What constitutes good teaching?
(First 3 Pages)
A teacher is much more
than the one who presents to the students a wide range of vocabulary and grammar
structures. He is the one who guides, manages, conducts and facilitates the
learning in a way that adequate conditions for the students to learn are
provided. Bearing this in mind, we come to the conclusion that students are both
the center and the agent in the learning process. Considering, in this way, that
the students are the cores of such a process, the teacher should know them and
know their needs in order to direct his classes more efficiently to this unique
goal. One of the main factors that contribute to such a process and to the
achievement of the goal is a good relationship between teacher/students and
students/students. Affinity, understanding, friendship, respect and empathy are
some basic elements for a good relationship as well as a relaxed and informal
atmosphere, which is known as "rapport".
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The teacher’s interest in the students’ every day life, their reasons for
studying, their progress, opinions and suggestions about the classes, their
expectation and their individual and group needs also provide and enhance the
good rapport.
Equally, the teacher should be open to his students. He should show himself as
an ordinary human being, far from being more important and powerful than the
students. He has both qualities and defects, and can be in a good-mood or a
bad-mood like anyone else but students have to respect him. Here the teacher
must make use of authority but not use of authoritarianism, which are two
separate ideas. The former is when he assumes the responsibility of his position
imposing respect and carrying out his duty while the latter is when the teacher
is arbitrary, makes only his wishes predominate not considering those of his
students.
It is the teacher who has to discover and apply techniques that will contribute
most effectively to reaching the goals and values established by the whole
class. He has to be aware that legitimate objectives of a class demand different
emphasis. Groups generally differ from one another and a group seen, as a whole
has to be studied and understood.
Although trust and motivation should spring spontaneously from the students,
they are both vital for the learning in a classroom and for it to continue
throughout their lives. The teacher’s encouragement as well as a real situation
provided for the students to develop their learning are the elements, which will
allow them to feel more capable of and confident in applying it in life.
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There are three conditions that increase motivation and contribute to an
effective learning: a) goal determination: the goals of the class determined by
the whole group – students feel more responsible, committed and willing to go
ahead in their learning; b) supportive atmosphere in the classroom established
between teacher and students. Every person in the class is seen as an individual
and as a member who belongs to and constitutes the group and helps it to
develop. Students feel secure and respected by the colleagues. There is no fear
or anxiety involved as one’s failure represents a gain; and c) participating
members: every student is seen as a member that does not depend on the teacher
but especially on the colleague since he can be benefited by the other person’s
knowledge, skills and abilities.
The teacher should remind his students that he is the one who can help them to
learn but he cannot learn for them. Apart from motivation and many other
aspects, they may need to find their own strategies to help them get better
results in less time. Learning Strategies are all the ways that a person can use
to facilitate and make the learning process more enjoyable. They can be simply a
way to memorize words as well as ways to learn difficult structures. The teacher
has to help his students to find the best way to study.
And last but not least, the teacher has to have the objectives of a class well
defined. They are the basis of structuring the course and for the learning to
take place. The selection of materials is closely related to them. However, the
materials, activities and techniques are not what are called a methodology; they
are just its means. So, the teacher has to define the methodology, as it is the
corpus of principles on how to conduct the classes to reach the main goal - make
students learn.
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