I.

LESSON #2: THE TEACHER

II. DURATION: 3 HOURS
III. INTRODUCTION:
Teachers as significant persons in the classroom who influence children
Teachers are in a distinct position wherein their actions are impactful to children.
Teachers can educate, inspire and encourage learning that will affect positive changes
among children. In one way or another, an individual learns his lessons not only he has
to, but his teacher plays a great part that motivates him to learn. Children in preschool
education find it hard to trust someone who can take the place of their parents while
they are away from home. Hence, teachers in early childhood education should possess
characteristics that a child can feel secured and loved without compromising the goal of
developing them holistically.
According to National Association for the Education of Young Children, preschool
teachers should possess important characteristics such as enthusiasm and passion for
children. These qualities will enable them to go well beyond enjoying being with children
and will allow them to make a difference to each and every child. In addition, teachers
must possess creativity and flexibility in planning the instruction and adapt the lesson to
the children’s learning styles particularly in teaching science. Teachers must provide
opportunities for children in order to hone their scientific skills and develop their
scientific attitudes.

Essential Qualities of a Great Science Teacher

Teachers must know and masters their subject matter and perform all they can
do to ensure that children are learning. Teachers must be passionate and enthusiastic
in teaching, creative and flexible in planning the instruction which includes preparation
of materials and structured activities that will enable children to engage in the learning
process for the entire period. Also, teachers must seek ways on how teaching could be
effective through considering age-appropriate curriculum and standard-based science
lessons. Moreover, science teachers should:
a. encourage children to engage in science activities at a high level.

b. can identify child’s learning styles

c. be able to bring and apply science lessons to real-life situation

d. observe and understand sensitivities and differences

e. have commitment to continuous professional development

f. modify science plans based on children’s needs.

Good science teachers is committed to keep their science education updated

through taking advantage of professional development programs, trainings and related
opportunities that will enable them to adhere to the latest instructional topics and to
contribute to the their school high-quality standard-based science curriculum. Such
professional development will make science teacher active in the larger science
education discipline. Hence, science education should go beyond the classroom and
ensure to be abreast with latest systematic teaching methods in science.

Teachers’ characteristics in science education are most widely studied

under six headings which include personality, attitudes, experience,
aptitude/achievement, gender (sex), and training as measured by the certificate
obtained ( Ajaja, 2013). One of the tasks of the teachers is to implement science
curriculum which is intended to stimulate learning (Emeruwa, 1985). Teachers also play
major influence on the way children learn and develop science skills. Teachers also
create an impact on children’s lives. The guidance of the teachers given to the children
in the process of learning which includes awareness of what he is learning, the skills
that he is developing and how to apply what have learned is an essential process in
learning science.

However, teaching science does not only limited in the developing science skill,
embedding scientific attitude and learning about science process. A good science
teacher should also know how to establish character among children that can benefit
them in the application of knowledge they acquired and skills they develop in science
lessons. Here are some of the characteristics that a good science teacher should
possess:

1. A science teacher should create learning environment

In the learning environment that the science teacher created, children should
play an active participant as individual and as member of collaborative groups through
inspiring children to ask questions, share their thoughts, to reason out, discuss and
analyse processes involved in solving scientific problems.

2. A science teacher motivates and nurture children’s desire to learn

Teacher should motivates and nurture the desire of the children to learn in as
safe, healthy and supportive environment which may develop compassion and mutual
respect.

3. A science teacher cultivate cross cultural understanding and values diversity

It is necessary for the science teacher to cultivate cross cultural understanding
and teach diversity among children when they encounter differences about physical
attributions which are usually encounter in the discussion about selves.

4. A science teacher encourages children to accept responsibility for their own learning
and accommodate the diverse learning needs of all.
5. A science teacher should display effective and effective management and promote
comfort and appropriate behaviour.
6. A science teacher should provide children access to technology, space and time.
7. A science teacher should effectively allocate time for students to engage in hands-on
activities, discuss and process content and make meaningful connection.
8. A science teacher should design instruction that will enable children to participate in
the learning process.
9. A science teacher should help children to feel that they are valued and appreciated.
What are the effective strategies used by science teachers?

Effective strategies make effective teachers. Strategies are the tools used by the
teacher in order to apply his creativity, flexibility, enthusiasm and passion in teaching.
No matter how good the qualities of science teachers are, if they do not know how to
put it into action or selection of appropriate strategies was not made, teaching and
learning process would not be effective. Science teacher has a special role in bridging
the gap between the different world of science and scientist and the world of preschool
children. Large numbers of researches have investigated the relationship between the
teacher’s behaviour of the teacher and children’s performance. Teachers’
characteristics of considering appropriate strategies to use that will help the children to
learn and enjoy science. Here are set of behaviors that effective teachers employ:

 Clarity: Teacher’s presentation should be clear and understandable. It has clear

initial explanation, logical and easy to follow.
 Variety: Teacher should employ variety of behaviors to motivate children, variety
of learning materials, and questions being raised during the discussion.
 Task Orientation: Teacher should allocate more time on intellectual content
rather than the classroom rules.
 On-Task Behavior: This pertains to the amount of time that the children are on-
task engaged with learning materials.
 Acknowledge Children Ideas: Consider, modify, apply, compare and summarize
children’s ideas can contribute to a positive learning environment and be able to
promote self-esteem.
 Instructional Set: Teacher statements at the beginning of the lesson or at
transition points in the lesson help the children recall their previous experience.

Teachers in the 21st Century

 The word effectiveness when we consider the complexity of teaching is a vague
concept. Some researchers define teacher’s effectiveness in term of the achievements
of the learners. Others give emphasis on the high performance ratings given by the
supervisors. The rest based the effectiveness of the teachers form the comments and
feedback of the children. It is very uncertain how to define, to measure and to validate
the effectiveness of the teacher. However, despite of the complexities that surround the
issue of measuring teachers’ effectiveness, it can be agreed that effective teachers
make an extraordinary and lasting impact on the learners. Nevertheless, researches
have begun to focus on the specific characteristics and teaching process employed by
the most effective in order to understand what teachers do to account the unique needs
and characteristics of the learners (Van tassel- Baska & Hubbard, 2016).
In addition, effective teachers must be great equalizer through investigating in refining
the teaching force and distributing resources that can be of help to address opportunity
gaps among children.

The Effective Teacher in the 21st Century

In order to keep abreast with the changes in education, teaching should
continuously evolve. Transition from knowledge economy brought incomparable
attention to the quality of education system specifically to teacher quality. Within this
continuing shift to a 21 st century knowledge economy, one of the basic factors shaping
the workers is education quality. Thus, it is indeed to understand that the nation with
best school and the school with the best teachers and leaders will own the future.
The world with highly interrelated and demands that young people at their early
age should be career oriented. This, brought changes in educational realm and unique
attention should be given to the teacher’s performance and accountability identifying the
teacher as the most important school factor impacting an individual’s success.
Conceptions are changing with regard to how people learn and what are necessary for
them to know in order to compete in the knowledge economy. 21 st century teachers
must prepare children to meet the world-class standards, diminish achievement gaps
and social inequality.
Framework for Effective Teaching

This framework deals with the major responsibilities or duties performed by

teacher. They aim to give a comprehensive and genuine “performance portrait” of
effective teachers. According to the study of teachers and administrators (Willimas,
2010), teachers perceive that all the essential facets of teacher effectiveness are
included in the framework though demographic factors only plays minimal role in
influencing teacher’s perceptions.

ANALYSIS:

It is claimed that teaching is complicated because it is both an art and a science

(Marzano 2007, 2017). Though teaching as a profession could be exciting it has a risk
as the teacher and children work together to create the art of learning. Hence, teachers
as significant and influential person inside the classroom, must carry the desirable
qualities and characteristics of effective agents in delivering knowledge and creating
learning environment. Such qualities and characteristics of the teachers in the 21 st
century are essentials in bringing educational change through producing globally
competitive and world-class standard career oriented workers.