What Does It Mean to Be an Effective Teacher - Example

What does it mean to be an effective teacher? 1. Introduction The importance of teaching, and of how teachers teach in their classrooms, is being recognised as the single most significant factor in a child’s learning. This is because many researches indicate that teacher quality has an impact on student’s achievement. However, knowing that teacher quality affects student’s academic success is not enough as we also need to understand how it works, what exactly is effective teaching and what does it mean to be an effective teacher? This paper examines the difference between an ineffective and effective teacher and its respective impact on student’s performance and achievement. It also tackles the importance of effective teaching and the skills and qualities required to be an effective teacher such as effective communication or verbal ability, reflective teaching, classroom management, ethics and professional qualities. Finally, it concludes with the summary of the research and presentation of the most important facts about being an effective teacher. 2. The Effective Teacher 2.1 The Impact of Ineffective Teacher “Teacher quality has an impact on student achievement” (Johnson, 2002, p.9). Clearly, poor teaching has a profound impact and according to Holland (2004), researchers have found that students unlucky enough to have as succession of poor teachers are “virtually doomed to the education cellar” (p.102). This means an ineffective teacher can essentially destroy a child’s chances of succeeding in school. There is also evidence that the impact of teacher quality is long-lasting, continuing even after the student leaves the teacher’s classroom (English & Bussi, 2008). In addition, regardless of the effectiveness of the teachers in the ensuing years, the student with an ineffective teacher always scored lower on achievements (McCaffrey & Koretz, 2003). A review of the results of study conducted by William Sanders and his colleagues from 1994 to 1997 in English & Bussi (2008) reveals that the most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher (p.68). In fact, teacher quality is the single most influential factor in student achievement and students with an ineffective teacher for at least two years in a row are “unlikely to ever catch up” (Barr & Parrett, 2007). Finally, an ineffective teacher causes students to invest much more time in learning in order to gain the same level of knowledge and achievement, as compared with the effective teacher (Hativa, 2001). 2.2 The Idea of Good Teacher A teacher is an important link between the business, governmental, educational, social, and civic organizations which are in constant need of manpower and the people whom he or she teach to have the proper skills, knowledge, attitudes, habits, and experiences. A good teacher according to Andres (1999) should have competence in the subject being taught, mastery of the techniques of instruction, resourceful and creative, learning, desire to teach, the ability to develop good personal relations, and possesses a proper sense of values (p.76-79). However, “learning to become an effective teacher takes time and practice” (Heath, Potter, & Perry, 1995). An efficient teacher is one who knows what they are doing and doest the right thing consistently. However, effectiveness in teaching is much more than just doing things right because it is measured on the outcome of learning and what students can do because of teaching (Anderson, 2009). The idea of the ‘good teacher’ takes on richer meaning if it viewed as someone who is capable of expressing care and respect, who takes the pupils seriously and finds what is good in his or her pupils. In addition, they should be broad-minded, patient, calm, compassionate, socially aware and dependable (Arthur, Davison, & Moss, 1997). 2.3 Effective Teaching “Teaching is a demanding and complex task” (Harden & Crosby, 2000, p.334). It is important to know that effective teaching can never just be about impressive documentation and being an effective teacher is judge ultimately in terms of imparting knowledge and value that students can comprehend and relate to (Stephens & Crawley, 1994; Harden & Crosby, 2000). Effective teaching involves having a sound understand of how and why certain activities lead to learning, and what factors influence their effectiveness (Kyriacou, 1997). Thus, an effective teacher needs a wide range of subject knowledge and a large repertoire of professional skills (Dunne & Wragg, 1994). Moreover, being an effective teacher means being able to get the best out of your students, measured in terms of educational, psychological and social outcomes (Stephens & Crawley, 1994). Effective teaching is a continual learning process, and each school year brings changes to which competent teachers must adapt (Stronge, Tucker, & Hindman, 2004). These changes can happen in terms of students, curriculum, building issues, colleagues, administrators, finances, health and safety concerns, families, communities, and a host of other influences on the daily lives of teachers. 2.4 Effective Teacher and Communication Teachers make connections with their students, colleagues, and student’s families through words and actions. Effective teachers know their students and how to communicate with them, both individually and collectively. Effective teachers carefully consider their audience when delivering a message and they observe reactions and decide how best to get their point across to different individuals. The connection between teacher effectiveness and verbal ability is not new and well accepted. The ability of teachers to effectively communicate influences the relationships they establish with others, the clarity of explanation to students, and invariably, student understanding and achievement (Strong et al., 2004). 2.5 Reflective Teaching and Effective Classroom Management No matter how well a teacher teach, there is always a room for improvement and one way to continually improve according to Killen (2007) is to learn from their day-to-day teaching experiences by becoming a reflective teacher (p.88). It is essential for teachers to reflect on their daily teaching experiences and to make meaning out of the different problems that transpires (Marsh, 2008). Reflective thinking is looking back at something, learning from it, and uses it as a guide in the future. A ‘reflective teacher’ is one who constantly questions his or her own aims and actions, monitors practice and outcomes, and considers the short-term and long-term effects upon each student (Dean, 2000). “Keeping order in the classroom is a teacher’s greatest concern” (Tauber, 2007, p.4). This is because lack of discipline is common particularly in public schools. In fact, disruptive behaviour in the classroom, from excessive talking and interrupting to the more serious defiant and aggressive behaviour is the a major cause of stress and teacher burnout, and one most often reasons for teachers leaving their profession (Konza, Grainger, & Bradshaw, 2001). Classroom management refers to the actions and strategies that are used to maintain order in the classroom (Burden, 2000) and it is not about enduring one more hour with a certain group of students (Marsh, 2008). If the teacher can motivate students, they are more likely to participate in activities and less likely to get-off task and contribute disorder. An effective teacher should be prepared and organized to address the diversity of students. This is because “being prepared is a primary factor in being an effective teacher” (Walker, 2008). The teacher must know the subject he or she is going to teach and will teach the material in a way that will be beneficial to all students. More importantly, he must recognize that students have diverse learning styles, and adjust his teaching accordingly. He or she should establish a cooperative and responsible classroom, encouraging and reinforcing appropriate behaviour, and managing lesson delivery. Motivation is one important part of effective classroom management and it involves more than simply praising a student. Student motivation is affected by various factors including they way teacher provide feedback, the means of assessment, instructional strategies, and many other issues (Burden, 2000). Almost all teachers wish to teach effectively and make learning meaningful for students but they are often frustrated in attaining their goals because of behavioural and academic problems of some students for whom they are responsible. However, effective classroom management does not happen automatically even with proper teacher and student attitudes and expectations in place. How a teacher manages the classroom will have an important influence on whether the most of the time is spent on promoting learning or on confronting management and discipline problems. An effective teacher creates a positive classroom environment by adopting effective approaches to teaching and learning, plans for avoiding disruptions, establish a positive relationship with students, use their knowledge of individual students and the class to develop appropriate strategies for discipline, and sensitive to the influence of factors such as the student seating plan, arrangement for floating classes, and examination schedule (Hue & Wai-Shing, 2008, Marsh, 2008). 2.6 Professional Qualities Teacher effectiveness is not concerned with any particular teaching method” (Westwood, 2008, p.58). It is rather more concern on the way in which teachers operate in their classroom. For instance, the decisions they make, the actions they take, their interactions with students, their presentation skills, and the way they manage the group. Research on teaching suggest that effective teachers tend to reveal that they show enthusiasm, have well-managed classroom, provides students with the maximum opportunity to learn, maintain an academic focus, have high expectations of what students can achieve, business-like and work-oriented. Moreover, they involved all students in the lesson, use strategies to keep students on tasks motivated and productive, impose structure on the content to be covered, present new material in a gradual manner, employ direct teaching procedures when necessary, and use clear instruction and explanations (Westwood, 2008). Qualities expected from an effective teacher according to Whitton (2004) includes being in control of the classroom, ethical, punctual, honest, and transparent when carrying their role (p.53). Effective teachers seem to have something extra that sets them apart from less effective teachers. Something appears to be a positive rapport with, and genuine respect for the students they teach. Effective therefore combines knowledge of pedagogy and knowledge of subject matter together with human relationship skills, judgement, humour, and intuition. Apparently, to be an effective teacher take much more than technical knowledge about instructional procedures as they do much more than teach (Kompf, 1996). Professionalism is about the quality in teachers’ work and indicates different aspects of teaching (Kompf, 1996). It is link to professional standards which identify the various skills that teachers require (Whitton, 2004). For instance, keeping up an ethical code and to be ethically aware, or doing what is right under the circumstance or using one’s professional knowledge in the best way. A distinct characteristic of professional according to (Ramsden, 1992) is that they retain theoretical knowledge on which to base their activities. This body of knowledge is more than a series of techniques and rules but an ordered pattern of ideas and evidence that a professional teacher uses in order to decide on an appropriate course of action from many possible choices (p.9). Effective teachers have certain qualities in common and these qualities serve as a set of ideals providing a basis for continuous development and self-evaluation. Each of these traits belongs in one of three broad categories such as knowledge, ability, or personality, and together they contain the professional qualities of an effective and efficient teacher (Anderson, 2009). 3. Conclusion Teacher’s quality certainly has an impact on student achievement and it can easily ruin student’s chances of succeeding in school. An effective teacher is judge according to the knowledge and values impart to students thus a teacher requires a wide range of knowledge and assortment of professional skills. He or she communicate effectively and use his or her verbal ability to influence their relationship with others. He or she learn from daily experiences in school and observe his or her aims and actions. An effective teacher knows how to manage a classroom and effectively motivates students to participate in activities, establish a cooperative environment, encourage and reinforce appropriate behaviour. He or she is always prepared and organized to address the diversity of students. More importantly, an effective teacher is a professional who creates a positive classroom environment and uses his or her knowledge, ability, and personality efficiently. Considering all the facts about effective teaching and the qualities and skills required to be an effective teacher, an effective teacher has to be first and foremost a professional, a person who can effectively deal with the challenges of his or her profession. 4. Reference List Anderson, G. R. (2009). Achieving Teaching Excellence: A Step-by-Step Guide. U.S.: Gerald Anderson Andres, T. (1999). How to Become an Effective Teacher and Trainer. U.S.: Rex Bookstore Inc. Arthur, J., Davison, J., Moss J. (1997). Subject Mentoring in the Secondary School. UK: Routledge Barr, R. D. & Parrett, W. (2007). Saving our students, saving our schools: 50 proven strategies for helping underachieving students and improving schools. US: Corwin Press Burden, P. R. (2000). Powerful classroom management strategies: motivating students to learn. U.S.: Corwin Press Dean, J. (2000). Improving children's learning: effective teaching in the primary school. UK: Routledge Dunne, R. & Wragg, E. C. (1994). Effective Teaching. UK: Routledge English, L.D. & Bussi, M. G. B. (2008). Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education. UK: Taylor & Francis Harden, R.M. & Crosby, J. (2000). AMEE guide No. 20L The good teacher is more than a lecturer- the twelve roles of the teacher. Medical Teacher, July 2000; 22, 4, UK: Academic Research Library, p. 334 Hativa N. (2001). Teaching for Effective Learning in Higher Education. Netherlands: Springer Heath, H. B. M., Potter, P. A., & Perry, A. G. (1995). Potter and Perry's Foundations in Nursing Theory and Practice. UK: Elsevier Health Sciences Holland, R. G. (2004). To Build a Better Teacher: The Emergence of a Competitive Education Industry. U.S.: Greenwood Publishing Group Hue, M., Wai-Shing, L. (2008). Classroom Management: Creating a Positive Learning Environment. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press Johnson, R. S. (2002). Using data to close the achievement gap: how to measure equity in our schools. US: Corwin Press Killen, R. (2007). Effective Teaching Strategies. Australia: Thomson Learning Nelson Konza, D., Grainger J., & Bradshaw K. (2001), Classroom Management: A survival guide. Australia: Social Science Press Kompf, M. (1996). Changing research and practice: teachers' professionalism, identities, and knowledge. UK: Taylor & Francis Marsh, C. (2008). Classroom Management, Australia: Pearson Education McCaffrey, D. F. & Koretz, D. (2003). Evaluating Value-added Models for Teacher Accountability. US: Rand Corporation Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to teach in higher education. U.S.: Routledge Stephens, P. & Crawley T. (1994). Becoming an effective teacher. UK: Nelson Thornes Stronge, J. H., Tucker, P. D., & Hindman, J. L. (2004). Handbook for qualities of effective teachers. US: ASCD. Tauber, R. T. (2007). Classroom management: sound theory and effective practice. U.S.: Greenwood Publishing Group Walker, R. J. (2008). 12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher. U.S.: Lulu.com Westwood, P. (2008). What Teachers Need to Know About Teaching Methods. Australia: Australian Council for Education Research Whitton, D. (2004) Learning for teaching: teaching for learning / Diana Whitton ... 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2.3 Effective Teaching “Teaching is a demanding and complex task” (Harden & Crosby, 2000, p.334). It is important to know that effective teaching can never just be about impressive documentation and being an effective teacher is judge ultimately in terms of imparting knowledge and value that students can comprehend and relate to (Stephens & Crawley, 1994; Harden & Crosby, 2000). Effective teaching involves having a sound understand of how and why certain activities lead to learning, and what factors influence their effectiveness (Kyriacou, 1997).

Thus, an effective teacher needs a wide range of subject knowledge and a large repertoire of professional skills (Dunne & Wragg, 1994). Moreover, being an effective teacher means being able to get the best out of your students, measured in terms of educational, psychological and social outcomes (Stephens & Crawley, 1994). Effective teaching is a continual learning process, and each school year brings changes to which competent teachers must adapt (Stronge, Tucker, & Hindman, 2004).

These changes can happen in terms of students, curriculum, building issues, colleagues, administrators, finances, health and safety concerns, families, communities, and a host of other influences on the daily lives of teachers. 2.4 Effective Teacher and Communication Teachers make connections with their students, colleagues, and student’s families through words and actions. Effective teachers know their students and how to communicate with them, both individually and collectively. Effective teachers carefully consider their audience when delivering a message and they observe reactions and decide how best to get their point across to different individuals.

The connection between teacher effectiveness and verbal ability is not new and well accepted. The ability of teachers to effectively communicate influences the relationships they establish with others, the clarity of explanation to students, and invariably, student understanding and achievement (Strong et al., 2004). 2.5 Reflective Teaching and Effective Classroom Management No matter how well a teacher teach, there is always a room for improvement and one way to continually improve according to Killen (2007) is to learn from their day-to-day teaching experiences by becoming a reflective teacher (p.88). It is essential for teachers to reflect on their daily teaching experiences and to make meaning out of the different problems that transpires (Marsh, 2008).

Reflective thinking is looking back at something, learning from it, and uses it as a guide in the future. A ‘reflective teacher’ is one who constantly questions his or her own aims and actions, monitors practice and outcomes, and considers the short-term and long-term effects upon each student (Dean, 2000). “Keeping order in the classroom is a teacher’s greatest concern” (Tauber, 2007, p.4). This is because lack of discipline is common particularly in public schools. In fact, disruptive behaviour in the classroom, from excessive talking and interrupting to the more serious defiant and aggressive behaviour is the a major cause of stress and teacher burnout, and one most often reasons for teachers leaving their profession (Konza, Grainger, & Bradshaw, 2001).

Classroom management refers to the actions and strategies that are used to maintain order in the classroom (Burden, 2000) and it is not about enduring one more hour with a certain group of students (Marsh, 2008). If the teacher can motivate students, they are more likely to participate in activities and less likely to get-off task and contribute disorder. An effective teacher should be prepared and organized to address the diversity of students. This is because “being prepared is a primary factor in being an effective teacher” (Walker, 2008).

The teacher must know the subject he or she is going to teach and will teach the material in a way that will be beneficial to all students. More importantly, he must recognize that students have diverse learning styles, and adjust his teaching accordingly.

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