Specify the personal characteristics of good teachers.
Course: General Methods of Teaching
Course code 8601
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment
Answer:
Characteristics of an Effective Teacher
Knowledge and skills are taught and
learned at school. School is a little community in itself where teachers and
students interact with each other. During this interaction, teachers influence, their learner’s behavior, and learners influence their teacher’s behavior.
The nature of this interaction is an
important factor in determining the learner's perceptions of school and his/her
attitudes toward school-related persons and activities.
This factor involves the relationship
between the personality of the teacher and that of the learner. A teacher’s
personality traits are essential Callahan, (1966) says that the teacher
whose personality helps create and maintain a classroom or learning environment
in which students feel comfortable and in which they are motivated to learn is
said to have a desirable teaching personality.
Personal qualities of a Teacher
Elementary school teachers need the
following characteristics:
- strong
interpersonal and communication skills
- a
genuine interest in children and respect for their individuality
- the
ability to sense children's individual needs
- the
ability to be creative, imaginative, patient, energetic, organized, and
resourceful
- the
ability to establish rapport between children and parents
- strong
leadership and teamwork skills and a good sense of humor
- a
high level of dedication to work which often impacts personal lifestyle choices
- a
clear, pleasant speaking voice and the ability to convey confidence
- Positive
conflict resolution skills and the ability to handle stress well.
Thompson, Greer, and Greer (n.d) say
that “every teacher should possess twelve characteristics such as displaying
fairness, having a positive outlook, being prepared, using a personal touch,
possessing a sense of humor, possessing creativity, admitting mistakes, being
forgiving, respecting students, maintaining high expectations, showing
compassion, and developing a sense of belonging for students”. Let us read
these characteristics as given below:
1) Fairness
Fairness is one of the
characteristics of the student's favorite teachers. All humans possess an
inbuilt sense of fair play. Whenever a person violates, the other person in
this situation is prone to react negatively.
Any impression of favoritism, or lack
of fairness, leaves scars on the life of people that lasts forever. The
students report in great detail, the unfair actions of their teachers when they
had a negative experience of competition between classmates, even after many
years have passed.
2) Positive Attitude
Another characteristic that students
like most is the positive attitude and approach of the teachers they use in
the classroom. Scholars suggest that effective teachers are those who use
meaningful verbal praise to get and keep students actively participating in the
learning process. Effective teachers are generally positive-minded
individuals who believe in the success of their students as well as their own
ability to help students achieve.
If the teachers have a positive
attitude they “catch students doing things right” rather than “catching them
doing something wrong.” The students often recall praise and recognition that
was given by their teachers at schools, and they point to the confidence and
direction that often resulted in their lives.
3) Preparedness
Competence and knowledge of the
content area being taught is something that our college students have always
mentioned about their favorite teachers. In research, the students pointed out
that in classrooms where teachers were well prepared, behavior problems were
less prevalent.
The well-prepared teacher is more likely to be
able to take time during lessons to notice and attend to behavioral matters and is less likely to miss the beginnings of potentially disruptive activity.
If, on the other hand, teachers have not spent sufficient time in planning and
preparation, they tend to be so focused on what they are doing that they miss
the early signs of misbehavior. This ultimately results in frequent disruption,
waste of valuable instructional time, and student frustration.
4) Personal Touch
Teachers who are connected personally
with their students; call them by name, smile often, ask about students’ feelings
and opinions, and accept students for who they are. As well as the teachers who
tell stories of their own life events that relate to the subject matter currently
being taught, motivate students’ interest, and endorse bonding with the
students. Teachers who show interest in their students have interested
students.
5) Sense of Humor
If a teacher can break
the ice in difficult situations with the use of humor, this is an extremely
valuable asset for teaching. According to McDermott & Rothenberg (2000), students enjoy teachers with a sense of humor and remember those teachers who
made learning fun. Good teachers enjoy a laugh with the class occasionally.
6) Creativity
Students always like the unusual
things that their teachers do in creative ways. The construction of models or
things from waste like plastic bottles provides a field into which children
could go and work by themselves quietly on academic activities like puzzles
and word finds.
7) Willingness to Admit Mistakes
Like everybody, teachers may make
mistakes. Sometimes students may know when their teachers make mistakes.
Unfortunately, some teachers try to let the mistakes go unnoticed or cover them quickly. Teachers who recognize their mistakes in a very humble and
pleasant way and apologize to them. This act of teacher provides an excellent
model for the students, and they may be effective teachers reflect a
willingness to forgive students for misbehavior. For example, if a student
repeatedly asks irrelevant questions and detracts others from
the lesson. The teacher can simply
say the question is irrelevant and direct the student to further study.
8) Respect
The teacher's desire is respected by
their students. The teachers who give respect to their students are always
respected by them. Effective teachers can train their students to be respectful in
many ways such as, he can keep individual grades on paper confidentially or
speaking to students privately after misbehavior, not in front of others. Good
teachers show sensitivity to feelings and consistently avoid situations that
unnecessarily make students uncomfortable.
9) High expectations
Teachers with positive attitudes also
possess high expectations for success. Teachers’ expectation levels affect how teachers teach and interact with students. Generally, students
either rise to their teachers’ expectations or do not perform well when
expectations are low or non-existent. The best teachers save the highest
standards. They consistently challenge their students to do their best.
10) Compassion
Hopefully, school is a place where
children can learn and be nurtured in an emotionally safe environment.
Sometimes in youngsters' classrooms, there may be a significant amount of
cruelty and hurt feelings. In these situations, a caring teacher tries to reduce
the impact of hurt feelings on learning
Teacher quality is the most
important factor in determining school quality. But what factors determine teacher quality? There are fifteen key characteristics that administrators
look for in their teachers, given in an article from Teaching for Excellence.
Teacher’s characteristics as
an administrator
Let us read the teacher’s
characteristics from the administrator’s point of view:
Exhibit
enthusiasm:
An enthusiastic teacher can make
learning fun for the students. If the teacher has the willingness to teach he can
make a difference in the motivation of students. This quality also helps in
building a sense of teamwork even beyond the classroom.
Know your
content:
Teachers must keep up with their
field of expertise. The teacher must have mastery of the knowledge and new
developments in the field. For example, if you teach kindergarten, subscribe to
an early childhood journal. If you teach chemistry, attend the seminar at the
local college. Only the knowledge of changing trends can make teachers
experts in the field.
Be organized:
To be organized, the teacher
must learn how to handle the routine for example collecting student work,
handing out materials, posting assignments, what to do when finished with an
assignment, communicating class news, etc. Organized planning of teaching
lessons spares teachers’ time and lets him/her spend more time on students’
learning. Time with students, Established routines keep the class on track and
give you more time for teaching and engaging students.
Teach actively:
Hard-working teachers are always
appreciated. Good teachers are actively involved in teaching. They continuously
move around and notice the students’ behavior and their learning activity.
Show a good attitude:
A philosopher, Voltaire, said,
"The most courageous decision one makes each day is the decision to be in
a good mood”. The students need models with positive attitudes. Notice what you
say to others and your tone of voice. The teacher must show care, concern, and
respect.
Establish successful
classroom management:
The teacher must establish the classroom
management system from the first day of class. Since discipline and
management structures are essential for students to be at work, teachers
enforce management rules for an orderly class environment by using their
qualities of consistency and fairness. The inconsistent rules should not be
enforced.
Pace instruction:
Learning is directly related to the
opportunity to learn. Students learn the most by doing, not by watching, not by
standing in line, and not by listening. Teachers must plan an instructional
timeline for courses to be taught.
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