What makes a good teacher?

WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER IN 2016? There's more to being a great teacher than classroom skills. The successful qualities of education professionals are not easy to instil or duplicate - which makes greatness in teaching just as rare as greatness in medicine, dance, law, or any other profession. LOVE OF THE SUBJECT If you're looking for a standard of excellence Fantastic subject knowledge makes all the difference when it comes to teaching it. Teachers who know a subject inside-out have the ability to stretch pupils and make lessons more interesting for them. to strive for, here are the hallmarks of gold star teaching. COMPLETE CONTROL Effective discipline will create a positive atmosphere and support students' learning. STRESS MANAGEMENT Control equals respect; this trait must come before all else. According to a BBC investigation last year, 83% of teachers reported workplace stress. Workload was the top concern, followed by pay, inspections, curriculum reform and then pupil behaviour. Effective stress management techniques are crucial for great teachers. LOVE OF THE SUBJECT STRESS MANAGEMENT COMPLETE CONTROL PRAISE IS PRECIOUS HIGHLY ORGANISED EXPERT INSTRUCTIONAL PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR METHODS PRAISE IS PRECIOUS HIGHLY ORGANISED The best teachers have high expectations of their pupils, while affirming students' self-worth. Keeping track of pupils, switching one class to another and managing records and databases requires red hot organisational skills - and can relieve the much-reported burden of a heavy workload. Praise is never handed out unwarranted: success is attributed to effort rather than ability. In fact, one study found that the wrong kind of praise can be harmful for students, conveying a low expectation from teachers. EXPERT INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR According to studies, varying the type of tasks you ask pupils to do improves retention - even though it makes learning more difficult initially. Positive relationships outside the classroom - including supporting colleagues and talking with parents - also has a moderate impact on students' learning. Great teachers place priority on keeping parents informed about their children's progress - lack of a strong partnership between teachers and parents can undo many of their best efforts. The best teachers mix up teaching methods, selecting those that are well researched and widely practiced and becoming an expert in several that fit their style. A Complex Act. No one list can produce a complete and definitive list of the characteristics of great classroom teaching. Danielson (1996) estimates that a teacher makes more than 3,000 non-trivial decisions every day. Teachers must think fast on their feet and be highly knowledgeable, while all the time appearing effortless and seamless in their practice. Sources BBC: 'Teacher stress levels in England soaring; data shows' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-31921457 Standford News: 'Perseverance key to children's intellectual growth, Stanford scholar says' http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/april/dweck-kids-potential-042915.html UCLA: Applying Cognitive Psychology to Enhance Educational Practice http://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/research.html Danielson, C. (1996). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. itnmark education