The Essential Characteristics of Effective Teaching

The Essential Characteristics Of Effective Teaching

Teaching, in today's society, has become very diverse and poses a lot of challenges for the teacher. The role of the teacher has changed over the years and so too has the way that teachers are trained. One constant remains, however, and that is the desire to teach and impart knowledge to encourage learning for the future. Today, teachers need to facilitate, evaluate and adapt to students' needs and take into consideration the teaching cycle; Knowledge, Planning, Implementing and Evaluating (Whitton, Sinclair, Barker, Nanlohy & Nosworthy, 2010). All of this with the added pressure of ensuring that the steps are not only followed, but implemented correctly. Effective teachers will ensure that their lessons are not only fun and creative, but also create a sense of curiosity for the students so that learning does not stop at the end of the lesson, term or semester. An effective teacher, therefore, has certain characteristic which sets them apart from the rest and they are knowledge, planning and preparation, professionalism, self reflection and flexibility. These characteristics ultimately go hand in hand with each other as they are interlinked when analysing effective teaching.

Knowledge is a key characteristic of effective teaching, but it is not just limited to knowing what the course content is and when it needs to be taught. An effective teacher must be knowledgeable about the school, the greater community and the diversity of the students in their classroom. The teacher must know under which conditions learning is most likely to occur. For example, Piaget proposes that we develop through a series of cognitive stages, which means the teacher must therefore teach to the ability of the students (Grellier & Gere, 2010). Vygotsky, however, believes that a students understanding is developed through the interaction with others (Grellier & Gere, 2010). An effective teacher will also use their knowledge with regards to constructivism and use this particular approach which will allow their students to link new experiences with what they already know in order to reconstruct their own knowledge. An effective teacher must also keep up to date with new developments in their field and ensure that these ideas are then incorporated into their lessons. The attached lesson plan (Appendix 1), shows that the teacher has sound knowledge of the Australian Curriculum for Grade 3 Mathematics as outlined by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA, 2012). The video (Evans, 2007) also shows that the teacher has a sound knowledge of the school's curriculum from the examples shown on the whiteboard and the tasks given to the students.

Planning and preparation is another key characteristic that effective teacher have and which sets them apart from the rest. The school day for the teacher does not begin and end when the school bell rings and many hours after or before school are spent by the teacher planning what is to be taught in the following lesson, term or semester, taking into account the Australian Curriculum and the needs of the students in the class. A teacher's ability to organize, plan and demonstrate time management in class has a direct correlation to the prevention of time management problems and enhances the learning experience of the students through the effective use of instructional time (Eggen & Kauchak, 2009). To be an effective teacher means that organization and preparation is vital as teachers are required to think clearly and logically, be punctual and make decisions which may influence the outcome of a particular lesson. Their planning and preparation ensures that their lesson is both mentally and visually stimulating for individual and group work. This is evidenced in Appendix 1 through the Introduction/Motivation and in the main body of the lesson where students are initially in a group situation but are then moved to an individual situation for individual work. Students who excel are also given an opportunity to learn further as they sit in a group working on different and harder problems. Evidence from the video (Evans, 2010) shows that the teacher was prepared for the lesson with all the relevant content and materials required available straight away.

Another key characteristic of effective teaching is professionalism. Teachers are expected to act professionally when dealing with students, fellow teachers and parents. Teachers who are professional are ethical, meet the necessary legal requirements, adhere to Occupational Health and Safety requirements, duty of care responsibilities and demonstrate the ability to assert their authority in the classroom. Being professional builds respect not only amongst the students, but the wider school community including parents of children. It also instills trust that what and how you are teaching is the right way to go about things. Professional teachers are also ethical teachers who have excellent communication skills between students, fellow teachers and parents. They also demonstrate quality teaching Quality teaching means that the teacher needs to be knowledgeable, understand what needs to be taught and how to teach it, be enthusiastic and more importantly, show enthusiasm in the classroom and they are confident. Professional teachers also understand that students are not all the same and that their learning styles are different, which means they are able to handle the diverse dynamic of the classroom. Professional development plays a rather significant role in a teacher's professionalism, for a professional teacher understands that learning is not just for the students but for the teacher themselves. Keeping in touch with new developments and implementing these into their own classroom is a key aspect of professionalism. Successful and professional teachers also hold high expectations not only for their own performance but also that of their students. These expectations, however, are achievable and a teacher