Shining Students

An Effective Teacher treats each student as an individual ray of light emanating from the same source – the classroom. It is important that students be afforded the opportunity to display their unique gifts, talents and skills and be recognized for it. Just as the athlete has the court and the field to display their abilities, teachers must find the best forums for others to be acknowledged and show their uniqueness. This may be in the science lab, at a music recital, public speaking or a tournament; whatever the venue, students must be allowed to shine.

To be an Effective Teacher in this endeavor, students must be known individually and placed in the best environment which allows them to flourish, or the result can backfire and perform more harm than good. We observe in nature that fish function best when in water and plants when rooted in the soil. In similitude, the Effective Teacher seeks out and determines the opportune time, and location for their students to shine.

A poignant article on helping shy students to shine

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/introverted-students-in-classroom-tony-baldasaro

Student Future

An Effective Teacher like a parent realizes that students will not be with them forever and therefore, always work with the goal of seeing them graduate. This viewpoint is future focused and motivates how students are taught, communicated with and developed. 

The student who is falling behind is encouraged and assisted with catching up. The student with a personality and temperament which is not best suited for society and the workforce is coached along so that their future is not challenged by the character flaws which were not confronted in their past. The future focused teacher helps students prepare for expressed goals, whether in college or a career.  They direct learning and training towards that end and keeps the vision of endless possibilities before them. This type of teacher prepares the students for the world, with a healthy dose of reality and a strong desire for achievement and success in their chosen endeavors.

An article on teachers and student expectation

http://www.education.com/reference/article/teachers-expectations-affect-learning/

Student Characterisitics

An Effective Teacher makes it a priority to know each student the way a parent knows each child. Student characteristics are as varied as the number of students; therefore knowing students allows for a more individualized approach to their learning and increased probability for their classroom success. Which student responds to the extra push and which wilts back from such actions? Which student has an artistic bent and which are scientifically inclined? Which students have a low view of themselves and which have inflated egos?

Determining student characteristics is a labor of love and a strong identifier of an Effective Teacher. It places more than a name on a seat or grade in a spreadsheet – it says, “I care.” Implementing this skillset in the classroom is sure to have positive effects on student learning and relationships and allows for a more substantive rapport with parents when discussing the needs of their children.

A video of a brilliant model used to determine the characteristics of students being taught

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmypubsuUlE

Parenting and Being a Role Model

An Effective Teacher is a stand-in parent during the course of the school day and becomes a reproducible role model for the students. Teachers teach more than the academic curriculum, they must be encouragers, have a listening ear, be a caring friend and an example of good character.

The Effective Teacher is a support parent to their students and often provides for them what they do not obtain at home. The personal time and tutorials which contribute to academic growth; the life discussions which aids in making proper decision; and the compassionate correction which keeps students on the correct path all are a part of teacher quasi-parenting. As a role model, students obtain additional examples of matured character that is worth emulating. They see the commitment of the coaches to their athletes, how the band director works effortlessly to assist with acquiring instruments and how the science teacher spends extra time to prepare students for the science fair. Parenting and being a Role Model, This is all a part of being an Effective Teacher. 

A poignant article on the value of teachers being role models.

http://teach.com/what/teachers-change-lives/teachers-are-role-models

Sympathy and Compassion

An Effective Teacher realizes that many external factors affect student learning which are far reaching and varied. They may be relational, financial, domestic, or a disability. How are teachers to respond to students who may not be eating properly or are not sleeping well because of issues in their home? What about students who may have recently experienced the loss of a loved one or may have undergone an illness which is negatively impacting them at school?

The Effective Teacher realizes that students require empathy, sympathy and compassion whenever a student undergoes a life event which adversely affects their learning. Such events can have a long term impact on the student and how they view learning. The teacher helps students to navigate life’s challenges while still facilitating learning; this makes for a rich relationship between the two. The Effective Teacher that shows sympathy and compassion helps to cement the privilege of teach their students and is able to get the best out of them by going beyond the role of a traditional teacher.

A well developed article on the value of compassion in teachers.

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_mindfulness_make_us_better_teachers

Independent Thinking

An Effective Teacher leads students to the independent use of their intellect. Learning should not just be the memorization of information and acceptance of what is presented.  Effective Teachers encourage students to interact with the presented material, by asking questions, performing analysis and incorporating their experiences. This promotes independent learning and thinking.  The independent thinker is the researcher, the student who develops new mindsets on old material. 

The Effective Teacher accepts that each student as an individual may see the presented material from a different perspective and nurtures the right and ability of a student to question and make a contribution to the material they are learning. Independent thinking is essential for inquiry based learning, which works extraordinarily well for students who function above grade level. Finally, a teacher who promotes independent thinking fosters a sense of maturity among students which encourages self-growth, self-enlightenment, freedom of speech and future independence.

A brief video on how to promote independent thinking with kids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-WrB-atboU

Revisions for Differences

An Effective Teacher recognizing her student’s individual differences and special needs. An effective teacher must initially assess the types of students present in the classroom before presenting the material. Learners fall into three categories: Auditory, Visual and Kinesthetic. The auditory learner responds predominantly to what they hear, whereas the auditory learner responds to what is seen, the kinesthetic learner learns from their interactions.

The Effective Teacher realizes that the presentation of concepts for differing classes and students will have to be revised in order to get the expected student results. For example, if a lesson is being presented on art. The auditory learner would be best served by simply presenting information about an artist and his painting.  For the visual learner, an example would have to be used, whereby they can see the artwork and the details which make it unique. The kinesthetic learner on the other hand would have to create an artistic piece based on the art that is being presented and emphasized in the lesson.  In all three cases the Effective Teacher would have to revise their approach to determine how best to serve the different teaching styles in the classroom.

This article gives approaches to teaching when taking into consideration the different learning styles.

http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=40969

Developing New Strategies

Effective Teachers must strategically determine how they will present their lessons. Teacher strategies fall into two divisions: Direct Instruction and Indirect Instruction. Strategies involving direct instruction is where the teacher, software/computer is the major information provider. Indirect instruction means the student can rearrange or add to the content and material to facilitate learning. 

When to use a direct or indirect strategy is based upon what is being taught. When facts, rules or action steps are presented, a direct instructional strategy should be employed.  However, to teach concepts, inquiry or problem solving, it is best to used indirect teaching strategies. 

To be an Effective Teacher we should never just present information or a lesson without considering what is being taught, the tools to be used and expected student outcomes. To do this, an effective strategy of teaching must be thought out, designed and implemented.  This helps to increase the quality of teachers and improve student response and understanding of the material.

An informative video of strategies for teaching to different learning styles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxCporOofo

Clarity in Teaching

An Effective Teacher promotes clarity in presenting information to the class. Clarity allows the details and objectives of the lessons to be seen, assimilated and mastered. Without clarity, the lesson can lead to misunderstanding, failed competencies and student frustration. The Effective Teacher not only provides the materials, but provides the lens through which the student views and receives the information. The teacher accounts for any optical challenge present in the classroom and uses tools or manipulatives to ensure each student sees and learns effectively, regardless of challenges.

Teachers should always make sure clarity is a priority in teaching the lesson to their students. This differentiates between the inadequate and effective teachers. It directly affects having successful students and those who require additional assistance. Clarity also helps students develop confidence; with confidence the learning curve is dramatically increased and outcomes are more readily realized. As an Effective Teacher it is important to reinforce clarity when introducing students to new information.

A scholarly article on understanding instructor clarity and how it helps students learn.
http://www.natcom.org/uploadedFiles/Teaching_and_Learning/Virtual_Faculty_Lounge/PDF-TRIP-Instructor_Clarity.pdf

Building Character in Teachers

Being an effective teacher requires character, as this helps to develop trust with the students.  Character is the role which does not change; it allows others to make decisions and be confident in the results that we will provide.  This is the beginning of effective teaching.  Students are asked to give their best even if they lack confidence and do not have interest, and as teachers we promise that the effort is worth it. 

We provide encouragement and tell students we believe in them.  Each word of affirmation and promise must be consistently reinforced in our continued interaction with the students; any deviation can lead to the student’s lack of trust with their teacher. 

A teacher’s character must be more consistent than a student. The student responds to changes in their homes, among their peers, appearance and social interaction.  However, as teachers, we must meet these changes with fixed, unwavering and unaltered character. Therefore, students will see they can always rely on their teacher to maintain a statue of healthy character.

Inspirational curriculum that promotes character building.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlOpqwoiVjc

10 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher

As a child, I found myself being a person that loved to smile, had great energy, very creative, love learning new things, and had a big heart for helping people. When I started school, my teacher made me the class leader the first day and stated that I had charisma and was full of life. As years went on, it took a trip to Belize to discover that the teacher was still in me. Once I returned to the U.S, I registered in school to become an Effective Teacher. I wanted to show the world that within me, I am beautiful inside, produce positive energy, and am able to create new strategies. Here are my top ten characteristics of being an Effective Teacher.

1. Your character plays a major role in becoming an Effective Teacher.
2. As an Effective Teacher it is very important to project clarity when explaining the information to the class.
3. An Effective Teacher develops new strategies that will reach every student.
4. An Effective Teacher revises his/her approach on a lesson so every student understands the lesson.
5. An Effective Teacher promotes independent thinking.
6. An Effective Teacher shows sympathy and compassion to every student.
7. An Effective Teacher becomes a parent and role model to their students.
8. An Effective Teacher makes themselves aware of every student’s characteristics.
9. An Effective Teacher should always have their eyes and heart open for each student’s future.
10. An Effective Teacher is always looking for ways to make each student shine.

A brief sharing about effective teaching using an entertaining format.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOf_5Zp_GnI