What Makes a Great Teacher?
Via the Fast Company blog: Education: The Cream Is Rising
So does having high grades as a student teacher mean you’re going to create star performers out of your future students? The FC post seems to avoid unwrapping that point - but don’t you think it’s a rather important question to explore?
Perhaps the main thrust of the post was that the education field was attracting smarter talent…but does that mean anything on the front lines of the classroom?
In my opinion, not really. Most teachers are smart…but I’ve had more than my fair share of them who lacked the heart of a teacher.
For me, math was always my weak spot. (That’s why I’m a social worker who teaches English. I got as far away from math as I could.) There were concepts and operations that just never clicked with me, and though I’m sure I had really smart math teachers, not one of them had what it took to see my state of stall, and come along side to help me out. Or if they did, they quickly lost patience and moved on.
There’s more to being a great teacher than just having great marks on your training courses. (A really cool FC post that touches on this here:Talent is Everywhere (if you know how to look) Especially with teaching, I think there’s a lot to be said for talent, vocation, and heart - but I wonder how well DELTA or CELTA courses (or any other teacher training course for that matter) help you develop there?
Knowing the theories and facts about teaching is very important, but if you are lacking in the other areas like how to make what you know meaningful and understandable for your students, then prepare yourself: instead of inspiring your students to dig deeper and march forward, you’ll be great for a few (the smart, fast moving ones like you) but you’ll shut down the slow movers, and help perpetuate the idea in them that english class sucks, and I might as well give up on trying to learn the language in the first place.
Being a great teacher is more than just head knowledge.
Photo Credit:
Teaching Math or Something: by foundphotoslj
I definitely believe that intelligence -cognitive and emotional - are the hallmarks of great teaching. And, between you, me and a goal post, there are a lot without much of either. This being said, I am occasionally and continually impressed with the teachers I meet. There are intelligent folks in the classroom everywhere, often where one least expects it and rarely where it needed the most.
Comment by Miss Profe — January 3, 2008 @ 8:02 am
I couldn’t agree more. Empathy and sensitivity along with good educational values are some of the more important skills of effective educators. I wonder if it is possible to train or pass on these skills in a teacher training course. Perhaps we would get really far if we just talked with each other as colleagues about situations in which these elements come to play. Thanks for the food for thought.
Comment by Dzen — January 21, 2008 @ 5:19 am
I must say I agree with you up to a certain point. Perhaps having good grades as an English Teacher Student would not mean that you do understand how to use theories effectively and efficiently on the classroom, or that you would manage every kind of questions proposed by students, but one of the most precious gifts a language teacher can give students is a good understanding of how to successfully study and learn a foreign language, and the best way to gain this is by studying language itself. English teachers who have lots of experience as language learners can also better understand the difficulties students face as they try to learn a foreign language. Teachers who have learned a language remember how it feels to struggle to learn the language, and they know what would be the most difficult items for students to aquire, so they will help them more along their journey to succed.
Comment by Angie Ramirez — February 7, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
I must say I agree with you up to a certain point. Perhaps having good grades as an English Teacher Student would not mean that you do understand how to use theories effectively and efficiently on the classroom, or that you would manage every kind of questions proposed by students, but one of the most precious gifts a language teacher can give students is a good understanding of how to successfully study and learn a foreign language, and the best way to gain this is by studying language itself. English teachers who have lots of experience as language learners can also better understand the difficulties students face as they try to learn a foreign language. Teachers who have learned a language remember how it feels to struggle to learn the language, and they know what would be the most difficult items for students to aquire, so they will help them more along their journey to succed.
Comment by Angie Ramirez — February 7, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
Thanks for the insightful post! Something I’m involved in/with and I really have to second any notion that throws discredit on the link between student teaching grades and subsequent success as a teacher.
Teaching is such an “art” and there are so many variables that make a great teacher. Most important to me, is as you mentioned, the “soft” things. One of them I think top is “desire” — that will to do a great job and change student mindset.
Here is a presentation I made about what makes a great EFL teacher - more about practical stuff but you might enjoy it.
http://eflclassroom.com/ppt/effectiveeflteacher.swf
Thanks.
David
Comment by David — March 6, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
Being smart doesn’t make you a good teacher. You should have certain personality traits and characteristics other than brains to teach. My history teacher from college was a genius, she published books and exposed around the world, but I learned squat from her classes.
Comment by English — March 14, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
I totally agree. The heart is what makes a teacher great, not the grades they received in their subject matter. Of course you want a teacher to have knowledge of their content, but that knowledge without a love for the art is useless.
Comment by Donielle Brown — March 23, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
Thank you for expressing what has been my biggest disappointment since I started in the field of education. I received my teaching certification in 2003 and still I have unsuccessful in landing a permanent position. The ratio of available positions to applicants where I live is about 100:1. What is so frustrating is that I know I have so much to offer yet I am not even getting interviews due to the number of applicants who have a higher level of education. As I am finishing up my third year of substitute teaching, I cannot tell you how many times I have seen teachers getting the jobs lack heart, a commitment to the community, and the desire to think outside of the prepackaged programs that they are provided. I do think we as educators do need to seek out life-long learning however, it is but one of the ingredients that make for a great teacher.
Comment by Lynn Rotz — March 26, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
Thank you for expressing what has been one of my biggest disappointments since I started in the field of education. I received my teaching certification in 2003 and still I have been unsuccessful in landing a permanent position. The ratio of available positions to applicants where I live is about 100:1. What is so frustrating, is that I know I have so much to offer yet, I am not even getting interviews due to the number of applicants who have a higher level of education. As I am finishing up my third year of substitute teaching, I cannot tell you how many times I have seen teachers who lack heart, a commitment to the community, and the desire to think outside of the prepackaged programs that they are provided, getting the jobs. I think we as educators do need to seek out life-long learning however, it is but one of the ingredients that make for a great teacher.
Comment by Lynn Rotz — March 26, 2008 @ 8:39 pm
A good teacher is one who teaches from the heart and can take the lessons to the heart of the learner.
Comment by Dr T P Sasikumar — August 27, 2008 @ 5:23 am
There is a teacher in Philippines awarded as 2008 best teachers. She walks 2 km a day and passed by more than 5 mountains to reach the classroom in far areas that no modern vehicles can not come. We call them mobile teacher assigned to barangay school to teach those who wanted to learn at any ages.
Comment by DepEd Teacher — May 7, 2009 @ 4:54 am
A teacher needs to know the material their teaching, be organized and, as everyone on this blog has commented…have an enormous heart! Not to mention, being a doctor, a phychologist, a friend…
Comment by Christine Guenette — June 2, 2009 @ 6:52 pm
Being a meaningful teacher takes skill and heart. An effective teacher is one who wants to be in the classroom. There is also a skill for it as well. Teachers must be able to teach students and have the students learn. Effective teachers must have a love for learning. They must learn new strategies and techniques as well as participate in professional learning communities. Effective teachers are what makes schools fun and exciting for students. I do agree with you that there are many teachers who are not as committed as they should be. It is a large issue in education.
Comment by April Jozan — August 3, 2010 @ 8:49 pm
Obviously, we all go to college and learn everything that we need to become educators, but I think that you become an educator when you go into the classroom. It’s not what you teach or how you teach it that makes you a teacher, it’s what the kids become of it. If you teach first grade you will understand what I mean. The children come in the beginning of school babies, knowing very little, and sometimes nothing. You ask yourself “how am I going to make it?” As December rolls by, some of them are right where you want them and some are still lagging behind, so you kind of step up your game. By the end of the year you can see that you have made a difference. They have grown from babies to children that are ready for the second grade. YOu have helped them go through the journey of first grade. That to me is making a difference in their lifes and when you do, that’s what makes you a great teacher. When you can look back and be proud of not only your children, but yourself, that’s what makes you a great teacher.
Comment by D. Maldonado — August 4, 2010 @ 7:51 pm
Obviously, we all go to college and learn everything that we need to become educators, but I think that you become an educator when you go into the classroom. It’s not what you teach or how you teach it that makes you a teacher, it’s what the kids become of it. If you teach first grade you will understand what I mean. The children come in the beginning of school babies, knowing very little, and sometimes nothing. You ask yourself “how am I going to make it?” As December rolls by, some of them are right where you want them and some are still lagging behind, so you kind of step up your game. By the end of the year you can see that you have made a difference. They have grown from babies to children that are ready for the second grade. YOu have helped them go through the journey of first grade. That to me is making a difference in their lifes and when you do, that’s what makes you a great teacher. When you can look back and be proud of not only your children, but yourself, that’s what makes you a great teacher.
Comment by D. Maldonado — August 4, 2010 @ 7:52 pm