A good teacher makes all the difference
to a child's development through the school system. Personal, academic
and professional qualities distinguish good from bad teachers.
A good teacher is patient, has sound interpersonal skills, exemplary in behaviour and dress, reliable and has genuine interest in the welfare of children. He or she is pepared to work beyond the call of duty for the sake of the childen. Teaching is more of a vocation than work for material rewards.
Academic competence is another one of the most important qualities of a good teacher. One has to have sufficient subject mastery to provide competent leadership to the learners. This is very crucial for all teachers primary or secondary. The teacher needs subject mastery to share with learners, provide guidance more competently and confidently. He or she is the more significant other with whom the child interacts with.
If learners feel confident in the teacher's subject knowledge, they will be inspired with confidence to do well. Some learners may be inspired and motivated to do well in the subject or even pursue it at a higher level. Some become role models. The absence of subject competence may cause the learners to lose confidence in their teacher, and not much will be learnt leading to very poor performance.
At its worst, poor subject mastery may lead teachers passing on the wrong information, thereby doing more harm than good to the learners. A teacher with sufficient subject competence can pre-empt problems in understanding certain concepts and thereby plan to tackle any problems in advance. A good teacher will therefore read and prepare him/herself sufficiently for every lesson to consolidate subject mastery. A good teacher should have professional expertise. This is usually acquired through training and continuous professional developement. Professional expertise will enable the teacher to plan the use of different teaching and learning approaches to raise attainment.
A good teacher organises classroom activities for differentiated
teaching and learning to cater for individual needs and uses different
teaching skills to enhance the quality of learning. Good teachers are
good facilitators and are very patient with less able learners. They are
enthusiastic about their work. Their enthusiasm infects the learners
too, leading to heightened interest in learning. Learning becomes an
interesting and enjoyable activity.
Armed with professional expertise the teacher varies stimulus in every lesson, makes lessons interesting and involves all the students, paying special attention to slow learners. He or she is quick to identify learners with special needs and assists them appropiately.
Other qualities of a good teacher include monitoring learning and teaching regularly and appropriate action taken timeously to improve. Assessment for learning is implemented as a monitoring tool for the quality of teaching and learning. Written work is marked and feedback given immediately with positive and encouraging comments. Data from such activities is used to improve teaching and learning in future.
A good teacher discusses progress with individual learners. He or she is exemplary through a high level of commitment to work for the cause of the learners. Good teachers deliberately plan and work to add value to learners in every lesson and end of learning programme. Good teachers unveil potential in individual learners. They do not label learners, are persistent in bringing about change to individual learners, are driven by learners' needs rather than financial or other rewards. Achievement and attainment are raised all the time by insisting on high quality work.
Good teachers encourage parental involvement by communicating with parents regularly about the progress children are making in school. They do not just wait for the parents' evening. This is done continuously when the child is doing well or badly. They believe that by working in collaboration with parents their teaching becomes more effective. Positive relationships are maintained with all the learners in order to create a positive learning climate where everyone is made to feel wanted and valued.
They raise and maintain every learner's self-concept emotionally, socially, physically and cognitively- belief in their own ability to do well. He or she has high expectations of all the learners and sets challenging tasks to stimulate critical thinking and higher performance. This creates a conducive teaching and learning climate for higher attainment.
A good teacher is, therefore, an important component of any education system. The quality and level of commitment to the learners' cause can make all the difference to the learners' education. Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, underscored the importance of a good teacher when he said: 'The teachers fuelled my interests and encouraged me to read and learn as much as I could. Without those teachers I would never have gotten on the path of getting deeply engaged in maths and software... how many kids don't get the same chance to achieve their full potential? The number is very large. It is amazing how big a difference a great teacher makes versus an ineffective one...If you want your child to get the best education possible, it is more important to assign him/her to a great teacher than to a great school."
A good teacher is patient, has sound interpersonal skills, exemplary in behaviour and dress, reliable and has genuine interest in the welfare of children. He or she is pepared to work beyond the call of duty for the sake of the childen. Teaching is more of a vocation than work for material rewards.
Academic competence is another one of the most important qualities of a good teacher. One has to have sufficient subject mastery to provide competent leadership to the learners. This is very crucial for all teachers primary or secondary. The teacher needs subject mastery to share with learners, provide guidance more competently and confidently. He or she is the more significant other with whom the child interacts with.
If learners feel confident in the teacher's subject knowledge, they will be inspired with confidence to do well. Some learners may be inspired and motivated to do well in the subject or even pursue it at a higher level. Some become role models. The absence of subject competence may cause the learners to lose confidence in their teacher, and not much will be learnt leading to very poor performance.
At its worst, poor subject mastery may lead teachers passing on the wrong information, thereby doing more harm than good to the learners. A teacher with sufficient subject competence can pre-empt problems in understanding certain concepts and thereby plan to tackle any problems in advance. A good teacher will therefore read and prepare him/herself sufficiently for every lesson to consolidate subject mastery. A good teacher should have professional expertise. This is usually acquired through training and continuous professional developement. Professional expertise will enable the teacher to plan the use of different teaching and learning approaches to raise attainment.
A good teacher organises classroom activities for differentiated
teaching and learning to cater for individual needs and uses different
teaching skills to enhance the quality of learning. Good teachers are
good facilitators and are very patient with less able learners. They are
enthusiastic about their work. Their enthusiasm infects the learners
too, leading to heightened interest in learning. Learning becomes an
interesting and enjoyable activity.Armed with professional expertise the teacher varies stimulus in every lesson, makes lessons interesting and involves all the students, paying special attention to slow learners. He or she is quick to identify learners with special needs and assists them appropiately.
Other qualities of a good teacher include monitoring learning and teaching regularly and appropriate action taken timeously to improve. Assessment for learning is implemented as a monitoring tool for the quality of teaching and learning. Written work is marked and feedback given immediately with positive and encouraging comments. Data from such activities is used to improve teaching and learning in future.
A good teacher discusses progress with individual learners. He or she is exemplary through a high level of commitment to work for the cause of the learners. Good teachers deliberately plan and work to add value to learners in every lesson and end of learning programme. Good teachers unveil potential in individual learners. They do not label learners, are persistent in bringing about change to individual learners, are driven by learners' needs rather than financial or other rewards. Achievement and attainment are raised all the time by insisting on high quality work.
Good teachers encourage parental involvement by communicating with parents regularly about the progress children are making in school. They do not just wait for the parents' evening. This is done continuously when the child is doing well or badly. They believe that by working in collaboration with parents their teaching becomes more effective. Positive relationships are maintained with all the learners in order to create a positive learning climate where everyone is made to feel wanted and valued.
They raise and maintain every learner's self-concept emotionally, socially, physically and cognitively- belief in their own ability to do well. He or she has high expectations of all the learners and sets challenging tasks to stimulate critical thinking and higher performance. This creates a conducive teaching and learning climate for higher attainment.
A good teacher is, therefore, an important component of any education system. The quality and level of commitment to the learners' cause can make all the difference to the learners' education. Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, underscored the importance of a good teacher when he said: 'The teachers fuelled my interests and encouraged me to read and learn as much as I could. Without those teachers I would never have gotten on the path of getting deeply engaged in maths and software... how many kids don't get the same chance to achieve their full potential? The number is very large. It is amazing how big a difference a great teacher makes versus an ineffective one...If you want your child to get the best education possible, it is more important to assign him/her to a great teacher than to a great school."
