So, you want to be an effective teacher. But what does this really mean? Being an effective teacher requires passion for the profession, as well as organized and detail-oriented lesson planning. Teachers who make a positive impact on their students, academically or personally, are innovative leaders, optimistic coaches and highly strategic course planners.
The most effective teachers have mastery of the material they're presenting and the ability to invite students to partake in a continuous process of learning. To motivate students, enter each lesson with the goal of encouraging proactive learning. Guide your students to answer your questions about the subject at hand, and help them come up with questions of their own. Encourage students to analyze problems, debate analytically and use reasoned arguments to defend their views--both in school and out. Building a friendly rapport is essential to cultivating a positive learning environment and establishing trust between yourself and your students. Motivate and encourage your students by welcoming them and showing deep interest in their academic and personal goals. If they feel you're invested in them, they'll be more invested in your class and the material you’re teaching.
Effective teaching doesn't mean adhering strictly to a static, prepared lesson plan each class. Whether you have five students or 500, be attuned to the particular struggles that they're having with a topic. Plan each lesson with the grade, age and subject in mind. Incorporate visual, interactive and digital learning platforms to present a subject in contrasting lights. As a teacher, continuously educate yourself, seeking out new texts and materials that may be more instructive or illustrative. Allow your students to offer new insights or ideas that lead conversation into a new direction. What if your class is having unprecedented difficulty with a lesson? Or maybe your students are breezing through a task? Have a plan B in place. You need to be on your toes and ready to change your tactics entirely if they aren't working--or working too well, for that matter! Regularly and thoroughly assess your students' understanding of each unit through assignments, exams, pop quizzes or essays. Effective teachers don't force lessons upon students; they create constructive activities--accounting for different learning styles--around the material.
The most successful teachers have balanced relationships with students. In attempting to nurture each individual, good teachers provide guidance and cultivate emotionally distant friendships in order to remain objective. You can foster individual relationships through office hours after class. Work with your students through additional training or offer them a sympathetic ear if they're having a rough time. But don't be too sympathetic: You need to remain an authoritative, motivational figure. An effective teacher can present his own ideas, confusions and imperfections to his students, making himself both human and approachable. Make sure your students understand that you're working together, not on different teams. Effective teachers help students apply the skills they learn in class to the outside world. They work tirelessly to demonstrate how their subjects--historic, scientific or literary--directly apply to a student's everyday life. You might, however, have a hard time convincing your fourth graders that they'll actually use long division!