Wilma C. ObrasWilma C. ObrasPrincipal, Balumbato Elementary SchoolPrincipal, Balumbato Elementary School

The Effective TeacherThe Effective Teacher

To be a fully functioning To be a fully functioning effective teacher…effective teacher…you need to increase:you need to increase: your skills your skills Knowledge and Knowledge and

awareness of your awareness of your real needsreal needs

AimsAims values values and the way you and the way you

perceive your perceive your learning learning environment environment

These are crucial These are crucial because they because they constitute your constitute your problem-solving problem-solving prowess. prowess.

The greater and The greater and more varied more varied knowledge and knowledge and skills, the more skills, the more effective you can effective you can be and the farther be and the farther you can go in your you can go in your career.career.

Your skills as an effective teacher Your skills as an effective teacher can be grouped into three basic can be grouped into three basic categories: categories:

Adaptive skills

Professional skills

Function skills

Function skillsFunction skills

are capabilities that you use for are capabilities that you use for coping with your environment coping with your environment such as planning, organizing, such as planning, organizing, controlling, communicating, controlling, communicating, motivating, developing and motivating, developing and managing. managing.

Adaptive skillsAdaptive skills

are your personal capabilities are your personal capabilities that relate to self-management. that relate to self-management. These include creativity, These include creativity, discipline, dependability, drive, discipline, dependability, drive, persuasiveness, memory, persuasiveness, memory, initiative, resourcefulness and initiative, resourcefulness and perceptiveness. perceptiveness.

Professional skillsProfessional skills

are related to work content. are related to work content. They comprise know-how or They comprise know-how or your ability to use what you your ability to use what you already know. These are your already know. These are your areas of expertise. Your most areas of expertise. Your most important skills are the ones that important skills are the ones that you have used effectively as a you have used effectively as a teacher.teacher.

Being an effective teacherBeing an effective teacher

Now:Now: requires taking on new rolesrequires taking on new roles have a realistic grasp of their have a realistic grasp of their

strengths and weaknessstrengths and weakness are conscious that students are conscious that students

need varied approaches to need varied approaches to learning learning

and are able to incorporate a and are able to incorporate a wide range of strategies and wide range of strategies and activities to meet these needs.activities to meet these needs.

Effective teachersEffective teachers

are innovative are innovative teachers who teachers who are open to new are open to new ideas, and ideas, and willing to modify willing to modify their behavior to their behavior to better meet the better meet the needs of their needs of their students.students.

Activity 1.1Activity 1.1

In this activity, you will:In this activity, you will: assess and identify by listing and assess and identify by listing and

analyzing five of your most important analyzing five of your most important achievements as a teacher.achievements as a teacher.

Be as specific as possible in doing Be as specific as possible in doing this task. this task.

From your list, select the two most From your list, select the two most important ones. important ones.

For each achievement, write down For each achievement, write down the factor or factors that motivated the factor or factors that motivated you to perform well in school.you to perform well in school.

Use the above data for your own Use the above data for your own reflection. reflection.

Analyze your achievement that Analyze your achievement that you have ranked as the most you have ranked as the most important. important.

Ponder which among your skills Ponder which among your skills you need to improve and what you need to improve and what new skills you need to acquire. new skills you need to acquire.

In planning to enhance or upgrade your skills to be an In planning to enhance or upgrade your skills to be an effective teacher, keep these points in mind:effective teacher, keep these points in mind:

Who do I know has this particular Who do I know has this particular skill? How can I learn from this skill? How can I learn from this person?person?

What resources will be helpful for What resources will be helpful for my professional development?my professional development?

Are there any training programs I Are there any training programs I can take?can take?

What new experiences will help me What new experiences will help me acquire this skill?acquire this skill?

How can I overcome any hurdles?How can I overcome any hurdles?

Characteristics of an Characteristics of an Effective TeacherEffective Teacher Teachers have an incredible Teachers have an incredible

influence over the path taken by their influence over the path taken by their pupils. Let’s take a peek at these pupils. Let’s take a peek at these definitions of an effective teacher. definitions of an effective teacher. Simply, others would say that Simply, others would say that

a good teacher is a good person a good teacher is a good person a role model, a role model, a good parent a good parent and a good school worker. and a good school worker.

Years back…Years back…

teachers were recognized teachers were recognized primarilyprimarily

for their goodness, and only for their goodness, and only secondarily for their behavior in secondarily for their behavior in the classroom.the classroom.

Teachers are expectedTeachers are expected

to be honestto be honest HardworkingHardworking generous generous friendly friendly and considerateand considerate

And demonstrate qualities in And demonstrate qualities in their classroomstheir classrooms

by being authoritativeby being authoritative OrganizedOrganized DisciplinedDisciplined and dedicatedand dedicated

The early role-mode definition The early role-mode definition eventually gave way to eventually gave way to another definition, which can another definition, which can relate to the psychological relate to the psychological characteristics of a good characteristics of a good teacher…teacher…

Personality/Characteristics Personality/Characteristics achievement/motivationachievement/motivation DirectnessDirectness FlexibilityFlexibility

AttitudeAttitude motivation to teachmotivation to teach empathy toward pupilsempathy toward pupils CommitmentCommitment

ExperienceExperience years of teachingyears of teaching experience in subject taughtexperience in subject taught experience with particular grade experience with particular grade

levelslevels Aptitude/achievementAptitude/achievement

scores on ability testscores on ability test college grade-point averagecollege grade-point average student-teaching evaluationsstudent-teaching evaluations

Using these psychological Using these psychological characteristics…characteristics… to define a good teacher to define a good teacher

represented an attempt to represented an attempt to measure the effectiveness of a measure the effectiveness of a teacher objectively. teacher objectively.

But these standards excluded the But these standards excluded the most important measure of all most important measure of all for determining good teaching – for determining good teaching –

pupils' performancepupils' performance

Studies show…Studies show…

that specific teacher behaviors that specific teacher behaviors had an impact on the specific had an impact on the specific cognitive and affective behavior cognitive and affective behavior of pupils. of pupils.

The term good teaching The term good teaching changed to…changed to…

effective teachingeffective teaching

The New ways of Studying The New ways of Studying Behavior…Behavior…

made the made the student-teacher-student-teacher-student interactionstudent interaction the the focus of modern definitions of focus of modern definitions of effective teaching. effective teaching.

Research focus…Research focus…

shifted from studying shifted from studying teachers to teachers to

studying their effects on studying their effects on students. students.

Being an effective teacher Being an effective teacher today…today…

requires taking requires taking on new and on new and emerging roles. emerging roles.

Their new roles Their new roles now extend now extend beyond the beyond the classroom into classroom into the community.the community.

encourage encourage students to use students to use their personal their personal experiences to experiences to make sense of make sense of classroom classroom content.content.

Being an effective teacher Being an effective teacher today…today…

allow students allow students opportunities to actively opportunities to actively direct their own direct their own learning. learning.

They create a They create a community of learners community of learners by challenging students by challenging students to become independent to become independent problem-solvers and problem-solvers and thinkers.thinkers.

Activity 1.2Activity 1.2

The making of an effective and The making of an effective and competent teacher is an competent teacher is an arduous task. You must work arduous task. You must work diligently and consistently diligently and consistently practice to perfect your craft and practice to perfect your craft and acquire the professional acquire the professional characteristics or personal characteristics or personal attributes that an effective attributes that an effective teacher must possess.teacher must possess.

How effective are you?How effective are you? The following questions will help The following questions will help

you determine whether you have you determine whether you have the makings of an ideal and the makings of an ideal and effective teacher. effective teacher.

Focus and be honest in your Focus and be honest in your answers. answers.

Answer “yes” or “no” to these Answer “yes” or “no” to these questions. At the end of each set questions. At the end of each set of questions, add the number of of questions, add the number of “yes”“yes” of of “no”“no” answers and answers and record in the space provided.record in the space provided.

QuestionsQuestions YesYes NoNoDo you use vivid actions and deliberateDo you use vivid actions and deliberate

influencing strategies to persuade pupils and influencing strategies to persuade pupils and others to produce desired outcomes? others to produce desired outcomes?

2. Do you work effectively with others to 2. Do you work effectively with others to achieve shared goals for achieve shared goals for

pupils and the school? pupils and the school?

3. Are you aware of what others are thinking 3. Are you aware of what others are thinking and feeling? and feeling?

4. Do you understand the meaning of, and 4. Do you understand the meaning of, and reasons for, other people’s behavior? reasons for, other people’s behavior?

5. Are your actions based on the desire for 5. Are your actions based on the desire for each pupil to attain levels of achievement? each pupil to attain levels of achievement?

6. Do you believe in your own ability to 6. Do you believe in your own ability to succeed? succeed?

7. Do you rise up to challenges? 7. Do you rise up to challenges?

QuestionsQuestions YesYes NoNo8. Can others depend on you to accomplish 8. Can others depend on you to accomplish

what you have agreed to do? what you have agreed to do?

9. Are you consistent and fair? 9. Are you consistent and fair?

10. Do you show respect and consideration 10. Do you show respect and consideration

for others? for others?

11. Can you be flexible and adapt to changing 11. Can you be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances? circumstances?

12. Do you set out clear expectations for 12. Do you set out clear expectations for others and hold people accountable for others and hold people accountable for performance? performance?

13. Do you manage pupils to work together 13. Do you manage pupils to work together

effectively and achieve high performance effectively and achieve high performance

levels?levels?

14. Do you demonstrate a passion for helping 14. Do you demonstrate a passion for helping pupils to learn, and act to facilitate this? pupils to learn, and act to facilitate this?