Characteristics of

Effective Teachers
What is the difference

Between the good teacher

and
the effective teacher?
One is a philosophical
question, the other
empirical.
The big picture:

 Teacher as a
reflective
decision-maker
 Teachers make
hundreds, even
thousands of
decisions each
day
 Lesson Planning

 Lesson planning
is not just what
goes into the
“checkerboard
squares” book.
 It goes on all
day and
sporadically into
the night
Lesson implementing

 Lesson
implementing is
what people
usually think of
as teaching
 That’s actually
less than half
the teacher’s
day!
 Evaluating

 Evaluating does 100

more than just 80
give feedback to
60
students; it helps Bill
40
the teacher, too Janie
20 Sam
 After evaluation,
0 Mary
the teacher is

Test one

Test 3
ready to plan
again.
 Four areas of essential
competence for
teachers
 Attitudes that foster learning and
genuine human relationships
 Knowledge of the subject matter
 Theoretical knowledge of
learning and human behavior
 Skills of teaching {presentation}
 Teacher attitudes

 Toward self. “Know thyself.”

 Towards children. Preferences for
some, dislike for others. Self fulfilling
prophecies
 Peers & parents.
Authority/collaboration,
competition/cooperation
 Attitudes toward subject matter.
Enthusiasm helps!
 Subject matter
knowledge
 Pure content knowledge
 Pedagogical content knowledge
 What theoretical
knowledge is needed?
 Theory versus hypothesis.
 Educational theory. What is
most likely to happen in a given
situation?
 Theoretical knowledge is used
to (1) interpret situations and
(2) solve problems
 What teaching
(presentation) skills are
needed?
 Ability to ask different kinds of
questions
 Ability to reinforce certain kinds
of student behaviors
 Ability to diagnose student needs
 Ability to vary the learning
situation to assure involvement