Lecture

U01 Qualities of a Good Teacher Part 1

. Introduction
A. Teaching requires long hours, dedication, and hard work.
B. Teaching means being social and working with others at all times.
C. The best teachers work to create a supportive classroom environment where
everyone works together for success.

. What is a good teacher?

A. Patience is a key virtue of a good teacher.
B. Good teachers need respect for learners, an ability to observe students, an
ability to empathize with the learners in the classroom, and a positive
attitude towards all experiences.
C. Qualities of a good teacher:
1. Be patient.
2. Be flexible.
3. Be respectful.
4. Be observant.
5. Be positive.
6. Be open-minded.

. Patience
A. A good teacher needs to build strategies for patience that will help create
calm, working environment everyone can enjoy.
B. The first key to being a patient teacher is to lose expectations.
C. A lot of teachers get frustrated with students when they experience
expectation violation.
D. Change your expectations from will dos to something more flexible.
E. Be flexible with your expectations to change and adapt as required in the
classroom.
F. To get rid of your expectation violation, take the burden off the students.

G. The only thing that you as a teacher can control, is yourself as a teacher
H. Change the expectations by doing the following:
1. My students will stop talking when I start talking. = I will start the class with a bell to
get students attention.
2. My students will be quiet and listen. = I will say the names of students who are not
paying attention to help them listen.
3. My students will always finish the work. = I will monitor the students and help them
with work. I will help as many students as possible finish the work.
4. My students will understand my instructions. = I will watch my students as they work.
I will repeat instructions for students who have trouble understanding.
5. My students will have fun in this class. = I will have fun in class, and hopefully my
students will have as much fun as I do.
6. My students will love this activity. = I love this activity and will try to communicate
that to my students.
7. My students will like me. = I will show the students that I like what Im doing.
8. My class will always start and end on time. = I will use a signal to get my class
started on time.
9. My lesson plan will go perfectly. = I will change my lesson as needed to help my
students.
10. My students will do this easily. = This activity/lesson should be okay for my students,
and I will watch closely to help any students having trouble.

I. Respect the classroom space and how people work is not something that can
be completely controlled.
J. Know that every classroom is different and act accordingly to show
understanding and respect for learners.

. Conclusion
A. Learning to be an effective teacher by losing some of our expectations is a
good way to build a high functioning classroom environment.
B. Make expectations you can achieve.
C. Understand that classrooms can change, and be flexible.

Lecture
U01-2 Qualities of a Good Teacher Part 2
. Introduction
A. A good teacher works to understand the classroom and the learner in the
classroom.
B. What happens in the classroom can be controlled when the teacher has
expectations that can be achieved.
C. Good teachers have to be creative and flexible to adjust to student needs,
while demonstrating respect for the learner.
D. To make the best decisions, teachers need more information about the
students.
E. Observation of students is one of the most important qualities of a good
teacher.
F. Through observation we can learn to adjust our class, our expectations, our
goals, and our patience with the learning process.
G. Observation is a key aspect of understanding the learner and the learners
role in the classroom.

. Learning to Watch
A. In order to observe students in the classroom, it is important for teachers to
learn to watch what is happening in the classroom.
B. Learning to watch is a two step process for teachers.
1. The first step is learning to watch what is happening.
2. The second part is taking the time to think back and reflect on what has been
observed.

. Observation
A. The first thing a teacher needs to do is to watch for everything that is
happening in the classroom.
B. A little observation could prevent disaster from happening.
C. Careful observation of students will give the teacher a lot of information to
work with.

D. Some of the things a teacher can watch for include:

1. body language like shaking heads, a look of confusion or a look of questioning
2. aha moments when students understand something
3. social interaction between friends and groups
4. smiles and laughter
5. sighs of boredom
6. head shake of confusion
7. non-participation in an activity
8. active participation in an activity
9. how students use language in an activity

E. Being aware of what to watch for when observing students helps teachers to
make decision in the classroom.
F. Students shaking heads or giving looks of confusion can be signs that the
materials are two difficult for students.
G. Observation is a key tool for teachers who would like to make a positive
change in the classroom.

. Observing in a Communicative Classroom

A. To observe, first create opportunities for students to do something teachers
can observe.
B. In an engaged environment thats built on communication, observation can
be done naturally.

. Reflection
A. Reflection is a process that allows teachers to consider the students
thoughtfully and carefully to determine how they are receiving information
and activities in the classroom.
B. It helps to take notes of some of the key observations witnessed during class.
C. When making quick notes during class, consider:
1. Who did you see?
2. What happened?
3. Did it help or distract from learning?

D. These quick reflection questions help teachers to make notes that are
focused and provide information that can be used after class to look more

deeply at what observed student behaviors mean.

E. As you work towards a deeper understanding of your class use the following
questions to think about your experience:
1. What specific students did I observe today?
2. What did I see them do?
3. Why did this happen?
4. How do I think the student felt?
5. I think the student felt this way because.
6. How did the activity effect what happened?
7. How did interactions with other students effect what happened?
8. How did interactions with me or my co-teacher effect what happened?
9. Was this beneficial for student learning? If so, how can I repeat this?
10. Was this harmful to student learning? Is so, how can I change this?

F. Empathy or an ability to understand how students are thinking and feeling is

an important trait for a good teacher to develop.
G. Working to build a better understanding of the classroom helps teachers
work towards making positive changes.

. Conclusion
A. Being a good teacher takes practice, consistency and desire to work to
change or develop relationships with students.
B. Be patient, flexible, and willing to understand your students and your
students feelings as they continue to learn and grow with you.