In order to teach our students it is necessary for us to be effective teachers ourselves.
What are the qualities of an effective teacher?
"To love one's children is to be in complete communication with them: it is to see that they have the right kind of education that will help them to be sensitive, intelligent and integrated” (Krishnamurti, 2001)
I plan to address the qualities of an effective teacher on the basis of my experience and knowledge from my teaching experience from the last five years in India.I have had all kinds of students Difficult as well as adorable and you use the strtegy Different stokes for different folks. I believe effective teachers are the teachers who not only help the students learn but who also learn along with the students. Every teacher according to me possesses different qualities along with the appropriate qualifications to teach. The different techniques and strategies that one uses in class to get optimum student participation makes one what I feel an effective teacher.
As a student in high school I always wanted my teachers to be able to communicate both content matter as well as instructions clearly with us students , explain difficult concepts well, be approachable, knowledgeable, willing to listen, help prepare us for exams, help problem-solve, always be there for us when needed and take into account our student point of view. In this assessment I will focus on a few aspects like competence and creativity, respect for learner, pride in profession, the willingness to go the extra mile, skill in motivation, flexibility and most of all the willingness to take risks as well as make mistakes.
Much of the recent research on teacher effectiveness focuses on relating teacher behaviors to student achievement (Strong,2002). But this scenario is fast changing. Parents want their children to not only develop intellectually but to have an all round development and education wherein the child is encouraged to learn and think. Teaching ranks in the top quartile on complexity for all occupations. The complexity of teaching derives from its decision-making nature (Rowan,1994). Effective teachers have an extensive range of teaching strategies which they are able to employ according to the context and abilities of their class.
According to me on the basis of my 4 week practical experience at the Armadale Senior High School I believe an effective teacher is one who:
• Makes student learning the primary focus of attention
• Transforms knowledge into effective student understanding
• Has a positive regard for all students, and maintains respect for them whatever their exhibited strengths and weaknesses be.
• Establishes high, challengeable but not unreachable standards along with immense support.
• Values active over passive learning, and works to enhance
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students' own motivation and capacity to learn.
• Attends to student "feedback" in organizing, presenting, and structuring material, without compromising high standards and goals. Has an effective classroom management strategy.
• Models the kinds of understanding and wisdom that students should seek to develop.
• Creates a serious and thoughtful learning environment, while using light touches and humor to create a sense of community. Provides constructive criticism when required.
• Continues to learn from students and to grow in understanding of course content; uses previous experience to continually freshen perspectives. Holds him/her accountable to high standards of performance; seeks continual improvement in present and future performance (Ornstein, 1995).
The Teacher as a Person: This category includes qualities as caring, fairness and respect, interaction with students, enthusiasm, motivation, dedication to teaching, and reflective practice.
• Caring: Effective teachers care about their students genuinely and they care in such a manner that the students are also aware of it. The teachers through their patience, trust and caring attributes bring out the best in their students’ performance. A caring teacher always encourages and constantly motivates the students to perform to their maximum level.
• Listening: Effective teachers practice focused and sympathetic listening to show students they care about them. The teacher empathizes with the student providing a positive morale whenever possible. The teacher is genuine about her feelings and words making the student felt loved, needed and cherished.
• Knowing Students: Effective teachers know their students well both formally and informally sharing a two way communication system with the students. They are aware of the fact that the students come from different cultural as well as socio economic backgrounds.
• Role of Fairness and Respect: An effective teacher establishes rapport with the students by practicing fairness and respect. Teaching is all about giving respect. Students always want their teachers to treat them equally. An effective teacher is always fair and consistent. I feel students prefer when teachers treat them as people, teachers who do not use sarcastic comments and ridicule, teachers who offer students equal opportunities to participate.
• Social Interactions with Students: A teacher’s ability to relate to students and to make positive, caring connections with them plays a significant role in cultivation a positive learning environment and promoting student achievement. Teachers who attend sports, dramas etc in which their students participate build a stronger relationship with the students. An effective teacher understands the needs of all the students displaying cultural sensitivities when required.
• Promotion of Enthusiasm and Motivation for Learning: The teacher must always be enthusiastic and passionate about the subject. This then transmits to the students who in return get interested. The teacher in most of the cases is like a role model to the students. An effective, enthusiastic teacher through right motivational skills can bring out the best attributes in a student.
• Role of Reflective Practice: An important quality of an effective teacher is that of reflective practice. This skill focuses on the teacher‘s ability to assess and analyze their own practice, as well as the ability to assess students’ thinking and understanding (Stronge, 2002)
The Teacher as Classroom Manager and Organizer. Included in this category are organization, disciplining students, and classroom management. Effective teachers are able to set normality for the behavior of children and themselves in the teaching environment. They foster an environment based on interest, cooperation, independence and responsibility in order to maintain behavioral standards. Students need to know their responsibilities and behaviors when in a class to develop an orderly learning environment. The classroom rules of an effective teacher are consistent with the school policies, reasonable, understandable, and manageable and most of all consistent with the philosophy of practice what you preach to facilitate a positive learning environment (Moore, 2001)
Organizing for Instruction and Implementing Instruction. The importance of instruction, time allocation, teacher’s expectations, and instructional planning are included in this category. As a part of this category, instructional strategies, content and expectations, complexity, questioning, and student engagement are all included as important qualities. It is very important for the teachers to be very specific with their explanatory skills and instruction. Clarity of speech and audibility are very important. The instructions should be kept simple and easy for all students to understand and implement. (Snowman, 2003).
The Teacher Teaching: Monitoring Student Progress and Potential. This category focuses on the students - homework, monitoring student progress, and responding to student needs and abilities are discussed. One way is that of parent teacher meetings. The teacher gives constant feedback to both the students and the parents. This feedback is in the form of formal/informal notes, class observations, constructively motivating both the students and the parent’s to excel (Snowman, 2003).
Attitude towards the Teaching Profession: An important aspect of professionalism and of effectiveness in the classroom is a teacher’s dedication to students and to the job of teaching. An effective teacher believes all her students can learn and uses different strategies to understand as well as help the students. An effective teacher always stays abreast of the latest technological updates of their subject and content matter, rise to make class more lively and real, encourages student participations and is ever ready to go the extra mile when required. In times of mistakes an effective teacher doesn’t mind taking on the responsibility along with the students. (Stronge, 2002)
Conclusion: According to my idea an effective teaching is on who is well planned, has foresight to sense problems and cease them in the initial stage, right management skills , right communication skills but most important of all common sense. An effective teacher acts as a mediator-facilitator sharing knowledge and the information they know.
References:
Krishnamurti, J. (2001). Alternative Education in India .Education and the
significance of Life. Available online on
www.alternativeeducationindia.net
Moore, K .D. (2001). Classroom Teaching Skills. 5th Edition. New York, NY:
McGraw Hill.
Ornstein, A.C. (1995). Strategies for Effective Teaching. 2nd Edition. Dubuque, IA:
Wm.C.Brown Communications, Inc.
Rowan, B. (1994).Comparing teachers work with work in other occupations: Notes
on the professional status of teaching. Educational Researcher, 23(6), 4-17
Snowman, J., & Biehler, R. (2003). Psychology Applied to Teaching. 10th
Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Stronge, J.H. (2002).Qualities of Effective Teachers. AASD, Vo.USA