“Great teachers rely not only on charisma. Instead, they rely on the inner qualities of love, integrity and commitment.”

-Eric Jensen

 Author , Brain Based Learning To Overcome The Challenges of Teaching Kids In Poverty

While teaching is a complex and challenging profession, some teachers are more successful than others. Their students perform better on achievement tests, are more likely to succeed in  future grads and remember their teachers more fondly. There are many outstanding teachers who are creative and successful in facilitating the academic as well as the personal growth of their students. We need not search  only for those gaining national recognition such as Ma. Christina Tolentino or Christine Joy Reloza, to cite a few alumni of MNHS Poblacion. In every school building, exciting, creative and effective teaching is happening. A growing body of educational research has focused on what these exemplars are doing that makes them successful. Use every opportunity to observe outstanding teachers in action. You can learm much from them. Listed below is a compilation of the characteristics of these effective teachers as discovered by a number of researchers:

• A+  teachers tend to have realistic, yet high expectations for their students They require to use high level mental processes such as critical thinking, deeper understanding, creative thinking and problem solving. They present an appropriate level of challenge in their lessons.
• They incorporate student comments and questions into their lessons. Their classes tend to involve significant amounts of class discussions and group exploration. This is especially important in teaching high school students.
• The best teachers actively involve their students in the learning process. These students spend less time doing seatwork, passively watching, or waiting.
• When they do employ seatwork, it is more interesting and varied.
• Much thought and planning go into their instruction, yet they remain flexible. They are especially sensitive to cues that their lessons might not be working and must be revised on the spot. They continuously seek ways to improve their teaching. They are effective in designing lessons that enhance student mastery.
• The best teachers tend to conduct their lessons in a businesslike, task-oriented style. They maintain a strong academic focus in their classrooms.
• Effective teachers  match their instructional activities to the developmental level of their students and then gradually lead them to the next higher levels of mastery. This involves recognizing and  remediating deficiencies in students’ skill level.
• Teachers rated highest by their students tend to use humor in their classrooms. This humor does not typically come from joke telling , but rather from the good-natured banter they carry on with their students. This contributes to developing good rapport with their students.
• They genuinely believe in the value of their subject matter. Almost without exception, they exude enthusiasm for what they are teaching that exhibits that passion.You can sense the energy and animation in their teaching. Research suggests this is especially important at the junior high school levels.
• The most memorable teachers exhibit empathy toward their students striving to see the world from their points of view. Such caring and desire to genuinely understand their students is sometimes characterized as “teacher warmth.”  This includes a sensitivity to the cultural background of the students as well. These teachers’ classes are more student-centered than subject-centered.
• They use more encouragement than criticism. However, they do give corrective feedback whenever necessary to help their students rectify their mistakes.
• Effective teachers continually monitor their classrooms; they are aware of what is happening at all times. They often do this by moving about the room, and maintaining frequent eye contact with all students.

Truly, outstanding teachers are not necessarily charismatic, dynamic individuals, but they do enjoy and believe in what they are teaching, work hard at it and spend less time planning well-organized lessons. They are a people with a heart and devout passion for children and  optimizing their learning skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Ronaldo V. Tiangco | MT I | MNHS Poblacion