Effective Teacher

Learning the basic skills necessary for you to become an effective educator can be especially difficult for a first year teacher. Becoming an effective teacher takes practice and special guidance from mentors and administrators. Effective teaching does not involve presenting your exciting lessons or activities to the class, it is a craft learned over time. Effective teaching is a teaching philosophy that can distinctly change given the situation. For example, a classroom with five students is a much different situation than addressing a class of forty students. Having the skills and abilities necessary to become an effective teacher will allow you to craft your lessons and teaching style to accommodate any size of class. Characteristics of an effective teacher: 1. Positive expectations 2. Enthusiasm 3. Effective classroom manager / Organization 4. Ability to design lessons and activities 5. Rapport with students Effective teachers should have high expectations for their entire class. Whether a student constantly makes hundreds on tests or a fifty, each student should be given positive reinforcement in class. Effective teachers should exhibit positive expectations to ensure each student believes they can excel. Transmitting positive reinforcement by telling each student they have high abilities and are a capable learner will allow students to excel to their highest abilities. In addition, setting positive expectations in the classroom will help students who do not have proper motivation and support at home. Effective teachers should always exhibit enthusiasm in the classroom. Enthusiasm will allow your students to be interested in class discussions and classroom activities. Effective teachers should speak in expressive ways, not a monotone style. In addition, gestures with arms and constantly moving around the classroom will allow your students to be interested in the classroom discussion. Effective teacher should also maintain eye contact with their students at all times. Educators need to have proper classroom management skills in order to be effective teachers. Classroom management is not about disciplining your class, it deals with how to effectively manage the classroom. Classroom management deals with how to take roll, keep an effective grade book and how to discipline students. One of the most important skills for an effective teacher to master is how to design and implement lessons in the classroom. Designing lessons involves how to cater the needed curriculum into discussions, activities and assignments. In addition, an effective teacher should also be able to evaluate whether or not their students mastered the lesson. An effective teacher should always establish rapport with their students. Establishing interpersonal relationships with students is crucial to form a trusting bond with each student. Effective teachers should be available outside of class to answer questions and provide additional help to students. In addition, an effective teacher should show tolerance to differing points of view during class.

THE EFFECTIVE TEACHER

Leo R. Sandy

There are several dimensions taken together in varying levels of degree that embody the effective teacher. Since teachers range from preschool through post secondary levels, and are unique people, no two teachers will have the same combination nor will all of them be present in every excellent teacher. There are also qualities that effective teachers have that may not be included here. I invite others to add to the list. Perhaps the most important quality of an effective teacher is that she be a learner . Paulo Freire refers to this role as "teacher-student" because the teacher presents the material to the students for their consideration, and reconsiders her earlier considerations as the students express their own. The effective teacher, then, is one who extends a cordial invitation to her "student-teachers" to enter into a dialogic relationship with her and the subject matter. The effective teacher must be a leader who can inspire and influence students through expert and referent power but never coercive power. This teacher knows his subject well and is kind and respectful toward his students. He also has high standards and expectations coexisting with encouragement, support, and flexibility. This teacher empowers students and gets them to do things of which they did not think they were capable. This teacher has students who surpass him. The effective teacher is a provocateur who probes, prods, asks incessant why questions, poses problems, throws curves, plays "devil's advocate", and stimulates frustration and conflict all in an attempt to "bust bubbles and plant seeds" so that tidy and stereotypical explanations are unmasked and discarded. The effective teacher exemplifies what Maxine Green calls teacher as stranger . By keeping students at a healthy emotional distance, this teacher can, through continuous reflection, employ greater objectivity in her ability to balance the needs of individuals with the needs of the class as a whole. This allows the teacher to not only determine what those needs are but also how they can be accommodated to by innovative approaches. The effective teacher models enthusiasm not only for his subject but also for teaching and learning in general. By showing exuberance, a positive attitude, excitement, and passion, the effective teacher makes it clear to his students that he would prefer to be nowhere else. Effective teachers value their craft and project this value to all in their presence.

The effective teacher is an innovator who changes strategies, techniques, texts, and materials when better ones are found and/or when existing ones no longer provide a substantive learning experience for her students. This teacher also employs a combination of lecture-discussion, simulation, service learning, cooperative learning, visual media, role-playing, guest speakers, and debates, and whatever is age and grade appropriate in order to accommodate diverse learning styles and to present the subject from different angles to facilitate insights and connections. This teacher values and uses students' ideas about how to enhance their own learning. The effective teacher is a comedian/entertainer who uses humor in the service of learning rather than as a distraction from it. The effective teacher is a coach or guide who helps students to improve on their skills and insights. By neither letting them flounder nor prematurely offering assistance, the effective teacher enables students to own their own successes and to learn from their mistakes. By returning the students' work promptly with constructive comments, and by being available for assistance, the effective teacher helps students to develop responsibility for their own learning, or to become what is known as self-reliant. The effective teacher is a genuine human being or humanist who is able to laugh at herself and the absurdity in the world without being cynical and hopeless. She is a person who can self-disclose so that her students will see both her virtues and imperfections. By being a down-to-earth person, the effective teacher helps her students develop the will, courage and hope to fulfill their own potential as human beings. The effective teacher is a sentinel who provides an environment of intellectual safety in which opposing ideas can be aired without fear of censure or retribution. This teacher can express his opinions and beliefs while taking care to distinguish fact from opinion. His students feel free to express their views with equal ease even if those views are at odds with those of the teacher. The effective teacher is an optimist or idealist who firmly believes that without an ideal or mission, there will be no approximation of it. This teacher sees herself in each of her students and feels that her legacy is what she contributes to their development. This teacher achieves a sense of immortality by the positive influence she has on the lives of her students. The effective teacher is one with others . He is a collaborator who places a high value on collegiality. He shares ideas and materials with others, solicits input and involvement by parents, and seeks help from his fellow teachers when he encounters a problem. The classroom walls in this teacher's room are thin.

This teacher is effective because she aspires to all these qualities and more. She values truth more than certainty and the rightness of a cause more than personal popularity. As this teacher attempts to change the world, she transforms herself and others in the process. Thus, the effective teacher is a revolutionary because she knows that, with the exception of parenthood, her role is the most vital one on earth in the preservation of the sanctity of life and its natural outcome - the elevation of humanity .
. Sense of Humor A sense of humor can help you become a successful teacher. Your sense of humor can relieve tense classroom situations before they become disruptions. A sense of humor will also make class more enjoyable for your students and possibly make students look forward to attending and paying attention. Most importantly, a sense of humor will allow you to see the joy in life and make you a happier person as you progress through this sometimes stressful career. Humor in the classroom is one of the most effective tools you have in your teaching arsenal. It can diffuse tense situations. It can make you appear more human to your students. Even if your jokes fall flat, students will still appreciate your attempt. With that said, sarcasm is an area of humor that can really create more problems. Many students will not understand that your sarcastic remarks are only meant in jest. It is probably best not to use sarcasm at all, but if you do be very cautious. 2. A Positive Attitutude A positive attitude is a great asset in life. You will be thrown many curve balls in life and especially in the teaching profession. A positive attitude will help you cope with these in the best way. For example, you may find out the first day of school that you are teaching Algebra 2 instead of Algebra 1. This would not be an ideal situation, but a teacher with the right attitude would try to focus on getting through the first day without negatively impacting the students. The first day of school! Students are ready, and despite their own denials, eager to learn. Most of them will approach the new year with a desire to do better. How do we keep this eagerness alive? Teachers must create a safe, positive classroom environment where an expectation of achievement exists. Use the following tips to help begin your year positively. 1. Be at your door from day one. Students need to find you ready to greet them and excited about the new year. 2. Smile! If you are not happy to be in class, how can you expect your students to be happy? 3. Do not complain to the students about how many of them are crammed into your classroom. Be welcoming to all, even if ten of them have to sit on the floor for the time being. Everything will be worked out eventually, and any student who is made to feel responsible for the administration's poor planning may feel unwanted for the rest of the year.

4. Have work ready for the first day. Have a warm upand agenda on the board. Students will quickly learn your expectations while getting the message that learning will take place everyday in class. 5. Learn students' names as quickly as possible. One technique is to pick out just a few and know them for the second day. Students will be surprised at how 'with it' you are. 6. Make your classroom a safe place for all students. How do you do this? Create a prejudice-free zone. I use 'The Box' in my classroom. I tell every student that they each have an invisible box right outside my door. As they walk into class, they are to leave any stereotypes and prejudices they hold in their box. I humorously say that they will be able to pick these nasty thoughts and feelings up again when they leave the class for the day. However, while they are in my classroom, everyone will feel safe and accepted. To reinforce this idea, anytime a student uses a derogatory slang term or makes a bigoted remark, I tell them to leave it in 'the box'. What is amazing is that this has really worked in my classes. Other students quickly become involved, and if they hear their classmates making inappropriate comments, they tell them to leave it in 'the box'. One student even went so far as to bring in an actual shoebox for another student who could not control his stereotypical speech. Even though it was meant as a joke, the message was not lost. This example brings out one of the major benefits of this system: students become much more aware of what they are saying and how it affects other people. The importance of setting a positive tone at the beginning of a new school year cannot be stressed enough. Despite their grumblings, students truly want to learn. How many times have you heard students speak disparagingly about classes where they sit around and do nothing all period long? Make your classroom a place of learning where your upbeat, positive nature is reflect

K -12

The Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines has been officially started. It has been initiated by the Aquino administration where students will have to undergo a new system of education. This program will require all incoming students to enroll into two more years of basic education. Thus, the K+12 System will basically include the Universal kindergarten, 6 years of elementary, 4 years of junior high school with an additional 2 years for senior high school.

Moreover, the program aims to uplift the quality of education in the Philippines in order for graduates to be easily employed. The program also aims to meet the standards required for professionals who would want to work abroad. Most importantly, the system aims to fully enhance and develop the students in order for them to be well-prepared especially in emotional and cognitive aspects. Through this, graduates will be able to face the pressures of their future workplace. However, not all are in favor of the K+12 Education. There are students complaining of the additional years and there are parents who are not in favor of the additional expenses. But indeed, it is an undeniable fact that additional years in the education system will really require more budgets not just from the government but from the parents as well. Aside from this, students will need additional classrooms, school supplies and facilities. The program would need more qualified teachers as well. I personally believe that the K+12 Education in the Philippines would uplift the quality of lifestyle of the Filipino people. But, this could not be done without being prepared. And since the program has already been implemented, what is more important now is for students to do their best and study despite of the lack of facilities. Nothing is impossible when we persist. As for teachers, continue to teach with love and love what you teach despites of your own personal triumphs and economic crisis. Always remember that the future of the students depends upon you. As for the parents who have been doing their best in pursuing their childs education, remember that the program aims whats best for your children. It will help your children to become globally competitive and if your children will succeed, you will also succeed.

There may be a lot of factors to consider for the K+12 Education to succeed. But as long as we open our minds to change and we will take it on a positive way, we will definitely attain our most-aspired educational standards which will play a great role in our countrys development and will therefore, uplift us from poverty.

BINABAGO ng panahon ang Sektor ng Edukasyon sa Pilipinas. Isang baong curriculum para sa school year 2012-2013 ang papasinayaan, na inaasahang pangungunahan ang malalaking reporma sa mga programa sa batayang edukasyon sa bansa. Ang bagong curricula para sa Grade 1 at sa mga estudyante sa first year ay sisimulan sa Hunyo 2012 bilang bahagi ng Enhanced Kindergarten to the 12th Grade (K-10-12) Basic Education Program, ang pangunahing programa ng Administrasyong Aquino upang maitatag ang mga reporma sa sistema ng edukasyon na maghahatid ng mas may kaugnayang edukasyon sa mga estudyanteng Pilipino. Ang phased implementation o bahagiang pagpapatupad ng programang K-to-12 ay nagsimula sa school year 2011-2012 sa pag-alok ng Universal Kindergarten Program, na inoobliga ang lahat ng mga bata na tapusin ang kindergarten bago matanggap sa Grade 1. Ang full implementation o buong pagpapatupad ng programa na may karagdagang dalawang taon ng senior high school ay inasahan sa school year 2016-2017. Sa ilalim ng programang K-to-12, ang kasalukuyang 10-taong basic education program na anim na taon sa elementarya at apat na taon sa high school ay palalawigin ng 12 taon anim na taon sa elementarya, apat na taon sa junior high school (Grade 7 hanggang 10), at dalawang taon sa senior high school (Grade 11 hanggang 12). Ang pagbabago sa 12 taon sa basic education curriculum ay inaasahang magpapaangat sa kagalingan ng estudyante sa English, Math, at Science at maiihanda sila sa kolehiyo. Ang mga estudyante ay maaaring mamili ng espesyalisasyon mga kurso sa sining, palakasan, agrikultura, technical-vocational sa karagdagang dalawang taon. Isang tampok ng bagong curriculum ay ang pagpapasok ng mother tongue-based teaching, kung saan ang mga estudyante sa Grade 1 hanggang 3 ay tuturuan sa kanilang katutubong wika. Ang Department of Education ay nagdedebelop ang mga materyales sa pag-aaral sa mga pangunahing lengguwahe sa mga rehiyon sa bansa upang lalong magiging interesante sa mga estudyante. Ang malaking bahagi ng tagumpay ng bagong curriculum na K-to-12 ay nakasalalay sa malaking suportang ibibigay dito ng ibat ibang sektor ng edukasyon. Hinihikayat ang mga pribadong institusyon, akademya, mambabatas, mga magulang, at estudyante na suportahan ang programa. Mabuhay!