this picture for representative purpose. picture courtesy: resilienteducator.com
A common misconception about being a teacher and in particular, an effective teacher is that only subject matter expertise matters. It is way much more than that, it involves creating bonds with your students, motivating them and creating a difference in their lives. Teaching is not a profession, it is the calling one takes up because one is passionate about seeing other people progress. In case your dream is to be a good teacher as I am, here are some of the steps you can follow:
To be a caring and understanding teacher, it is necessary to also enjoy going through a good learning process. This involves being a very inquisitive person who would seek to learn as much as possible about any new thing as well as all the most recent developments in one's area of profession. The moment you feel like appreciating what you are learning, that feeling is picked up by your students. This is because they are able to appreciate your subject since they see how deflated you are about it teaching. Appreciating learning also entails trying new and unconventional approaches to the process of education. Education as already established keeps on advancing with new teaching methods or technologies being developed. By being able to adapt to the changes and trying new teaching techniques, you will be able to make the lesson fun and productive.
The best kind of teacher makes an effort to understand the characters in his or her class. Every student comes from a different background and is made up of individual abilities and deficiencies. Any educator can get this. This includes making connections, and knowing what behaviour is acceptable when interacting with students.
Developing relationships with students is the core responsibility of every teacher. Students' love and respect towards a teacher can only be earned when a teacher develops a good rapport, that does not make them only work hard in their studies but also enjoys the lessons. These relationships are very nice even if they take time to build. Show some interest in your students, in what is going on in them also. So interact with your learners. It is the courtesy that resides at the core of each and every relationship. Learners must be treated with dignity and fairness, and most probably they will do the same to you. It is not to say that you have to build a large fan club among students, but rather that you should establish enough rapport that allows each student to communicate and learn with you as their teacher.
A good teacher strives to create a safe, appreciative environment in the classroom as well as the willingness to learn. This includes defining acceptable conduct and making sure everyone complies. This also means creating a feeling of togetherness in which each learner belongs in a certain group. Classrooms are filled with students from different races and cultures, which is a positive thing. They should all be welcome no matter their ethnicity, race, or any other attribute. As a teacher of young children this researcher has to appreciate differences and cater to make every child feel treasured.
To some extent, that is what contains teachers' activities: orderliness. This is the factor that guarantees compelling planners from competent teachers. Their students have clear goals. Materials are created to assist students in reaching those goals. Time management also comes in handy in being organised. Lessons take preparation, pupil assignments need evaluating and many more responsibilities need attention beyond the school boundaries. Teachers for example are less stressed because they are organised and therefore manage such responsibilities.
The students could feel your passion for the subject even before you said a word. Your lessons become more attractive because of your passion. Saw to it that the students are eager, rather positive, towards the content they are learning.
No one can claim to be a successful teacher if they think that teaching is a stationary process. In order to continue being effective, you have to advance the capacity and the knowledge that you have in your disposal. This might mean going to training, enrolling in lesson studies, or simply self-evaluating yourself as a teacher. As a teacher, you should be in a position to seek modifications in your practice in order to continue improving. Aside from the evaluations, the process of learning entails accepting and valuing what people are saying about you. Comments like how good the instructor was can make you flinch but do not delay. Learn from what has been said to you and help from them as they wish
It would be an absolutely unreasonable statement to say that teaching can function properly without effective means of communication. It is vital that the materials you are presenting to your students in class are intelligible to all of them. This involves simplifying difficult concepts into smaller……more digestible portions and keeping everyone on the same page. Teaching is also inclusive of conceptual engagement through communication, deserving each of these components broader than ordinarily understood. What about students and their words? They may be talking, asking questions, sharing their minds, and having their concerns. If you look at them and hear them, there is something that most likely will simply be an improvement of your teaching.
Good teachers do not provide learners with answers, but they put the onus of thinking on the learners. This means encouraging the students to think critically by asking broad questions, fostering conversation and pressuring the students to resolve problems by themselves. It not only makes them grasp the concepts well but also helps them rise to the occasion whenever there is a need.
We cannot deny the fact that teaching is not easy, and there are times when things do not go as we had hoped to. Of the many students, some will not perform up to the expected levels and even though you try to help, there are barriers that seem impossible to remove. This therefore is the reason why patience and persistence is an essential virtue of a teacher. Patience is the ability to remain composed, during unfortunate times and knowing that some students will require additional attention and time before they grasp the concept. Persistence means the willingness to push even if the work gets difficult. A good teacher is someone who never gives up but tries again and again, searching for other ways to do the same thing.
Inspiration is probably one of the most helpful weapons in a teacher's arsenal. A great educator will devise clever strategies that motivate each of the learners to try their best, do what they love and trust in themselves. You may be able to do this because of the subject matter itself, how the lessons are linked to the student's world, or how you, as the teacher, make them keep on trying. Motivation however includes the aspect of appreciating the success that a student has done. Whether it be a large achievement or just a small step.
In the end, the most wonderful educators are the ones that find satisfaction in their profession. There are certain fulfilments that every teacher looks forward to and these should be for anybody who would like to venture into education. This zeal will come out in the way of teaching and will motivate the learners leaving the classroom as a better place than before. A teacher who loves teaching is one who seeks happiness in the whole process of education from preparation of the lesson to the success of the pupils and never in the aim only. It means imagining the process of teaching, not just as providing service, but as a mission, something that requires compassion: it is the desire to help other individuals in achieving important goals.
Becoming an effective educator is a process and not an event. It requires quality training, introspection, hard work and a lot of love for the students. Unlocking potential of students is about more than lesson presentations only; it is about the enlisting, the encouraging, the engaging, and the focusing of children on what they might possibly become. Only through valuing education, creating healthy connections with learners, establishing aspects of a good classroom and constantly improving oneself, can someone be that teacher who changes lives for the better and not for the worse. There are challenges when it comes to teaching but it can be considered among the most fulfilling professions in the world. With every passing day you can change the life of one of your students, help him or her to uncover his or her abilities and encourage him or her to become an active child.
Ans: Good instructors have to take pleasure in learning, understand every student as a unique being, manage well and build good relationships, create an environment conducive for learning, be organised and prepared, be optimistic about their subject matter and learners, re-evaluate themselves from time to time, communicate effectively with students, foster meaningful discussions among them; remain patient in teaching efforts; motivate learners to excel academically as well as maintain passion for teaching.
Ans: This is due to the fact that enjoying the learning process not only helps you keep up with the current trends but also makes your teaching captivating. When students realise that you love learning, they become interested in what you are teaching.
Ans: Strong student-teacher relationships require one to be genuinely concerned about their lives; treat them fairly and with respect; and create an environment where they feel secure and cherished. This kind of relationship boosts students' morale, enabling them to concentrate better and find learning fun.
Ans: A positive classroom environment can be achieved by specifying and enforcing acceptable behaviour, promoting inclusiveness regardless of students' backgrounds, and creating a sense of belonging among learners.
Ans: A goal directed approach, careful preparation of lessons, punctual marking of students' works, good management of time is what constitutes staying organised. Teachers who are well poised in their organisation have reduced anxiety levels and are able to manage their duties with ease.
Ans: Effective communication guarantees that learners comprehend whatever is being taught. It entails breaking down intricate ideas into simpler ones, involving students in purposeful dialogues as well as being attentive to their inquiries and worries.
Ans: Educators can help students think critically by posing broad questions that have no single answer, facilitating discussions, and urging them to find solutions independently. This allows students to have a much more in-depth grasp of the subject at hand.
Ans: There is one reason that makes love for teaching an indispensable quality in any teacher and this is because it can be noticed throughout every stage of the process including, lesson preparation as well as success of students. This means that students with passionate teachers who really love what they do about teaching tend to have positive impacts on them which lead them to reaching their full potential.