What It Means to Be an Effective Teacher
Introduction
“Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.” That was the view of the characters Thomas Gradgrind and Mr M'Choakumchild, created by Charles Dickens in his novel Hard Times, a novel which satirises school teachers who teach “nothing but facts” and regards students as "little vessels ... ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured into them until they were full to the brim." Reciting facts for students to absorb is undoubtedly an easy method of teaching, but is it effective?
This essay attempts to answer the question of what it means to be an effective teacher by examining in more detail five areas that, when implemented effectively, can help to produce a productive learning environment that will enable effective teaching to take place – classroom organisation; student diversity; managing student behaviour; planning for instruction; and student motivation.
The effective teacher
A productive learning environment is a classroom that is orderly and is focused on learning (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010). According to Lyons, Ford, & Arthur-Kelly (2011), students feel more motivated to learn when they feel accepted as part of the school community, feel physically and emotionally safe, and feel that their needs are being met by teachers and other students. In order to create such an environment, the classroom needs to be well managed and organised. Effective organisation of the physical classroom is of fundamental importance according to Arthur-Kelly, Lyons, Butterfield, & Gordon (2006) and an effective teacher should have input into the layout of the workspaces to ensure that they have visual contact with students from anywhere in the classroom. This point is reinforced by Reynolds (cited by Freeman, p273) who noted that “competent teachers should also determine the most appropriate social arrangements for the students and lesson”.
Along with the physical layout of the workspace, a teacher’s personal traits
“Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.” That was the view of the characters Thomas Gradgrind and Mr M'Choakumchild, created by Charles Dickens in his novel Hard Times, a novel which satirises school teachers who teach “nothing but facts” and regards students as "little vessels ... ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured into them until they were full to the brim." Reciting facts for students to absorb is undoubtedly an easy method of teaching, but is it effective?
This essay attempts to answer the question of what it means to be an effective teacher by examining in more detail five areas that, when implemented effectively, can help to produce a productive learning environment that will enable effective teaching to take place – classroom organisation; student diversity; managing student behaviour; planning for instruction; and student motivation.
The effective teacher
A productive learning environment is a classroom that is orderly and is focused on learning (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010). According to Lyons, Ford, & Arthur-Kelly (2011), students feel more motivated to learn when they feel accepted as part of the school community, feel physically and emotionally safe, and feel that their needs are being met by teachers and other students. In order to create such an environment, the classroom needs to be well managed and organised. Effective organisation of the physical classroom is of fundamental importance according to Arthur-Kelly, Lyons, Butterfield, & Gordon (2006) and an effective teacher should have input into the layout of the workspaces to ensure that they have visual contact with students from anywhere in the classroom. This point is reinforced by Reynolds (cited by Freeman, p273) who noted that “competent teachers should also determine the most appropriate social arrangements for the students and lesson”.
Along with the physical layout of the workspace, a teacher’s personal traits
References: Arthur-Kelly, M., Lyons, G., Butterfield, N. & Gordon, C. (2006). Classroom Management: Creating Positive Learning Environments (2E). In Freeman, L. (2010). Key Competencies in Inclusive Education. Victoria: Cengage Learning Bennett, B Brophy, J. (2004). Motivating students to learn (2nd ed.). Boston:McGraw-Hill Dickens, C., (1854) Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. (2010). Educational psychology: Windows on Classrooms (8th. Ed.) French 's Forest: Pearson. Featherston, T Foreman, P. (2007). Inclusion in Action. In Freeman, L. (2010). Key Competencies in Inclusive Education. Victoria: Cengage Learning Gettinger, M Howe, A.C, (2000). Choosing activities to meet instructional goals. Science Activities, 37(3), 3-4. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 68081121). Lyons, G., Ford, M., Arthur-Kelly, M. (2011). Classroom Management: Creating positive learning environments. In Hurst, C. & Cooke, A. (2010). Introduction to Teaching (p.352). Victoria: Cengage Learning Marsh, C Rathmell, E. (1994). Planning for instruction involves focusing on children 's thinking. The Arithmetic Teacher, 41(6), 290. Retrieved from Research Library. (Document ID: 5218425). Walker, R.J. (2008). 12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher. Educational Horizon (Vol. 87, No. 1, 2008). Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C. & Nanlohy, P. (2010). Learning for Teaching: Teaching for Learning. In Hurst, C., & Cooke, A. (2010). Introduction to Teaching. Victoria: Cengage Learning.