To be successful, students need effective teachers—teachers who know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how to do it well. Our virtues, experience, and prior knowledge inform our perceptions, analyses, and judgments, BUT teachers must have the intellectual, social, and teaching skill to be able to act. Teaching is, after all, a performance art. So let’s begin with bad teachers and teaching…. Show
What is Ineffective Teaching?Quick! Think to yourself (no names, please!): Who was the worst teacher you had during your 12-plus years of experience as a student? Chances are, a name or a classroom experience popped into your head fairly quickly. We all have some awful experiences locked in our brains:
OK, so we know what bad teaching can look like from our own classroom experiences. Some of us even entered the teaching field because of those poor experiences—to provide a better learning experience than we’ve had along the way. But, how do we avoid creating our own bad memories for our future students? How do we become those “other” teachers—the ones you remember who led a lively, engaging, and effective learning environment in his or her classroom? In this section on Effective Teaching, we’ll discuss some of those “things” that make successful teachers so good…and so memorable, in a positive way. What is Effective Teaching?Effective teachers motivate and maximize learning but precisely how they do that is difficult to precisely describe. There is no magic formula or list that will magically transform anyone into an effective teacher. To illustrate, watch below an example of one teacher’s interpretation of a student/situation, analysis, action, and ultimate impact. What Does it take to Become an Effective Teacher?Before we dig into specific elements of effective teaching, we recognize that hovering above any of the specific elements we can identify and describe, effective teaching really requires good people doing things for the right reasons. Watch David Brooks (op-ed columnist for The NY Times) discuss the distinction between resume virtues and eulogy virtues. Having the right mindset about your role, purpose, and impact on others is prerequisite to effective teaching. That kind of thinking is difficult to describe, reduce to numbers, or use as criteria on teacher evaluations; yet, we all realize its importance. Still, we have been trying to identify “good teachers” and their characteristics for decades–stressing different elements in different contexts and different periods. Read: Cruickshank, Donald R., and Donald Haefele. 2001. “Good Teachers, Plural.” Educational Leadership 58 (5): 26. Although difficult to precisely define the contours of effective teaching, our field strives nonetheless to do just that. In Kansas State’s College of Education, we use the Conceptual Framework below. As you can see, our Conceptual Framework identifies and combines certain kinds of knowledge, skills, and dispositions for the purpose of effective teaching. What Does a Framework for Teaching Offer?
Right now, looking at the poster below probably seems overwhelming. However, by the time you end your program, you will not only know and be able to discuss these ideas at a fairly sophisticated level, you will also be able to show how you apply these ideas to your own teaching. The framework is an attempt to clarify the complex job of a teacher. Like other jobs that involve human beings (e.g., becoming a nurse or a doctor), there is more to it than the average person might think. Across domains, teachers are limited or liberated by what they know and are motivated and able to do. Our next task is to explore the personality traits and skills of highly effective teachers. These personality traits and skills, like practical wisdom, are applicable to every domain of the framework. What Personal Characteristics do Effective Teachers Possess?Intermingled among the 15 standards of the COE Conceptual Framework are a variety of personal characteristics that connect to effective teaching. What kinds of people make great teachers? Of course, the short answer is all kinds of people. We know from our own experience that great teachers may be introverted or extroverted, young or old, or traditional or progressive. Researchers have been studying various aspects of teacher personality for decades. Some of the personality traits that appear to have the greatest connection to student academic achievement include:
Most people would agree that those traits are probably related to effective teaching. What do these words really mean? How, specifically, do these words translate into the actions of a highly effective teacher? We provide a little additional clarity below. Enthusiastic teachers. . .
Warm and humorous teachers. . .
Credible teachers. . .
Teachers who are encouraging and supportive. . .
Teachers who are businesslike. . .
Teachers who are adaptable. . .
Of course, the above list of personality traits is not exhaustive—these are ones that are based on research. What other personality traits do you think might be important for great teachers? What Skills do Effective Teachers Possess?In addition to certain combinations of personality traits, effective teachers also possess specific skills. Like personality traits, education researchers have studied various teaching skills and their impact on student academic achievement. The skills that seem to have the greatest impact on student learning include:
Clear teachers. . .
Meaningful questions are. . .
Teachers who lead great discussions. . .
Effective teachers utilize variety when. . .
Teachers who use time wisely. . .
Teachers who effectively monitor student learning. . .
Teachers who offer effective feedback and reinforcement. . .
You may well want to download a copy of Stronge, James H., and Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Qualities of Effective Teachers, 2002. This book is available online through our library and explains these skills and personality traits in more detail and adds many more. Watch this 10-minute teaching episode. How does an understanding of research-based teaching skills help you evaluate this teaching performance? How do you facilitate personal growth and social skills What is the role of teachers?There is much that the teacher can do to foster and promote social development in the student.. Smiles/laughs.. Greets others.. Extends invitations.. Converses.. Shares.. Gives compliments.. What is the role of a teacher in facilitating growth and development?The teachers who aim to develop students instead of teaching them, who help them become independent, who provide motivation and interest for life-long learning and urge them to become sovereign learners, is essential in the education of the future for taking the responsibility in achieving relevant change.
How can teachers facilitate social skills in their classroom?Role-play social situations
We need to provide students with opportunities to learn and practice their social skills. An effective method of practice is through role-playing. Teachers can provide structured scenarios in which the students can act out and offer immediate feedback.
What is the role of the school and teachers in the development of the social skills of children?Teachers should educate the students about the various social situations and also offer them the necessary knowledge in tackling these situations. These tips can be as simple as telling them how to keep eye contact or how to approach different people.
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