students.
6. They are good reading "coaches" (2000, p.235)
Gore's work (as cited in Montgomery & Thomas, 1998. p. 372) suggests that the ideas of reflective teaching methodology in teacher preparation go back to Dewey (1904, 1933). What does reflection yield in providing teachers the proper feedback by which they may become better teachers? `What do teachers do that helps? What do teachers do that hurts? What advice do you have for teachers?
Speaking more on the topic of a sense of humor, I can easily recall an outstanding science teacher who I had in high school. One hundred sixty-one students participated, and the results showed significant differences between the two groups in favor of the group learning with humor. The students (all females) were divided randomly into two groups. Humor was used in one, and the same teacher taught the second group without using humor. Indications support my experiences in school, i.e., humor in the classroom enhances not only interest in the subject matter, but better performance by students.
The above-mentioned characteristics of good teaching reflect the feedback from students, results from scientific studies, and reflection by teachers. One more source of input on what constitutes good teaching is derived from those who hire teachers, namely the school administrators. What qualities do school administrators seek in prospective teachers? In a 1998 study (Kesten, Lang, Ralph, and Smith (1998) conducted with Canadian school administrators, the school district hiring preferences in a Western Canadian province were depicted.
These Canadian school administrators ranked the following attributes of good teaching as prerequisites for hiring:
1. Establishing positive classroom climate
2. Building/maintaining rapport with students
3. Classroom management/discipline
4. Personal qualities (e.g., creativity)
5. Using communication/interpersonal skills
6. Planning/preparing for instruction
7. Maintaining rapport with parents/community
8. Using instructional methods/strategies
9. Building/maintaining rapport with staff
10. Using instructional skills (e.g., explaining)
11. Knowledge of subject matter
12. Using evaluation/assessment procedures
13. Extracurricular work
14. Professional development
15. Knowledge of core curriculum
16. Record keeping/reporting
17. Multi-/cross-cultural sensitivity
18. Using computers/e-mail (Kesten, Lang, Ralph, and Smith (1998, p. 47)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
