Exploring the Attributes of a Great Teacher
Successful teaching is not based on a single tried and tested formula. It can well be said that teaching is an amalgamation of so many factors that contribute to its efficaciousness. That’s why we perhaps find it very difficult to answer a question (which has rather lingered for a long time) – Who is an ideal teacher? (Or for that matter, what are the best teaching practices?). There is no one factor attributable to a great teacher.
So, what exactly are the factors that play a major role in determining whether you are under the guidance of an efficient coach or not? We will find out in the course of the post.
How well does the teacher know his subject?
This is one crucial question which one needs to ask. There is an immense scope for the student to unravel the answer to the question gradually. It has been found that the best of teachers have an in-depth understanding of their subject and anything less than that affects your learning in a major way. Even teachers can seek help to improve their areas of weakness.
How well does the teacher understand the student’s learning pace and needs?
The teacher should also develop an understanding about factors dominating a student’s learning curve. The teacher needs to understand that the quality of teaching is deeply affected by the student’s learning capacity as well. How exactly can you go on to say that you teach well when your student cannot benefit from what you’re teaching? Are you willing to adjust your methods of teaching in alignment with your student’s learning curve? Quite obviously, there are definite institutional handicaps on the way. You probably cannot overlook the importance of finishing the curriculum on time (adjusting your teaching methods to each and every student’s needs can turn out to be cumbersome in that case). So, you have to come up with a holistic teaching approach designed to meet students’ needs. Find out what kind of fine tuning you need to do for that.
What he shouldn’t do
Undeserving praise can often end up doing more harm to students instead of doing them good. For instance, if you treat a child’s failure with utmost sympathy instead of anger or required reprimand then the child might as well be conditioned to think that he has failed owing to his lack of capability – a belief which hinders growth in a major way.
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