Week 3 - Future of Education

What makes a good teacher ?

This week we focus on reflecting the facts of what is making a good teacher..?

As the conversations happens with Professor Alex Moor, I realize he is not trying to make any firm points to say these are the facts you should follow to be a good teacher..

I certainly agree as he said while there are common features to be good teachers.. it is highly depend on the context. The good teaching techniques in this class may not be good for another class. It depend on the audience, ability and many factors.

Deborah Britzman said - http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-6209-374-4_4#page-1

"...Learning to teach and teaching itself is a ongoing process of requirement.."

It is the fact.. which I believe as any other discipline teaching is also a process of trial and error..

Professor Points out few common facts to be a good teacher although he really refrain to say particularly

• Lesson plans appropriately
• Good communicator
• Sympathetic to students needs
• Recognize different needs of learning
• Have a good knowledge of area
  

Professor Moor was explaining the three discourses of a teacher - according to his BOOK -

1. Confident craft person -   How we understand teaching , how we reform policies as teaching
2. Developing competencies
3. Reflective practices - trying to challenge what you doing /how you do
   
   
   But part of the expressed facts.. I strongly believe a teacher
    - who is open mind for a change
    - who is giving space for the learner to learn in own pase
    - who is personalizing the individual needs
    - More over.. a person who let the learners to explore the possibilities, creating a a safe environment to fail 
    
   are the good characters I learned from my teachers, not because they gave me those, but because they were not having a room for it I realize these are the factors we need from a teacher..
   
   In addition to what we learnt in the class I would like to show the same question "What makes a good teacher..?" question addressed by 3 Harvard graduates interviewed their faculty members to find out the answer.
   They have come up with common characteristics such as
   

1. Know who the student is, and what they care about.
2. Model how to learn really well.
3. Focus on students; utilize empathy.
4. Establish a personal relationship with students to better engage them.
5. Take your students seriously. Treat them as people capable of sophisticated thought.
6. Be able to think on your feet and improvise
7. Love to learn.
8. Be reflective.
9. Pay attention to how you’re communicating. Tone of voice is important.

Special thank to Ray Ward, Catherine Park, and Kevin Lee who created this document video, which provide a lot insightful information about what how and why to be a good teacher. I really like the teachers explain their ideas and also the reflections from students.
Source -https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/14/11/what-makes-good-teaching