There are good teachers and then there are great teachers, whose legacies are remembered by their students for many years to come.
What’s the difference? Well a good teacher helps learners to achieve gold stars.
A great teacher, however, adds a well-rounded character and life-affirming outlook to academic achievements.
Thankfully, there’s a surefire way to achieve this. All you need is our five-step guide to great teaching.
- Know your stuff
Yes, it seems obvious, but great teachers always have the deepest understanding of their subjects. If gaps appear, learning falters. And this means great teachers are constantly accumulating new knowledge, reading, testing themselves and passing fresh perspectives direct to their class.
- Understand your students
The way a teacher interacts with a classroom has a huge impact on the success of studies. A good teacher takes the time to recognise individual strengths and weaknesses to plan lessons that have the maximum impact for everyone. On top of this, great teachers get to know personalities and interests – with this insight, they can fine tune lessons not only to aid understanding but inspire participation and boost confidence.
- Believe anything is possible
Give up on a student and they’ll quickly give up on themselves. Great teachers go the extra mile because they believe it is always possible to achieve positive outcomes. A teacher’s confidence in their pupils is infectious: it promotes the idea in students they can face challenges and succeed. This is as vital in later life as it is in a maths test.
- Don’t make it too easy
Life isn’t always going to be a piece of cake and it’s best to learn this at an early age. That’s why great teachers never spoon feed or ask for facts to be learned by rote. Learning should be hard at first – this stimulates the brain and sparks interest. A recent study by American professors Elizabeth Ligon Bjork and Robert Bjork, suggested varying the type of tasks pupils are asked to do makes learning harder initially but ultimately improves retention.
- Be a team manager
The world outside the classroom can be messy, and so good management skills help not only to pass exams but get on in life. A great teacher makes the best use of class time and effectively manages behaviour and resources – and with all of this responsibility, they also act as a role model to their pupils.
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