Attributes of An Outstanding Teacher

INSIGHT
0318-002
ATTRIBUTES OF AN
OUTSTANDING TEACHER
Good to Great
ICT ACADEMY
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TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 3

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FIRST
WORD
In the future, work, as a consequence
of technology disruptions and innovation
in all fields, is guaranteed to be different
from what it is today.
Several jobs of today will disappear, and
several others will decline. But almost
all pundits predict that the number of
teachers required, globally, is only going
to grow for several more years. Further,
the demands on teachers will be very
different and challenging.
For educationists, teachers and
researchers, this is an excellent period of
opportunities. Being prepared and being
the best is a requirement, so noble and so
exciting, that future generations’ success
depends on teachers of today.
This document, Ten Attributes of an
Outstanding Teacher, the second in ICT
Academy’s Insight series, is a must read
for all teachers including the new comers
who want to make a career in teaching.
LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
Chairman, ICT Academy

InSide
08 Nutshell
10 Story so far
The pecking order
Harappa to Harvard
Story of Skills
Terrific Three
01. Passion
02. Knowledge of the subject
03. Encourage, inspire, and motivate
22 Ten attributes of a great teacher

01. On time every time
02. Let them ‘ask.’
03. Create an interest in the subject
04. Have knowledge of the subject
05. Encourage, inspire, and motivate
06. Give examples
07. Learning objectives
08. Explain the logic
09. Be a mentor
10. Update yourself
34 A few sharp questions
42 Future of classroom
46 New start
47 A few things that didn’t make the cut
48 Meet Dr Opal Mehta
49 Talking heads
57 Survey and ranks
61 Participants

THE GREAT
TEACHER
HIGH
Rising Stars Super Stars

1.9 9.9
Willingness to Learn
Potential Stars
MEDIUM
5.5
Hangars On Fading Stars

1.1 9.1
LOW MEDIUM HIGH

Ability to Learn
Rising Stars: These are tomorrow’s

greats. With practice, the willingness to
learn can increase their ability to learn
Potential stars: They have the ability
to move up to become superstars.
Journeymen: Hangars-on who must
move out and seek other jobs
Super Stars: The evergreen greats.
They have the high willingness and a high
ability to learn.
Fading Stars: Yesterday’s greats. They
are fast losing the drive to learn.
IN A
NUTSHELL
V Pattabhi Ram
is a chartered accountant and an author

They say the profession of medicine comes closest to God. But, forget the
doctors; in the pecking order of reverence the Gurus sail even above the
Lord Almighty!
In India, teaching isn’t a dream job. Most people prefer industry over academia.
Pay is, of course, one of the factors. This disinterest has not stopped passionate
minds from getting into teaching, although the quality of influx remains
a suspect.
With the world stepping into Education 4.0 to be in sync with Industrial
Revolution 4.0, the talk of the town is ‘skills gap’ and ‘improving the quality of
teaching’. Even as the chalk and talk syndrome, famously patented by professors,
is waning, we ventured to find out what attributes are needed for someone to
travel the distance from being a good teacher to becoming a great teacher.
We spoke to 37 heads of educational organizations, 426 professors, and 1206
students to get their views. The findings contain a packet of surprises.
There is, incidentally, a high degree of acceptance between the teacher and the
taught on what mantras can lead to greatness. Apart from laying out few tips for
you, we ask some searching questions, including how would the classroom of
tomorrow look?
Welcome to a voyage of discovery.

1
THE STORY
SO FAR
Can you spare a second, and do a small activity?
Can you close your eyes (please do that)? Now think of the teacher
who taught you English in class VII.
If the person’s face appeared before you, you just realized the power
of a teacher. We all remember our first crush, our first client, and our
first employer. But does anybody remember his second date or the
fourth boss? Fat chance. But you recalled your class VII teacher who
must have been your nth guru. That is the fascinating impact a teacher
creates.
If you are a good teacher, that’s fine. But it won’t do. You must travel
the distance from being good to being great.
THE PECKING ORDER

‘Google’ for the phrase ‘noble profession,’ and what comes up first is
‘teaching,’ and not ‘medicine.’ While we believe that the profession of
medicine comes closest to the profession of god, the popular Sanskrit
phrase ‘Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam’ tells us that teachers are ahead
of God. Why is this the pecking order for reverence? Does a teacher
genuinely have a more significant role than God? The unequivocal
answer is “Yes.” While the parents are the biological creators and
your support in the early days, the teacher is the one who moulds you
as a holistic human being, endowed with worldly-wise knowledge
and wisdom. The pecking order places an astounding amount
of responsibility on the guru. As a teacher, you must live up to
that expectation.

If you don’t trust me, read the autobiographical novel,
To Sir With Love by E R Braithwaite. Here is the storyline.
In London, a young engineer joins a teaching position
in a secondary school. Most of the pupils come from
the marginalized strata of society: under-privileged, and
lacking in motivation to learn. The teacher tries a new
approach and sets specific ground rules. He promises
to treat them as adults and allow them to decide what
topics they wish to study. He suggests extra-mural
activities, including visits to zoos and museums, which
the students have never experienced before. In return,
he demands their respect as their teacher. Over time,
a class of unruly students is transformed into a club of
good citizens. The high point comes when the mother
of one of the girls speaks to the teacher about the girl’s
addiction to nightlife, feeling that he has more influence
than she with her impressionable daughter. The
remarkable story celebrates the power of the teacher.
Do you want more evidence? Let’s take a pop quiz.
At the airport, you run into the man who was your
boss many years ago. You also run into the person who
was your teacher still many more years ago. You have
the choice of moving up to meeting and talking to only
one of them. Who would it be? I have asked this to
several people, and over 90 percent of them plumbed
for the teacher, more so if the teacher has made a lasting
impression on their life.
So, who is a great teacher and what is outstanding
teaching? Let’s turn to Justice Stewart for help. The
Justice famously described his threshold test for
obscenity by saying, “I shall not attempt to define ‘hard-
core pornography,’ but I know it when I see it.” The
same goes for outstanding teaching. Well, that’s from
the 30,000 feet level! With many young Indians turning
to be career-teachers, we must convert this ‘art’ into a
‘science.’ And so we decided to find out what it takes
to be an inspirational teacher. We believe that traveling
from good to great is possible; but being the GOAT –
greatest of them all – will call for class, panache, and
chutzpah.
We spoke to 37 heads of institutions, surveyed 426
teachers, and questioned 1206 students to come with
our list of the TEN most essential attributes. If a teacher
imbibes them as second nature, he should be on the path
to greatness.
But hey hold on. That’s getting ahead of the story.

HARAPPA TO HARVARD
First, let’s look at how education was, down memory lane.
If you were born in India during the ancient Hindu times, you
would have received your primary education at home. At eight
years of age, you would have been packed off to live at the guru’s
house, aka the Gurukula.
The Gurukula was the ancient version of modern-day’s
residential school. The guru-shishya (teacher-student)
relationship was unique. The shishyas were considered equals
irrespective of caste, stayed with their teachers (gurus), and
learned their moorings from him. You carried out the day-to-day
chores of the guru’s family. You learned at your pace, mentored by
the teacher. Based on your abilities, the guru would suggest what
you were to learn and would design tests that you must clear
before elevating you to the next level. From pottery, sculpting
and martial arts to mathematics, trigonometry, and geometry,
you learned almost everything. The teacher taught with the help
of examples, and you learned by hearing. What you heard, you
would assimilate and practice.
Self-realization and character building received utmost
importance. When the teacher was satisfied with your
assimilation of knowledge, he would declare that you could leave
the Gurukula. The upshot of it was that some students finished
their education early, while others finished it late. A guru did not
take any fees from his disciple. At the end of his schooling, the
shishya, as a gesture of gratitude, offered the guru thanksgiving,
either monetary or otherwise.
1000 BCE and 5AD

If you lived during 1000 BC, you probably set out for higher
education to Taxila. There you could, at your choice, learn
literature, science, law, medicine or even military. You saw
teachers given complete autonomy in designing courses. They
would be flexible with course duration according to the student’s
ability. There was no fee as “knowledge was too revered to be
bartered for money!” The State would support your education.
If you were lucky, you could have been tutored by Chanakya or
shared classes with Charaka.
If you were born around the 5th century AD, you would have
seen the fall of Taxila and the blossoming of Nalanda. Unlike
Taxila, Nalanda was very close to today’s universities and had
lecture halls and residential quarters. It also had three massive
multi-storied buildings for a library, which housed thousands
of manuscripts relating to grammar, logic, literature, astronomy,

law, city planning and medicine. Buddhists influenced Nalanda,
and the medium of instruction was Pali. Debates and discussions
formed a prominent part of the teaching methodology. While
both Buddha and Mahavira are believed to have visited Nalanda
during its early years, its star alumnus remains Aryabhatta. The
teacher-student relationship was like that of a father and son.
Nalanda met its Waterloo in 1200 AD.
As India came under the Islamic invasion, it influenced
education too. Madrasas and Maktab became prominent. The
former were higher education institutes, and the latter were
schools. Persian and Arabic were the mediums of instruction.
Education was free and accessible to all. Like the Hindus and
the Buddhists, Islamic system too held teachers in high regard.
Ethics, discipline, and spiritual values received importance.
Patanjali’s work was also allowed to be taught apart from
medicine, agriculture, geography, and administration. Self-study
was encouraged, and teachers accepted emoluments. Similar to
current times, teaching methodology was lectures. The focus of
higher education was manual skills where students specialized
in their chosen field. But slowly education became family affairs,
and citizens moved to private tutors.
The British cometh

It was around this time that India received visitors from Europe
with colonial interests. In 1542, the Spanish congregation,
Jesuits, established Saint Paul’s College in Goa. As Britain set its
rule over India, to kickstart the empire on which the sun once
famously never set, the British education system took root in the
subcontinent and English became the medium of instruction.
Missionary schools grew in number even as more colleges and
universities opened. The Madras University, the University of

Punjab, University of Bombay, and the University of Calcutta
were established by the British. Soon philanthropists and private
players set up their institutions too.
Sometime in the 19th century as the Industrial Revolution
gained momentum, the demands of modern society brought about
a change in schooling. Education began to resemble an industrial-
age factory with mass production and one-size-fits-all teaching.
Today’s ‘Age-based students,’ ‘whole class instruction,’ and
‘standardization,’ are the remnants of the industrial revolution,
and led public education into a “factory model.”
Alvin Toffler captured the essence of this in his now famous
1970 book, Future Shock. Toffler wrote:
“Mass education was the ingenious machine constructed
by industrialism to produce the kind of adults it needed. The
problem was how to pre-adapt children for a new world – a world
of repetitive indoor toil, smoke, noise, machines, crowded living
conditions, collective discipline, a world in which time was to be
regulated not by the cycle of sun and moon, but by the factory
whistle and the clock.
“The solution was an educational system that simulated this
new world. The whole idea of assembling masses of students (raw
material) to be processed by teachers (workers) in a centrally
located school (factory) was a stroke of genius. The administrative
hierarchy of education followed the model of industrial bureaucracy.
The organization of knowledge into permanent disciplines was
grounded on industrial assumptions. Children marched from
place to place and sat in assigned stations. Bells rang to announce
changes of time.
“The inner life of the school became a perfect introduction to
industrial society. The most criticized features of education today
– the regimentation, lack of individualization, the rigid systems

of seating, grouping, grading and marking, the authoritarian
role of the teacher– are precisely those that made mass public
education so effective an instrument of adaptation for its place
and time.”
Today, in 21st century India, education is a big business.
If as a teacher you want to have a skin in the game and win
big, what should you do? What skills should you acquire?
Read further.
STORY OF SKILLS
The triage of knowledge, skill, and ability leads to success. If
you own them you are on the way to glory. ‘Knowledge’ refers
to the theoretical understanding of a subject. It has a set of
rules, procedures, principles, and concepts. For example, while
Is this driving, my car’s tyre bursts. If I know how to fix the flat tyre,
progress? it means I have knowledge. ‘Skills’ are proficiencies developed
through training. Using the flat tyre example, if I have set
Our “knowledge” the tyre several times I have demonstrated skills in that job.
may be doubling, Alternatively, I may never be able to do it, which means I know,
but our skills are but I do not have the skill. We can develop skills through the
halving. Yank away transfer of knowledge and constant practice. ‘Ability’ is the
most peoples’ capability to do something. While skill is learned, an ability is
smartphones, put normally inborn. If I joyfully and effortlessly change tyres, it
them in a field of means that I have the ability for it.
ripe wheat next
to a lactating Some believe that when it comes to teaching, you either have
cow, and they it or lack it. I disagree. I have seen teachers growing on their
would starve to job and turn outstanding. They have worked hard to develop
death. We are skills. Yes, there is a structured way to greatness in teaching.
more helpless We think there are four types of skills that a teacher should
and ignorant than have: (a) Knowledge, (b) Teaching, (c) Parental (empathy), and
we’ve ever been (d) Soft skill.
in the history of
humankind. Is this Knowledge Skills: This means knowledge of the subject,
progress? as also knowledge of the pedagogy of teaching. Teachers must
understand the material that they teach. For example, it is not
PATRICE LEWIS enough for a school math teacher to just know how to perform
basic arithmetic. Remember a calculator can do it. The teacher
must understand numeric relationships to be able to explain
the topic thoroughly.
Teaching Skills: These are a group of teaching acts or
behaviors intended to facilitate students. Some examples are:
excellent communication, creating interest in the subject,
encouraging students to learn on their own, and keeping the
classroom lively and disciplined.
In a large class, great teachers grab the attention of every
student. They can do that because their explanations mix and

match the way different people learn. In fact, there are four
types of learners: auditory, kinesthetic, visual and writing.
Auditory learners remember information best after reciting
it. Kinesthetic learners like to participate in a hands-on
activity. Visual learners want to see data and visualize the
relationship between ideas. The read/write learner finds text
more appealing. Great teachers explain the same concept in
four different ways to cater to all categories of learners.
If you want to become a great teacher do some of these: Give
auditory learners a chance to repeat your points back to you by
asking a question and calling out for answers. Tell him stories
to substantiate an idea. Give the kinesthetic learners hands-on
exercises. Explain to visual learners with charts and graphs.
Show them cause-and-effect. Include drawings and pictures
to illustrate concepts. Use color! Use mind-maps. The read-
write learner needs quiz and annotated handouts to improve
his understanding of a topic. DIFFERENT
Soft Skills: There are ‘hard-skills’ and ‘soft-skills.’ Teachers STROKES
teach hard skills. You watch and imbibe soft skills. “Hard skills “Different people
can be measured, such as typing, writing, math, and reading.” get into teaching for
By contrast, soft skills are harder to quantify and is an umbrella different reasons.
term for people skills, social skills, and personal attributes. The hope is that
Teachers need soft skills because it cannot be read out from more of those
the book. So it is essential that the teachers themselves display who come into
it both among themselves and while dealing with students. this profession
Parental skills: Parents like their kids almost to a fault. They make it their life’s
take ownership of a son’s growth, provide him with access, mission. The sense
mentor the kid, and drive into him the importance of value of satisfaction
and ethics. A teacher must also do the same. from continually
interacting with
vibrant, young,
energetic, optimistic
TERRIFIC THREE students is immense.
We spoke to 37 men and women who in some form head So is the satisfaction
educational institutions. From them we have culled out the of helping them
three hallmarks of high-end teaching. carve successful
careers.”
01. PASSION Dr. Pratibha Jolly

Principal, Miranda
Martin Luther King Jr., famously said, “If a man is called to House, New Delhi
be a street sweeper, he should sweep the streets even as a
Michael Angelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep the streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here
lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”
To win exceptionally, you must have a fire in the belly that
consumes your every waking moment. The reason ‘passion’

gets so much traction is it helps motivate action, and action is what
generates results. Do not forget that teaching is an opportunity to
make a difference in someone’s life. To be insanely successful in
KID AND THE such an endeavor you must put 110% into it, and it’s impossible
COOKIE JAR to do it day after day, without passion!
“When a child is Passion consumes all outstanding teachers. They may be
unable to reach for morons in real life but when they step into a class and teach
a jar of chocolates, students their face sparkles. Like film stars who love the arc light,
with time, it these men and women enthrall in the company of their wards.
starts to look for This love is not about fame or fortune, but a drive to do a job
a stool, thereby excellently well. Consider these two instances to know what is
initiating the basic passion.
problem-solving Dr. William Soans taught two subjects: the strength of materials
methodology. But (which he loved), and engineering drawing (which he disliked).
when the same The difference in the level of success of students in those two
child enters school, courses was unbelievable. The average score in the former was
its entire natural A-plus while that in the latter was B-minus. It was the same
learning ability is teacher, the same IQ, yet dramatically different results. One
rubbed away and could trace it back to the teacher’s love or lack of it for the subject
gets designed he taught.
instead. Outstanding
teachers must be Prof. Antony Sivam, the dark and portly professor with a
able to break out receding hairline, who taught Shakespeare’s The Merchant
of this designed of Venice, would act out the role of Antonio and Shylock, of
mindset.” Bassanio and Portia, as well. He brought the entire drama alive.
Soon he would ask the student to act in the play for a livelier
understanding of what he taught. His enthusiasm was infectious,
Dr. Mohammed
and students were eating out of his hand. Sivam once said, “The
Sameeruddin Khan
Director, Sree Dattha best teachers communicate their passion for the subject to you.”
Group of Educational Moral: if you want to win incredibly, be insanely in love with
Institutions, Hyderabad your job.
While you cannot fake passion, all of you may not get lucky
enough to teach the subject of your choice. Many of you will
be forced to handle papers that are outside your core interests.
Good teachers don’t let that fail them. They find ways of getting
interested in it and make it interesting for the students. For sure,
it requires a little more work, a little more imagination, and some
bit of acting ability. But in the end, the famed teachers do it. The
best ones make learning interesting, exciting, and essential.
In retrospect, unless you have uncontrollable passion, you will
never stand out in a crowd. It is this deep desire that makes a great
teacher get out of bed every morning, and run to the classroom,
wanting to give out his very best. You may sometimes not get it from
day 1 or even after a thousand tries. “Just like choosing a spouse,
it’s not accepting someone who makes you happy all the time; it’s
picking somebody who you want to be with even when they’re
cheesing you off.” That’s what outstanding achievers believe in.

Dream of being the best. Master the topic. You don’t have
to fall in love with the subject. That will happen over time.
Build from scratch, brick-by-brick, until after years of toil,

it stands out like the Burj Khalifa, an incredibly tall tower.
Visualize. Imagine these boys who in later years throng

you for selfies just like they would throng a movie star.
That should set the adrenalin flowing.
02. KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT

The outstanding teacher has sound, not ephemeral, subject
experience, at a level that is at least thrice that of the best
student in the class. This knowledge is both regarding the
‘depth’ and the ‘breadth’ of the subject. His depth helps him
solve equations far more effortlessly than what is laid out in
the textbook and his breadth helps him explain concepts in a
layman’s language.
Such knowledge comes through constant reading and
updates.
Updating on an ongoing basis is a terrific challenge because How much data
the quantum of knowledge in the world is growing at a frenetic does Google
pace. handle? Well, how
many stars are
The concept of knowledge doubling was the brainchild of there in the sky?
R B Fuller. In 1982, in his famous book, Critical Path, Fuller Or how much sand
wrote that if we took all the knowledge that humanity had is on the beach?
accumulated by the year 1 AD as equal to one Knowledge We all know
Unit (KU), it took 1500 years for that to rise to 2 KU. The next Google is the
doubling took 250 years, such so that by 1750 we had 4KU. By only one who can
1900, it was 8 KU. The pace at which information rose two fold answer any kind
was getting faster and faster. I thought that today knowledge of question! We
grows 100 percent every third year until I read David Schilling, simply conclude
who says that the build-out of the ‘Internet of Things’ will lead that Google
to the doubling of knowledge every 12 hours. Frightening! knows everything!
Navigating this steep learning curve can be tough. Someone said that
Remember, the knowledge that drives your field will have by last count it
changed significantly by the time you start the job won via was 15 exabytes,
your degree. And that applies to the Ph.D. as well. the equivalent
of 30 million
Great teachers learn without bothering about whether it has
computers.
short-term benefits. They believe that the process of learning
anything strengthens their capabilities for learning something
new. They challenge their mind by handling subjects outside
their specialty like teaching a chemistry class, while being

a physics teacher. It sharpens their skills. Most importantly,
they realize that their Ph.D. is not a finishing line; it is only
the starting point for more learning. If you walk down the
path of life-long education, you will thrive in a world of vuca
(Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) that
others find overwhelming.
List out your learning goals: the specific certifications

you want to pick, the skill sets you wish to imbibe.
Read publications in your field and also read about topics
outside of your area of expertise.
Experiment with new processes of teaching.
Take seminars, attend conventions, work with a mentor,
socialize, and travel.
LEARNING
03. ENCOURAGE, INSPIRE, AND
JAPANESE
MOTIVATE
“Any subject The third critical canon for exceptional teaching, says the
when taught using university honchos is to “encourage, inspire, and motivate
applications becomes students.” Both the teaching community and the student
interesting. I studied fraternity consider this as amongst the most critical attribute
150 Japanese words of a great teacher.
in 3 weeks. I could do
it because the teacher “Motivate me,” says the student force. Effectively they are
associated images with saying, “Create the processes that arouse enthusiasm in me to
words. Those words put high levels of effort towards achieving my goal.” It looks
helped me board trains, like teachers have realized this vacuum and are trying to fill it.
go to restaurants to “We will do it,” seems to be the war cry.
buy food, and get along Motivation does not mean that the student is psychologically
with people. As such, down in the dump and wants you to uplift his mood. It means
to learn a new language he is looking for a motive to learn better and perform better.
is difficult for many
people, and Japanese When you create interest in the subject, it motivates a
has three scripts: student to perform better. When you tell a student why a topic
Hiragana, Katakana, and is important, it drives him. These are examples of internal
Kanji. I could still learn motivation, the equivalent of Theory Y. From a teacher’s
only because of the perspective applying intrinsic motivators require extensive
teaching methodology.” knowledge of individual students. When you realize that you
need a GMAT score of 750-plus to get into a top university,
it motivates you to become scholarly. If you will get a prize
Dr. Abdul Qadir A
for doing well in a class test, it’s another example of external
Rahman Buhari
Chairman, BS Abdur motivation. These are based on reward and punishment and
Rahman Crescent Institute are like management’s Theory X. From a teacher’s perspective
of Science & Technology, applying extrinsic motivators often do not require extensive
Chennai knowledge of individual students.

You must know how to motivate different types of learners. FRICTION AND
A ‘deep learner’ responds to the challenge of mastering a INNOVATION
tricky subject. These are internally motivated students who are
a joy to teach! ‘Rewards’ motivate a ‘strategic learner.’ He reacts Recently, I was at an
well to competition and the opportunity to best others. They Innovation exhibition
score high, won’t trouble themselves too much with learning in an engineering
a subject unless there is a prize for it. A desire to avoid failure college. A 1st year
motivates a ‘surface learner.’ He will do just that much to pass student schooled
an exam. Handle him by helping him gain confidence in his in Tamil medium
ability to learn and perform. exhibited a small race
car prototype, and
What’s the difference amongst encouragement, motivation, explained friction and
and inspiration? Consider the story of Alex Guha. vibration with élan. He
Alex is working on a problem and has got stuck. You watch learnt about friction
him and say, “You can crack it, Alex. Go ahead.” In effect, you and vibration from
are encouraging Alex to achieve something. You are providing school teachers, and
him confidence and hope. Now suppose, Alex wants to his physics teacher
postpone solving the problem. You tell him, “Alex, if you can from college explained
crack it today, you won’t have to wake up early tomorrow.” about cars and friction.
In effect, you are motivating him, by providing him with He then googled and
a ‘motive’ to do it. Suppose as a teacher you are punctual, made this prototype.
crack difficult questions with ease, and your research papers We should allow
are regularly published. Watching that students get inspired. students to discover
They want to look at you as a role model. Great teachers are their own examples.
therefore brilliant motivators and wonderful inspirations.
They can give students them the sense of belief, confidence, Dr. Sheela
and encouragement. Ramachandran
Former Vice Chancellor,
“Motivation is when you get hold of an idea and carry it Avinashilingam Institute
through to its conclusion, and inspiration is when an idea gets for Home Science and
hold of you and carries you where you are intended to go,” Higher Education for
says Wayne Dyer. Women, Coimbatore
Deliver your presentations with infectious enthusiasm.

Use appropriate examples to help students grasp it.
Know the students’ concerns and background.
Keep telling students how much they have improved.
Conduct tests to understand what students have mastered,
not what they have not.
Be lavish with praise and constructive in criticism.

The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward

2
10 ATTRIBUTES
OF A great
TEACHER
What did the 426 teachers and the 1206 students from the
195 engineering colleges tell us? We asked them to assign scores
to 26 parameters such as knowledge, access, interest, motivation,
mentoring, ownership, humility, ethics, humor etc. Here’s our
finding.
RANK
1
ON TIME Overall 1
EVERYTIME Students 1
Incredible, but true. “Starting a class on Teachers 5
time, and finishing it on time,” is the number
one trait that students see in outstanding gurus. That’s a shocker
given that some of these teachers with IQ that
gets them entry to the Mensa club are
notorious for being late. Interestingly,
gurus as a class still consider
punctuality significant enough for it
to appear fifth in their list of critical
attributes.
History records that great men
have been a stickler for time.
President George Washington is a case
in point. If he called for a meeting at

noon, he walked in just as the clock struck twelve. Once
when Washington’s secretary arrived late and blamed his
Incredible watch, the president replied, “Then you must get another
Japan watch, or I another secretary.” Touché.
In Japan, the Remember, by being on time, you show integrity. If

you tell your students the class will start at 9:10, you
average annual have made them a promise, and you must stay true to
delay per your word. If you arrive at 9:15, you have broken that
operational train promise. Let’s look at it in another way. When you turn
is 0.9 minutes (54 up for a class 5 minutes late, you are stealing the time of
each one of those 60 students. In effect, you are robbing
seconds), which 60 x 5 = 300 minutes, or 5 hours. And if it is a class
includes acts of of 300, you are taking 25 hours off them. Most great
god. In India, in teachers understand this.
June 2016, the A late-Kate syndrome strains the relationship because
average National you make your wards feel under-valued. Also, you are
Train Delay setting a wrong example. Later when these boys and
girls work in the industry, being on time is important.
Index was 35.03 Well, punctuality may not be particularly sexy, but
minutes. being late is neither fashionable nor an indicator of a
well-groomed person.
And lest we forget, just as great teachers start a class on
time, they also finish it on time!
be punctual
Make it a habit: Go by the rule that being late

is not an option. Anticipate delays and deal with them
beforehand.
ABC your tasks: Organize your to-do list and set

timelines to finishing it.
Shoot to arrive early: Set a timer. Aim

to come 10 minutes sooner so that even if you face
unexpected delay, you would still not be late! If you
arrive early, use the time to do something productive.

2 LET THEM
‘ASK.’
RANK
Overall 2
Students 2
The second most important attribute of a great teacher is
that he allows students to ask questions, silly or otherwise. Teachers 2
Both the teaching and the student communities have
voted this as second in the pecking order. A great teacher
doesn’t snub or downplay students for raising ‘stupid’ or
‘irrelevant’ doubts.
To question, and to be curious, are the two keys to learning.
Even Albert Einstein, voted by Time magazine as the most
influential personality of the 20th century asked endless
questions.
Watch a five-year-old ask hundreds of questions, moving
seamlessly from one to the other. What? Why? How? When?
Who? Which? But as she grows up, our education kills her
curiosity. She does not want to annoy her teachers with Even
questions they would find hard to answer. Also, there is very
little space in our system to ask the teachers, because they are
busy giving out the answers!
Einstein
“Do you want to test my knowledge?” “Have you come here asked
to write the exam and pass it, or are you here to research the
subject?” bombards the average guru. So, eventually, students
slow down on asking. Great teachers aren’t like that. In fact, if
questions
they do not know an answer, they say so, and then find it out
in the next 24-hours.
We must not let the interest in a child die. A classmate of
mine once told me, “It is good to stand up in a classroom and
ask a question and be counted as a fool for five minutes than to
never ask the question, never know the answer, and be a fool
forever.” Very true.
So what do great teachers do? Do they answer every question
that a student poses? “No.” It depends on the type of question:
thin, or thick.
A ‘Thin’ question is Google-able. Examples are: Which is the
capital of India? Who is the president of the United States?
The ‘thin’ queries are: Who? Where? Which When? Yes or
No? In contrast, a ‘Thick’ question requires thought and often
doesn’t have a right answer. Example: Why did India embrace
market economy? How did the oil embargo happen? What
might have happened if Lord Dasaratha had not banished
Rama to the forests? What would you have done if you were
there at the sight of the accident? The ‘thick’ queries are: Why?
How? What?

Let’s contrast the thick from the thin
questions. ‘Thin’ is about facts plus opinion.
‘Thick’ is about opinions. What is 3D printing?
What is AI? These are ‘thin’ questions? How
can 3D printing benefit colleges? How can AI
make a difference to our learning process?
ask These are ‘thick’ questions. Had Newton not
asked why the apple fell, we wouldn’t have
the law of gravity. Allow the kid to ask:
a) What if the sun were half as big
Tape one session and play it back, b) What if all of us jumped up at the same
for you to get a feel of how your speech moment
sounds! c) What if we designed the perfect drug?
When a student asks a ‘thin’ question what
Come well prepared for the would you, a teacher, do?
class, so that you can be confident to a) It is not in the syllabus,
take any question. b) Give him the answer,
c) Ask him to Google for it.
Apparently, the first answer will not wash.
If you do not know an answer, Option (b) is okay, but option (c) is the best
acknowledge it, and find out the as you help the kid pick up the art of self-
solution on the following day. learning. In life, as he moves up, a student
will have to do a lot of self-learning.
3 CREATE AN INTEREST
IN THE SUBJECT
RANK
Overall 3
Students 5
Making students interested in a subject is
always a challenge. I may not have the flair for Teachers 3
Engineering Drawing. Or, I may intuitively dislike
Circuits. So how does a teacher make me interested in the subject. After all,
it is interest that spawns more learning. Also
many other things can distract me; concentration
troubles, family problems, emotional difficulties,
learning disabilities, etc. Sometimes it’s just plain
boredom – not everything is about fun all the time.
The great teachers explain the big picture, outline
why it is important from a career angle, and then
teach the concepts with live examples, and easy to
use numbers.
Another way to create interest is to tell stories.
Here’s one on the Archimedes principle.

One day, King Hiero decided to place a gold crown in a
temple. He weighed out a precise amount of gold, gave it
to a goldsmith, and asked him to make out a wreath. The
goldsmith did as ordered, and the wreath weighed precisely
as much as the gold that the king had given the goldsmith.
A few days later the King heard rumors that the goldsmith HEY, COME TO
had mixed silver with gold and hence the wreath was
THE BOARD
impure gold.
The King was furious. He asked Archimedes, a young man “In my first statistics
of 22, to find the answer. class, I ask people to
come to the board and
The following day, pondering over the king’s problem, put out how many keys
Archimedes stepped into a tub of cold water for his bath. they have on hand. I
As he began to lower himself into the water, the water in the physically verify it. We
tub started to spill out. The more he sank, the more water then draw the lines
ran out over the sides of the tub. That moment he cracked and convert it into a
Hiero’s problem. frequency distribution.
He was so excited that he jumped out of the tub and ran Only after that, I explain
without remembering to put his clothes on, and shouting to them terms such as
‘Eureka, Eureka!’ – which in Greek means, ‘I have found it! mean, median, mode,
I have found it!’ skewness, and standard
deviation. That way
What Archimedes had discovered was a method for it stays in their mind
measuring the volume of an object. He realized that an forever.”
object, when immersed in water, displaced an amount of
water equal to its volume. He could measure the weight
Dr. M Xavier
of the crown and answer the question, “had the goldsmith COO, Karunya Institute of
mixed silver in the golden crown or not?” Technology and Sciences,
Now the teacher asks the students to suggest how Coimbatore
Archimedes would find that the wreath was pure or not.
create an interest
Relate it to their daily lives: If the subject is budgets, explain a household

budget. From there, understanding the national budget is just a step away.
Give them activity: Ask them to prepare a personal budget. From there, explain
capital and revenue receipts, capital and revenue expenditure, budget deficits, etc.
Show the relevance to their careers: Relate the subject to how it works
in the workplace. Why is a budget necessary for a corporate?

Making a class
interesting
‘The gadget generation has lost its attention span.
Students only want T20; not even ODIs,” is a common complaint.
Well, even a T20 lasts 3 hours! So why aren’t teachers able to
captivate students’ attention for 50 minutes? What can teachers
do to make classes enjoyable?
TWO-WAY
TRAFFIC For starters, avoid two Big Ms: monotony and monologues.
Never be monotonous. No matter how compelling the content,
a. Ask them to if your tone is flat, it becomes a lullaby. Never make the class
raise questions. a monologue. Lectures must be a two-way lane. Encourage
students to ask questions. Even when they are counter-intuitive,
b. Give real life
play along with the thought process and give them a guiding
examples
hand. Sharing personal experiences never gets old. It is an
to explain
excellent way to make the students comfortable enough to
concepts.
connect with you.
c. Ask them to Remember, the opening shot in most great movies is attention
come to class grabbing. Efforts must be taken to make the first few minutes of
prepared. a lecture as captivating as possible. Once that moment lapses,
students drift away for good. Think of the best way to introduce
Dr. N R Alamelu a topic and hold the students’ attention. When talking about
Principal, application, relate it to the daily life of students. Tell them
Sri Ramakrishna contemporary examples. Squash the thought “where will I ever
Engineering College,
use it?” at the earliest. Also, think of games, quizzes, role-plays
Coimbatore.
and debates for classes.
Weave a story. Tell students about the genesis of the concept
instead of directly plunging into definitions. Bring in props
and be demonstrative. Make students feel included and induce
them to make mistakes. Sometimes students are inclined to do
but procrastinate. When put in groups, give a thought to the
composition of groups so every student can contribute better.

4 KNOWLEDGE
OF THE SUBJECT RANK
You may recall that for the Heads of Institutions this was Overall 4
the second most important attribute of great teachers. They
perhaps look for this while interviewing candidates for
Students 4
teaching positions. If you are looking for an opening, better Teachers 4
have sound subject knowledge more than anything else.
[See Terrific Three]
5 ENCOURAGE, INSPIRE,
AND MOTIVATE
RANK
Overall 5
For the Heads of Institutions this was the third important
attribute of great teachers. Do you have it in you to encourage Students 10
students, motivate them, and inspire them to greater heights? Teachers 1
If you checked ‘Yes,’ you are on the road to stardom. [See
Terrific Three]
6 GIVE
EXAMPLES
Great teachers demonstrate a concept with the help
of examples. The process of explanations could be time-
consuming, but the investment is worth the effort, for it pushes
home the point forever. We give you three examples!
The first is from the world of decision-making.
Suppose three friends decide to take a cab and go for a movie. RANK
A ticket costs Rs 150 and snacks cost Rs 120 per person. The Overall 6
cab’s fare is Rs 150. The three decide to go Dutch. The total
cost works out to Rs 150 x 3 + Rs 120 x 3 + Rs 150 = Rs 960. Students 6
So each of them is to pay Rs 960/3 = Rs 320. Just as they are
about to leave, a fourth person, Mr. D, turns up. They tell him
Teachers 6
about the deal. Total cost: 150 x 4 + 120 x 4 + 150 = 1230.
He should, therefore, bring in 1230/4 = 307.50 rupees. Mr. D
looks into his pocket and says, “I have only Rs 300?”
Will they take D along?
Some say, “No,” because the money D brings in is less than
the average cost. Others say, “Yes.” Quick arithmetic suggests
that the total collection is 320x3 + 300x 1= 1260, while the

Mindless total cost is only 1230. There is a gain of Rs 30. Where from did
learning? this Rs 30 spring?
As a teacher, you then explain saying the relevant cost is just
9 x 1 = 0 9 the incremental cost namely 1230-960 = 270. This Rs 270 is
9 x 2 = 1 8 the same as the cost of a ticket and snacks, which are called
9 x 3 = 2 7 variable costs. Mr. D brings more than 270 and should be taken
along for the movie. Remember, his arrival increases revenue
9 x 4 = 3 6 by Rs 30. That way you explain the importance of contribution
9 x 5 = 4 5 and of how fixed cost (costs that don’t change with an additional
unit like cab cost) are irrelevant to decision making.
9 x 6 = 5 4
The second example is from computers.
9 x 7 = 6 3
In drawing a parallel between a computer firewall and a
9 x 8 = 7 2
bank, a teacher once said, “Honest people don’t go directly to
9 x 9 = 8 1 a bank and remove cash. They go to the teller and identify
9 x 10 = 9 0 themselves. The teller checks if the customer has money in
his account. Only then he gives out the money they require.
An ATM does the same thing as the teller, albeit through
automation. Similarly, a firewall ensures that people who want
Once a student has
information and access to an IT network are trusted to have
learnt the fundamentals
that access.” Touche.
he could explore short-
cuts. Consider the A final example is from arithmetic. Read on to this
‘nine-times’ table. After conversation amongst Ms. Meghna Menon and her wards.
you have written the Meghna says, “there are 13 boxes, and each box has five
various line items, for eggs. Now if I multiplied 13 with five what would I get?”
the answer you have to
put 0 to 9 in ascending Vikram calls out, “the number of eggs, Miss.”
order and then the Sarah says, “65.”
second digit will be 9 to
Meghna then explains how to arrive at the number of eggs.
0 in descending order!
“Here are 13 boxes. Let’s put five eggs into each of them.”
“Done,” says Vikram.
“So what number do you like?”
“Ten.” That’s Sarah.
Meghna places 10 boxes on one side and three on the other.
Even as Vikram and others count up 65, they realize 13x5 is
the same as (10 x 5) plus (3 x 5).
Next, Meghna places the boxes in groups of 7 and 6.
The kids quickly learn that 7x5 plus 6x5 produces the same
Prepare stories 65. Meghna proceeds to do several such activities involving
from personal different groupings.
situations Slowly the children work on more complex problems. They
invent computational procedures based on those principles.
Hear out what Over time, they learn multiplication, using numbers, the
others say usual way.
Finally, they learn shortcuts.

7 LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
There are different kinds of students. Some like to know the macro
picture before coming down to the details. In fact, most of them want
to know what they are going to learn, if for nothing else to progressively
know how much they have completed.
Great teachers do this for each topic in a subject. If you are teaching
Heat and Thermodynamics, then for the chapter titled Partial Derivatives,
you may list out the following learning objectives.
1. Introduction
2. Partial Derivatives
RANK
3. Implicit Differentiation Overall 7
4. A product of Three Partial Derivatives
5. Second Derivatives and Exact Differentials Students 7
6. Euler’s Theorem for Homogeneous Functions Teachers 7
7. Undetermined Multipliers
8. Dee and Delta
You then teach each learning objective, in turn, explaining what they mean,
provide examples, and show how it works in real life. Once you complete a
learning objective, tell the class you are done and dusted with this and are
moving on to the next. This way the students know the beginning and the
end. After you have finished, you run a quick recap. This procedure is much
the same as what a good public speaker does. He says what is it that he
is going to speak about, then talks about it, and finally says what is it that
he has spoken. Of course, sprinkle each topic with explanations, numerical
examples, live stories tempered with humor and practical applications.
By organizing your lessons, you bring order and method to your trade.
It helps students stay focused.
8 LOGIC
RANK
Surprisingly explaining the logic behind a concept seems
to have taken a backseat for the students.
Overall 8
Logic is about cause and effect. If you can explain
Students 12
phenomena in this manner, it helps a student grasp better. It Teachers 8
is like answering the question “Why?” and not “What?”
A child might want to know why 5 x 4 is 20. One logical way to explain
is to ask it to add four fives.
Let’s consider another example. You see a glass half filled with water? Is
it half full, or is it half empty? Apparently, it depends on how you look at

BE LIKE A FIRE. it. Now it would be unfair to say that he who sees it as half-full
is optimistic and he who sees it as half-empty is pessimistic.
"A teacher should be A thirsty person is optimistic when he sees it as half-full. A
like fire. If you get into water-vendor is optimistic when he sees it as half-empty.
the fire, you get burnt.
If you stay away from Great teachers keep these in mind when explaining a
fire, you can’t enjoy concept. Something that is crystal clear as daylight to you
the heat. Similarly, might be as dark as the cloud for someone else.
teachers must be You could use subset and supersets to explain the logic.
friendly; yet keep a Bandra is a subset of Mumbai because the whole of Bandra is a
little distance and part of Mumbai city. Looked differently, Mumbai is a superset
maintain dignity. " of Bandra because the former contains the later plus other
pockets as well.
Dr. V P Ramamurthi
Chairman, Dhanalakshmi These concepts are helpful in describing, for example, a
College of Engineering, “lite” versus a “professional” version of writing software. If the
Chennai latter does everything the former does, plus something more,
it is a superset of the former. But if the “lite” version does even
one thing that’s missing from the professional version, there’s
no longer a subset/superset relationship.
9 MENTOR
RANK
Overall
Students
9
9
A student is increasingly looking
to a teacher as a mentor. This may Teachers 11
be a tad surprising, for the role of the
teacher is very different from that of a mentor. Does a student
require a mentor?
AT HOME WITH Remember, a teacher’s job is to disseminate knowledge. In
STUDENTS. contrast, the mentor is to act as an advisor: a friend, philosopher,
and guide. Teaching focuses on the ‘how’ of things while
“My students can visit mentoring focuses on the ‘why.’ In a mentor-mentee relationship,
me anytime, even at the broad philosophy is that the two share experiences so that
my villa, without an over a period the mentee raises to the level of the mentor. This
appointment.” relationship is best suited in a corporate environment.
Dr Sahol Hamid Bin Let’s consider some examples. If you want to design a high-
Abu Bakar rise building, you must know how to calculate equations.
Vice Chancellor, BS Abdur Learning calculations requires teaching. The ‘why’ of
Rahman Crescent Institute skyscrapers should logically come much later. Mentoring, on
of Science & Technology, the other hand, focuses on applying knowledge in real-life
Chennai.
situations. Not just how to do something, but why it’s useful.
While a teacher’s priority is instruction, they can be
creative in their approach. While a mentor’s preference is on
personal development, the mentee must possess “know-how”
skills. And so mentoring will always have an instructional

component. The short point is that the two complement each other.
What we here mean when we say the student looks to a teacher as a
mentor is that he looks up to him for advice: both professional and personal.
Like on what courses to select, should he go for a job or must he pursue
higher studies. If it is the former, which industry would be best suited for
him? If it is the latter, which university would be ideal? As the bonding
happens, he might even check with him on personal problems.
RANK
10

UPDATE
YOURSELF
Overall
Students
10
8
Great teachers are constant learners keeping themselves
Teachers 15
up-to-speed with changes in the subject they teach. Fall behind,
and you lose your competitive edge. Like in medicine or law, teachers must
practice lifelong learning. They must embrace new teaching methods and
best practices Great teachers change with time. They don’t teach the same
content in the same way, in every class, from year to year.
Surprisingly the current crop of teachers while pumping for knowledge
as being important, place ‘Updating’ only 15th on the sweepstake. In a
world where knowledge is changing as fast as Breaking News, a teacher
who does not stay updated becomes yesterday’s news. Extinct.
NETWORK
“Teachers must have
an excellent academic
On Twitter follow education leaders network, both nationally
Track blogs of experts on your subject and internationally.
They must have links
Listen to podcasts of your interest with faculty members
of other universities and
Read journals relating to your department also with executives
Shop for books and share them of the industrial
organization.”
Talk to fellow teachers.
Dr K Sarukesi
Attend relevant workshops, seminars, and conferences. Dean, Kamaraj College of
Engineering & Technology
Do a course of Science & Technology,
Virudhunagar

3
a few
sharp questions
As we get ready for Education 4.0, in line with Industrial
Revolution 4.0, what are the concerns that we have? We shortlisted
six and proceed to answer them.
Issue 1: Does the Ph.D. degree have a

positive correlation with teaching?
“Ph.D. Degree shall be a mandatory qualification for appointment
and promotion to the post of Associate Professors,” reads the draft
of the UGC’s new norms to appoint teachers in colleges. (Published
February 2018).
Do measures as these raise the standard of higher education?
Does obtaining a Ph.D. help teachers teach more effectively? We
laid out these questions to notable personalities in academia. The
views are mixed. Some say a Ph.D. is not required to be a good
teacher, especially at the undergrad level. Some others say that a
‘Ph.D.’ is essential because it instills in teachers a research mindset
that helps them deliver better.
Only when a teacher develops a research orientation, can he
foster the child-like curiosity in students. Research makes teachers
reflect on concepts and fundaments they already know, read on
latest advancements, critically analyze constraints, and ponder
on how to tweak them. In doing so, the teacher gains tremendous
knowledge and expertise, which allows him to explain complex
subjects with ease. Research broadens reasoning and inculcates
multidimensional thinking. These traits help a teacher encourage
and answer profound questions asked by students.

Of course, one can argue that having a Ph.D. degree and
having a research mindset are not related. After all, how
many Ph.D. theses from our country have disseminated
new ideas to the world? How many of these have lead
to IPRs? Many academic honchos we spoke to share the
concern that increasingly teachers do not take up research
for the love of it but to merely satisfy norms. Most Ph.D.
holders give up on research the day they defend their
thesis. The report then goes to the attic.
HAMAM AND In the west, researchers get private time for it. In India,
TEACHER even as teachers are being pressured into Ph.D. programs
and are busy balancing classes, grading, and family,
“We use ‘Hamam’
colleges hand out mundane administrative work to
for bathing and ‘Rin’
them. That’s sad. After all wouldn’t colleges love to have
for washing, and not
a Michael Porter or a Stephen Hawking associated with
vice-versa. If soap can
their brand? When institutes identify a faculty member
have a brand, why not
as a valuable research prospect, they must encourage
teachers?
and give them enough time. Also, post-Ph. D., teachers,
Dr. Tholkappia Arasu must be asked to teach in their field of interest, undertake
Principal, AVS College projects and get their work published.
of Technology, Salem Here’s a story from real life. Som, a mediocre student,
wants to develop a cricket ball to be used at the Nets.
Once the batsman hits the ball, and it reaches wherever
it has to, it must return on its own without being fetched.
He approaches his teacher for mentoring. The teacher
must be able to guide such ideas, and towards that, he
must have a research mindset.
Prof. R Rudramoorthy, Principal P S G College of
Technology, says, “In thermodynamics, the law on heat
transfer postulates that when two mediums come into
contact, the high-temperature medium passes on heat
to the low-temperature medium without any effort.” To
A VICIOUS CYCLE explain this, the professor gives the example of how a
hot coffee, when kept on the table slowly, turns cold. If
Without research, there you want to prolong the heat in the coffee, you should
will be no generation not allow it to transfer, meaning you should insulate it.
of new knowledge; Enter thermos flask. “This is how we do research-based
which in turn will mean teaching,” he points out.
that there will be no
advancement in studies
in a particular domain
and the related industry Issue 2: What should be the
will not progress. It’s a
vicious cycle.
outcome of teaching?
“Results, of course,” said the wag. Well, do results mean
Dr. S Balasubramanian ‘marks in the examination’ or ‘knowledge of the subject’?
Director, GRG Centre for
Advanced Studies The politically correct answer is the transmission of
‘knowledge.’ But in the heart of hearts, if you look at

the current education system, it is the outcome that
matters.
The broad consensus is that the primary job of a
teacher today is to kindle the interest among the students
for them to do learn more in self-learning mode and gain
proficiency in the subject. Prof M J Xavier, COO, Karunya
Institute of Technology and Sciences spends 30% of the
time introducing the topic and in telling the students
how the issue is linked to jobs to create the right kind
of interest. Dr. B G Sangameshwara Vice Chancellor,
JSS Science and Technology University, suggests that
the focus should be on learning. “Exams are secondary.
Don’t teach. Interact. Everything is available on the net.
Make them ask 360-degree questions.
But the importance of exams cannot be ruled
ZERO TO TOPPER
out, “Exam results are an important indicator of the No one is below average.
effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. Without I got zero in my first
solid numbers, one cannot focus on the areas of cycle test at ME in
improvement,” says Dr. Sasangam Ramanathan, Dean, REC. But I ended the
Amirtha School of Engineering. years as a topper. Dr.
Leela Velluswamy, my
Remember the famous sports statement, “form is
professor, guided me
temporary; class is permanent.” Well, ‘form’ here stands
on how to study and
for examination-performance while ‘class’ is subject-
motivated me. If my
knowledge.
son is in my class, will
I dismiss him as below
average and move on?
Issue 3: How does one handle Dr. M A Maluk Mohamed
average students Secretary, MAM College of
Eng and Tech.
“Teaching is to be dealt at multiple levels so that
students with different abilities grasp it,” says Dr R
Rudramoorthy, Principal, PSG College of Technology.
He explains with an analogy from Bloom’s Taxonomy.
At Level 1, you make them understand equipment
and processes. Example: you teach about how to
recognize a car and explain to him how it functions. At
Level 2, you demonstrate how to estimate the machine’s
performance. Example: You teach if a car runs for one
hour, how much petrol will it consume. At Level 3, you
show how to design a car that can carry four people:
size, components, dimensions, etc. At Level 4, when
you have created and manufactured a car, the student
must be able to compare it with other makes. For
marketing engineers Level 1 knowledge is adequate. A
design engineer who goes to the shop floor must be at
the least at Level 3.

Issue 4: What is the role of teachers
in an information abundant world?
Venue: Ko Samui, Thailand
Year: 2017
Occasion: The island’s 120th-year celebration in Ko Samui
That day, the state offered 6,863 buffet dishes to localities

and tourists for free! A world record indeed.
Imagine you were there in Thailand for the event. How many
dishes would you have chosen? 3%? 5%? Which ones would
they have been? What if you had tried a few native recipes and
didn’t like them? Wouldn’t you have given up and returned to
the familiar Indian cuisine? Now, what if you had a Thai for
a friend, who understood your background and suggested the
right dishes? Would you have returned with better memories?
The world of web is akin to the Thai buffet. The Thai friend
is similar to a teacher. Ask Steve Jobs, and he’ll tell you that too
many choices confuse users. The web is a cluster of galaxies.
Earlier, we used to hunt for useful and correct information.
Now we have too much information on too many topics
from too many sources, for our good. We need a teacher to
guide through this maze; one who understands the interests,
strengths, and weaknesses of the student, and guides him
appropriately lest the students gets lost and gives up.
A teacher must teach the foundation. For that, he cannot
say, “Go Google.” Kids lack experience; so there is a need to
untangle the complexities for them. But when it comes to the
latest advancements, teachers must ask students to access
Google and come prepared
so that teachers can give the
information at the next level.
Students can read on Google, but
teachers must help understand.
Mark it, information on the
web is only prima facie; it is
not comprehensive. Take the
example of medicine: Just
like Google did not succeed
in replacing doctors, teachers
too will survive the challenge.
As flipped classes catch fancy,
classrooms will remain relevant even as e-learning catches
up; for wholesome development happen in classrooms, giving
students abundant opportunities to socialize, make friends
and work together.

Issue 5: Are the best coming to
teaching?
In Germany, teachers are the highest paid professionals. India
is nowhere near that.
The first preference, for any engineer, is the industry. Teaching
is somewhere in the bottom of the heap. Let’s talk to Dr. S K
Garg, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Delhi Technological University.
“As a University, we do not attract the best talent and have
to make do with what we get. The incentives we give can only
help so much. I would suggest the management of various
institutes not to increase the remuneration to teachers as it will
lead to institutes charging more fees on the students. Instead,
teachers must be encouraged to generate revenue from other
sources, including doing consulting for industry and working
elsewhere part-time without affecting the regular teaching
duties in the institutes.
“This way, teachers can develop other skills or become
entrepreneurs, and it would not be a burden on the system.
This experiment will work, and when the trend catches
up, we can attract good talent towards teaching. When we
open up such windows, it will help bridge the gap between
academia and industry.”
Dr K Sarukesi, Dean, Kamaraj College of Engineering &
Technology, seconds this idea when he says, “Faculty members
must continuously pick up industrial exposure by going for
in-house training. This way, they learn how students must
acquire knowledge and skills, and how they should deliver
in the industry.”
The upshot is that just as engineering students do an
internship every year with the industry, it would be wonderful
if the faculty members also did the same.
Issue 6: How long will it take to

move from good to great
The long walk from ‘good’ to ‘great’ can be lonely. If you are
lucky, you may land there early. Two factors determine this.
The first is “how strong is your urge?” Do you have the fire
in the belly to win come what may? The second is you must
be willing to swallow your pride and continuously undergo
training.
Listen to what Dr. M J Xavier, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Karunya
University says. “After ten years of teaching, when I went to
the US, the University mandated that I go through a 90-days

teacher-training program. Initially, it was humiliating. Remember,
I was considered a brilliant resource during my stint in IIMB.
But, at the end of the three-month US-course, I had improved
tremendously.”
Do we have a number for how long it would take to achieve
excellence? Malcolm Gladwell’s 10000-Hour rule holds that
10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” are needed to become world-
class in any field. Perhaps therein lies a clue. Let’s take half that
time for a teacher to be outstanding. This 5,000 hour is about
eight years of teaching. Here’s the computation: 220 days a year x
3 hours a day x 8 years adds to 5200 hours!
People may argue the number to be five years or ten years, but
the broad consensus is that by the fifth year, you can say whether
this teacher will make the grade. n
One person.
Four views.
Land - Mountain - Balance - Flower
“A great teacher emulates the qualities of land, mountain, balance, and flowers. He is
patient like the earth, stable like a mountain, gentle like a flower, and has a balance of
mind that tilts on the side of justice.
Land: You inspect a piece of land, and you know if it will give a good yield. Similarly,
by sight, people understand if a particular teacher will teach great stuff. The output
of a land depends on the efforts of a farmer. A teacher must give knowledge to the
students to the level of efforts they put in.
Mountain: It is immeasurable in size, unshakable in stature, majestic in look, and
rich in resources even during the dry season. Similarly, a great teacher has a wealth of
knowledge.
Balance: The scale weighs products accurately. Similarly, great teachers can weigh the
capability of students.
Flowers: In every function, irrespective of religion, flowers are present. Similarly,
everybody should like the teacher.”
Dr. M Ponnavaikko, Advisor, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology

Don’ts Don’ts
WHAT SHOULD A TEACHER NOT DO
The 37 wise men and women who we spoke to
came out with a list of a strict no-no for teachers.
Never be partial based on Do not perceive a student

gender or caste. Do that, and 1 2 as arrogant because he
you will lose students’s trust. does not respect you.
Do not lie. As a Never be negative inside

regulator calibrate 3 4 the classroom. Do not call a
yourself. student ‘a waste.’
Do not assume what you

Do not fail to provide
know is always right. Never 5 6 proper feedback to
knowingly give wrong
students.
information.
Never compel students to

Do not be
unfriendly.
7 8 adopt a particular way of
learning merely because
you are uncomfortable
with other ways.
Do not attend conferences for

Be prompt to
the sake of fulfilling specific 9 10 yourself. Do what
requirements, mandated for
you promise.
the performance review.

4
FUTURE OF
CLASSROOM
A SIX-YEAR-OLD with a gadget in hand is now a common sight. Schools
have started giving assignments, which need extensive usage of the
Internet. As much as we would love kids to play in the sand and run about
in parks, this is the new reality. So how will their classes be?
Ten years from today, the tsunami of change would have struck education;
leaving behind debris, from out of which many will rise like the Phoenix.
Educators will factor comfort and technology when setting up classrooms.
Cozy furniture, smart design of space, and mobile walls will be the new
normal. No student will walk in with backpacks mounted on his shoulder.
Gadgets would replace books and even notebooks. Every desk in a college
will have a note-pad as classrooms begin to resemble workstations.
LCD Touch boards will replace whiteboards. With augmented reality,
virtual reality, and the IoT growing fast, classrooms will traverse time and
space, and transform into a simulated world that is very close to being real.
Cloud computing will make abundant resources available online, and you
can attend classes remotely. Social media will be used to good effect for
learning. MOOCs will be there on every conceivable topic and students
can choose whose lecture they listen to and when.
Anytime, anywhere learning

Students will learn at times of their choice, from places of their liking,
at speeds of their choice, using devices of their taste. Blended learning,
flipped classrooms, and BYOD (Bring Your Device) will become the order
of the day. Kids will go through project-based work, which will help them
learn how to apply their skills in practical situations.
Learners will look at classrooms as libraries of information while they
do their learning elsewhere. Fewer students will be inside classrooms, for
fixed hours. They would take assessments online as well. Teachers will
become facilitators and classes will become discussion rooms.

Students will incorporate so much independence into their
learning process that mentoring will become crucial. Every five
students will have a mentor to whom the student can at all points
in time turn to while pursuing his graduation and even later.
BA CAN BE Colleges will have full autonomy in defining the syllabus. While
TWO OR SIX the university names the subject, the college will figure out the
YEARS course content and faculty members according to the kind of
students it attracts and the brand it wants to create. Teachers will
“My honest
practice autonomy in classrooms and innovate.
assessment is that
we have moved
away from our roots. Flipped classroom – the new normal
We need gurukuls. The existing practice is for the teacher to come prepared to class,
How can you decide stand in front of a rostrum, and deliver his lecture with the help of
Bachelors is four a killing PowerPoint.
years and Masters is
two years? Students That’s a sure-fire recipe for passive learning. What we need is
must know in and active learning, aka flipped classroom.
out of an elective, In the new form, the teacher announces the topic for the following
and for that, they week, identifies a few sample resources and lets the student do
must be allowed to all the preparing. The boys use the Internet, the world’s biggest
learn at their own library, and turn up in the classroom.
pace. This may
happen in future like The classroom time goes into discussions, debates, and
it was in during the disagreeing. The teacher is a facilitator, fostering critical thinking.
Nalanda days.” Together he and his wards explore the subject, review the content,
ask questions, and provide answers. Pop quizzes, cold calls, and
Dr.K N Balasubramanya experience sharing are the norm. It is group learning at its very
Murthy best. But this idea would fail if students fail to read before classes.
Vice Chancellor, So teachers still play a vital role to provoke them to read.
PES University The methods of evaluation will change. There will be no end
term exam with a considerable weight for it. You will have different
reviews on the same paper for different students depending on their
aptitude for the subject. Some will be tested on basics, some on
intermediate, and some on advanced, although all of them will go
through the same classroom. Personalized learning will also come.
If you are above average, you will get more challenging questions.
If you have trouble with a subject, you can practice until you reach
the threshold level. Evaluation will be done continuously based on
student participation, group activities, exercises, role plays, viva,
etc. The test could just be that you are given a circuit breaker and
asked to take it apart and put it together!
AI into education
Also, AI will creep into education. It will assist teachers in grading
and checking plagiarism on assessments papers and finding the right
information to prepare for lectures. Just like personalized ads pop
up on Google, and unnecessary emails go into the spam folder, AI

can be used to personalize learning. Students can dare to WILL ROBOTS
make mistakes as AI will steer students towards the right
REPLACE TEACHERS
direction. It can identify the strengths and weaknesses
of students. Both teachers and students can use the The three megatrends in the
information to tailor course content, delivery, and learning. coming years are automation,
In this backdrop, two questions arise: when a plethora artificial intelligence, and micro
of information is available right in front of students, what innovation. Driverless cars are
would be the role of a teacher? Can AI replace teachers? on their way, and household
robots are not far behind.
Some academic decision makers we spoke to, Robotic process automation,
believe that since the background of Indian students AI, and Machine learning are
is so diverse in terms of upbringing, the medium of emerging as the lead players.
instruction, facilities at home, etc., 50% of the learning Will this affect teaching? Will
will continue to happen in class. It would mean that the robots take over instruction?.
good old blackboard will survive the onslaught of times,
and will be there in one form or the other! Some also “No,” says Dr. P V Sivapullaiah,
believe that models like un-schooling, homeschooling, Pro Vice-chancellor, GITAM
finish education, may not work in India because of this University. He says should that
heterogeneous nature of classrooms. happen, the personal touch
will go missing. The professor
Consider this. While there is a library at every adds tongue-in-cheek, “Take
institution, how many students go there to refer books the example of a cricket match.
other than those prescribed? How many look into the Despite being able to watch it
books they carry to class and read on their own? Most of live on television, people throng
them wait out until the teacher starts a chapter or gives the stadiums!” Point.
projects on a topic. So it would remain when Internet
begins to play a more prominent part in education. Prof A N N Murthy, Vice-
Chancellor, Dayananda Sagar
The role played by a teacher in influencing students University, points out: “Artificial
to utilize the resources they have access to would get Intelligence can come close,
amplified. To kindle the curiosity of students, and but never replace human
provoke them to look up the web would become the intelligence. At best it will do
crucial role of a teacher. To jump into a pool isn’t enough monotonous and repetitive
to learn to swim. An instructor is needed by the side work.” Like exam invigilation,
to advice the learners on the strokes and to give them and valuation!
a hand when they feel lost. The web of the Internet is
akin to a swimming pool, and the teacher to a swimming Dr. S Balasubramanian,
instructor. To not let the students drown in the bottom- Director, GRG Centre for
less world web would top a teacher’s job profile. Advanced Studies, is also in
agreement. “Teachers will
Also, the new maxim will be: That which doesn’t continue, but their roles will
need the human touch does not need humans at all! The change. They will have to
good news is that it implies teaching, as a profession find new ways of making the
will continue to exist. But ordinary teachers would walk students learn. Even if experts
on thin ice. They must be wary of the changes and adapt teach via video conferencing,
themselves lest they become dinosaurs. Even as AI and teachers will still be required
Big Data analysis will empower them more fully in their in classrooms to help students
teaching endeavor, the attention span of the new crop relate to concepts with local
of students will perhaps be shorter than even those of examples. A Chandigarh
today’s millennials; and teachers will have to live to the example will not aid a student
new reality, of Before Google, and After Google. n from Tirunelveli to understand.”

new start
We are on the cusp of the most happening period in world
history when knowledge is becoming wholly democratized and
entirely secular. In our generation, IQ was sacred. With every scrap
of information now available at our fingertip on a 6cm x 15cm
smartphone, EQ and LQ will be the holy cows.
Even rocket science may not be able to predict with 100 percent
accuracy how the classrooms of tomorrow will look. Our Big10 comes
from our knowledge of the present and a rough understanding of the
future. One thing is for sure. Hey teachers, you are part of one of the
most exciting professions, and even the Gods must be jealous of you.
And that’s something of which you must be proud. n

A few things that didn’t
make the cut
Patience, it is said, is the virtue of an ass. A teacher, in the light of

the generational gap with students, must be as patient as is possible.
He needs to put himself in the shoes of the student.
PATIENCE
No one knows everything. When stumped for an answer, a great

teacher tells the classroom that he does not have a solution, but that
he will come back with an answer. And he does that. Prof Tholkappia
Arasu, Principal, AVS College of Technology, tells the remarkable story
of his teacher Dr. Palaniswamy. Once Arasu had to get Palaniswamy’s
HUMILITY signature. He called him up and told that he would catch the night
train from Madras to Coimbatore, collect the professor’s signature,
and return to Madras the following day to file the papers. The good
professor asked his ward to e-mail the paper pronto. He then had it
printed, signed, scanned, and sent back immediately!
Must have a sense of humor. This is not about cracking jokes. One
has to be light hearted. A humor-laced story goes a long way in
reinforcing a concept.
HUMOR
Students don’t seem to like the teachers’ propensity to pontificate

with moral science lessons. Nor do they consider it necessary in
their assessment of a great teacher. This absence is a surprise factor,
considering that teachers being next only to parents are supposed to
ETHICS be role models.
Is it essential for a teacher to be available to a student to answer

questions? The trait isn’t rated highly. The one plausible explanation
is that it is a hygiene factor. The presence of access does not seem to
ACCESS add value, but maybe its absence will take away value!

MEET
dr opal mehta
Just before his 70th birthday, Prof “Wouldn’t it be expensive,” asks the horn-
Opal Mehta told a teachers’ workshop, “My rimmed frontbencher and the professor
best is yet to come.” Mehta embodies the quickly gets into explaining the various
spirit of continuous learning, and trusts the ways an individual and an organization can
adage, “if you think you have mastered it raise the money if they find they would see
all, that’s the day you begin to fall.” the utility in the car. On the rare occasion
His knowledge of the subject is both when he doesn’t have an answer, Mehta
deep and broad, even as he explores other would promise to find out in 24-hours.
areas that are outside his expertise. When When Prof Mehta is teaching Newton’s
he teaches you automobiles, he peps up third law of motion, he puts out on green
the class with a specifically-shot video board, What? Why? When? Who? Which?
that shows a car being manufactured in How? You can Google in his class, and no
a factory, with a story of how Henry Ford one misuses the trust that he reposes.
produced his Model T, and with a narration On day three, he knows every student
of how Elon Musk is all set to come out by this name, and incredibly by their roll
with a driverless vehicle. Most importantly number as well. A week into the class he
he tells his class what could go wrong with would have also known where they come
the Musk- dream. from, what their principal interests are, and
Fifteen minutes into that electrifying how good they are as students. No wonder,
start, he stops to figure out if anyone has the effort breaks a significant part of the wall
any questions. A backbencher asks, “Prof, that initially stands between any professor
can we have cars that talk to us?” The and his student.
big man in his trademark smile throws An incredible cat, nothing that the
the problem around for an answer until students do ruffle him. One day, he walked
someone suggests that he read that a car up to a lad who was texting on his phone
in the future can automatically send a and said, “Boss, I need you to look at me
message to a client if you were getting when I’m talking so I can understand if
delayed in the traffic. you’re understanding or not.” Oops.
“Wonderful,” says Mehta and then goes His home is open to anyone who wishes
on to explain the Internet of Things (IoT). to walk-in any day between 4 and 6 pm.
His knowledge of automobiles is encyclo- No appointments are needed. You can dis-
pedic, but sometimes even he is stumped. cuss anything: academic, social, personal.
When the girl in the middle row wonders if You can trust him with confidential infor-
we can have a car that flies on an elevated mation. By the time the student graduates
invisible track, he says, “That’s a brilliant they believe that this is the way adults
question. Anyone with an answer?” The should be.
class would give out a few responses, and Dr. Opal Mehta is the teacher in every-
from there he would provide his reply. one’s story.

TALKING HEADS
“The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom,
well into the future. It is they who shape and enrich the
minds of the young, who touch their hearts and souls. It is
they who shape a nation’s future,” wrote F Sionil Jose.
Heads of institutions – Chairman, Vice Chancellors, Principals and
Deans to whom we spoke had their words of wisdom born out of
years of experience. Here are a few snippets.
The most essential quality of a teacher is to

ignite curiosity. When I did my MBA in the US,
macroeconomics was new to me. But the teacher
gave real-life examples of issues in America
documented in the WSJ, and we quickly picked
up the subject.
Dr Abdul Qadir A Rahman Buhari,
Chairman, BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science
& Technology, Chennai
Be a role model. Students observe you all the

time. They may not identify you as a role
model immediately but over time after 4-5
years of work experience they will link, co-
relate, and judge you.
Dr N R Alamelu, Principal, Sri Ramakrishna
Engineering College, Coimbatore
The objective of the education system is to ensure

that all students reach their full potential. Therefore,
teachers should be dedicated enough to lead,
encourage and inspire them during each phase
of the long journey. In the current scenario,
without a teacher’s expertise to help handle
it, technology becomes merely an automated
tool and does not engage students in the right
spirit. Great teachers are the reason why ordinary
students achieve extraordinary heights.
Dr Annie Jacob, Director
KCG College of Technology, Chennai

An excellent teacher has in-depth knowledge and
understanding of the subject matter, is committed to
teaching and is hard working. He continually seeks
ways to improve, innovate, and be up-to-date,
with a strong passion for the subject and high
enthusiasm for teaching. A teacher should also
be an inspirational role model to students and be
eminently approachable.
Er A C S. Arunkumar, President - Dr. M.G.R. Educational
and Research Institute, Chennai
It is no use complaining about fall in

the attention span of the millennial
generation. As a teacher, you must
under-stand the change and adapt your
teaching to suit them.
Dr S Balasubramanian, Director, GRG
Centre for Advanced Studies , Coimbatore
The attention span of students now varies from 6 to

10 minutes. So teachers will have to give useful
information within those minutes and extend it
further. Use videos as attention grabbers.
Dr K N Balasubramanya Murthy,
Vice Chancellor, PES University, Bangalore
For me, two hours of class is like a

picnic. I get really thrilled. Once teachers
develop their teaching skills, they will
start enjoying the class. Students will
also enjoy.
Dr S K Garg, Pro Vice Chancellor, Delhi
Technological University, New Delhi
Dedication refers to a love of teaching or passion for

the work, which includes a commitment to students’
success. To a student, this means a teacher should
be “always willing to help and give time.”
Dr K Gunasekaran
Secretary and Managing Trustee, Muthayammal Educational
Trust and Research Foundation, Rasipuram

Research is a ‘culture’ and one
should not stop with Ph.D.
Dr M Madheswaran, Principal,
Mahendra Engineering College,
Namakkal
Shifting from industry to teaching is

easy. Presently, people with 20-25 years of
corporate experience are moving towards
teaching. It is very rare to find teachers
getting into industries.
Dr S Malarkkan, Principal,
Manakula Vinayagar Institute of Technology,
Pondicherry
A teacher must put himself in the students’

shoes. Remember that the Internet, social
media, and a zillion other things, which
were non-existent earlier, distract today’s
generation. Teachers can get on to social
media, and share useful information.
Dr Maluk Mohammed, Secretary, MAM College of
Engineering and Technology, Trichy
Outstanding teachers must be a good learners.

A Ph.D. does not matter. According to me,
Ph.D. is a mindset, not a degree. Some
people who do not have PhDs still have a
research-oriented mind.
Dr Mohammed Sameeruddin Khan, Director,
Sree Dattha Group of Educational Institutions,
Hyderabad
Management can motivate teachers by

considering salary paid to faculty members
as a long-term investment and not as
expenditure. Management must also equip
its teachers with technology-based teaching
aids. Virtual labs and simulation labs must
be set up.
Dr A N N Murthy, Vice Chancellor,
Dayananda Sagar University, Bengaluru

I insist teachers do publications, research,
and obtain patents. Students leaning
towards research must be encouraged.
Dr R Murugesan, Chairman,
Ranganathan Engineering College, Coimbatore
Teachers must get into more active

learning: pushing students to develop a
prototype which will help them understand
how a robot will move its arms, pick and
place objects based on coordinates that
have been given by the developer.
Dr Niranjan N Chiplunkar, Principal, NITTE NMAM
Institute of Technology, Mangaluru
A teacher must teach through activities. “What

you hear, you forget; what you see, you
remember; what you do, you understand.”
Hence an industrial environment has to be
brought into institutions.
Dr M Ponnavaikko, Advisor,
Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Chennai
Teachers must empower themselves by

attending and making full use of various
FDPs, industry oriented trainings, and
factory visits, acquire knowledge on real
time applications and deliver it in class.
Dr K Porkumaran, Principal,
Dr N G P Institute of Technology, Coimbatore
You cannot say one thing and live another

thing. You cannot tell “be regular in class, do
not cut and paste, try innovative ideas,” etc.,
when you come late to class, repeat your
lectures (no innovation), and copy-paste
research papers.
Dr Pratibha Jolly, Principal,
Miranda House, New Delhi

Transformation begins when we make
students realize, through profound examples,
the futility of fixedness. Except, values and
value systems, everything needs to evolve
continuously.
Dr Rajendrakumar Anayath, Vice Chancellor,
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and
Technology, Haryana
Teaching is an art, not a profession. So be

sure you do a great job. IT guys need to
update quarterly. Pilots need to be physically
charged. Faculty should be prepared to
upgrade regularly.
Dr V P Ramamurthi, Chairman,
Dhanalakshmi College of Engineering, Chennai
Effective teachers focus on shared decision-

making and teamwork, as well as on
community building. Such teachers convey
a sense of leadership to students by
providing opportunities for each of them to
assume leadership roles.
Dr C. Ramaswamy, Secretary, Dr. Mahalingam
College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi
Great teachers tell you why you have to

study. They tell you not only how to count
but why you should count. The shortcuts
available on the Internet on multiplication
tables are not that useful.
Dr R Rudramoorthy, Principal, PSG College of
Technology, Coimbatore
Teach in a way that students don’t escape

from learning, and you don’t escape from
teaching.
Dr Sahol Hamid Bin Abu Bakar, Vice Chancellor,
BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science &
Technology, Chennai

A good teacher is someone who shapes the
lives of students; one student at a time, and in
the process helps sculpt the entire society to
build a better nation!
Sai Prakash Leo Muthu, CEO – Sairam Institutions,
Chennai
There will be no generation gap if you can

retain your youngness by mingling with
youngsters. Don’t teach, interact. The focus
should be on learning. Make them ask
360-degree questions.
Dr B G Sangameshwara, Vice Chancellor,
JSS Science and Technology University, Mysuru
In future, self-learning will cover 50% of the

content. Only the other 50% will be taught in
the classroom.
Dr K Sarukesi, Dean, Kamaraj College of Engineering
& Technology, Virudhunagar
Students are a better judge of teachers, than

teachers themselves. Students spend most
of the time with teachers and should be
able to assess each teacher better.
Dr Sasangan Ramanathan, Dean,
Amirtha School of Engineering, Coimbatore
Every teacher must look at every student he

comes across as his child. Parents can discount
negativity in a child and will always scout for
the child’s hidden talent. They invariably give
their best to every child in the family. Teachers
must do much the same with their wards.
Dr Sheela Ramachandran, Former Vice Chancellor,
Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher
Education for Women, Coimbatore

Efficient people are grabbed by the industry.
The pool from which to choose teachers is
insufficient. So, stringent entry requirements
for teachers might not be feasible. My
suggestion is that people from the industry
themselves can be invited to handle a few
lectures.
Dr P V Sivapullaiah, Pro Vice Chancellor, Gandhi
Institute of Technology And Management (GITAM)
(Deemed to be University), Bengaluru
Google can give information. But only

through teachers, students can solve
problems and fully understand the
concepts.
Dr Srinivasa Mayya D,
Registrar, Srinivas University, Mangaluru
A teacher should never fail to give proper

feedback to students.
Dr Sudha Mohanram, Secretary,
Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Coimbatore
I appreciate scholars who take up teaching.

They can shine even in the first year. They
can do well irrespective of qualification!
Dr G Thiruvasagam, Vice Chancellor,
Academy of Maritime Education and Training (AMET),
Chennai
TEACHER is the acronym for Talent,

Encouraging, Affectionate, Communica-
tion, Humorous, Energetic, Rational.
Dr Tholkappia Arasu, Principal,
AVS College of Technology, Salem

We need experiential learning not to forget
something. Has anyone ever forgot how to
ride a bicycle? Most teachers teach what is
easy for them, what they are familiar with,
or on what they can get good materials.
Dr K Thyagarajah, Principal,
K S Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengodu
“Only those who have industry exposure

can impart practical oriented training. Just
like students have internship programs and
industrial visits, teachers must also go on
industrial training related to their subject.”
Dr V S K Venkatachalapathy, Director, Sri
Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College, Pondicherry
A good teacher should persistently seek and

adopt innovative methods to improve the
quality of higher education on a consistent
basis. Experienced and learned teachers
are strongly encouraged to nurture the
students into well-rounded individuals. The
highly motivated youngsters are a teacher’s
constant source of pride.
Dr G. Viswanathan
Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
“The notorious boys become your best

friends for life. Have the patience to win
them over.”
Dr M J Xavier, COO, Karunya Institute of Technology
and Sciences (Deemed to be university), Coimbatore

SURVEY
We placed before the respondents 26 attributes and asked them to
state if they were:
a. Very Important
b. Important
c. Can’t Say
d. Less Important
e. Unimportant.
426 teachers and 1206 students responded, and we captured their
findings. Five points were assigned for ‘Very Important,’ four for ‘Important,’
and none for the other three. Thus we got the total weighted score. We
divided it by the number of respondents to arrive at a grade point average
(GPA). We then ranked the GPA in descending order to arrive at the rank.
The ranking was done separately for Teachers and Students.
We had the option of aggregating the ranks to arrive at the overall grade
but chose not to do so. The overall ranking was done by taking the simple
average of the GPA of teachers and the GPA of students. The following
pages capture the findings.

SURVEY FINDINGS AND RANKS
STUDENT TEACHER Overall
ATTRIBUTE
SCORE RANK SCORE RANK SCORE RANK
Starts a class on time and finishes it on 3.948 1 4.519 5 4.234 1
time
Allows students to ask question. 3.549 2 4.674 2 4.112 2

Creates an interest for the student in the 3.071 5 4.606 3 3.839 3
subject
Has thorough knowledge of the subject 3.073 4 4.547 4 3.810 4

Motivates the student to perform well 2.812 10 4.711 1 3.762 5
Demonstrates a concept by giving 2.964 6 4.505 6 3.735 6
examples
Establishes clear learning objectives for 2.860 7 4.493 7 3.677 7

each lesson
Demonstrates a concept by explaining 2.761 12 4.439 8 3.600 8

the logic
Acts as a mentor for the student: advis- 2.814 9 4.315 11 3.565 9

ing both on professional and personal
life
Is current with the subject matter he is 2.856 8 4.239 15 3.548 10

teaching
Is a good example to students through 2.781 11 4.286 13 3.534 11

his activities and character
Encourages a student to learn on his 3.086 3 3.974 21 3.530 12

own
Maintains classroom discipline 2.635 18 4.418 9 3.527 13

Creates a lively atmosphere, where stu- 2.662 16 4.366 10 3.514 14
dents should be able to interact freely
with teachers

SURVEY FINDINGS AND RANKS
STUDENT TEACHER Overall
ATTRIBUTE
SCORE RANK SCORE RANK SCORE RANK
Takes responsibility for a student's 2.758 13 4.202 17 3.480 15

performance
Is available to a student to answer his 2.615 19 4.289 12 3.452 16

questions
If a student shares a confidential matter, 2.584 20 4.223 16 3.404 17

the teacher should keep it confidential
Is a good communicator so that the 2.729 14 4.075 19 3.402 18

student understands the nuances of the
subject
Imparts ethics and morals 2.480 23 4.282 14 3.381 19
Encourages students to solve questions 2.573 21 4.115 18 3.344 20

in their own way instead of through a
step by step process laid by the teacher
Embraces technology as a teaching tool 2.645 17 4.031 20 3.338 21
Has humility 2.562 22 3.775 22 3.169 22
Has an online presence 2.688 15 3.444 24 3.066 23
Has a sense of humor 2.458 25 3.664 23 3.061 24
Answer the question irrespective of the 2.040 26 3.131 25 2.586 25

quality of the question
Demonstrates a concept by relating it to 2.463 24 2.589 26 2.526 26

movies
Note: Ranking is based descending order of the score.
Research: Saravanan G | Evenjeline J | Nivetha Sriram | Prime Academy

Design: Malaiselvan Nagarajan | Yaser Arafath | Raghunathan V

Participants
AAA College of Engineering & Technology
Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology (AVIT)
ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad
Adithya Institute of Technology, Coimbatore
Aditya college of engineering
Alva’s College, Moodubidire, Dakshina Kannada
Alvas Institute of Engineering and Technology
Ambedkar Institute of Advanced Communication, Delhi
Amity School of Engineering & Technology
Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Coimbatore
Angel College of Engineering and Technology
Arulmigu Pannirupidi Ayyan College of Arts and Science
Arulmurugan College of Engineering
Arunachala College of Engineering
Asan College of Arts and Science, Karur
ATMIYA Institute of Technology and Science
AVC College of Engineering
Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women
Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College
Balaji Institute of Engineering and Technology
Bannari Amman Institute of Technology
Bansal Institute Of Engineering & Technology, Meerut
Bapuji Institute Of Engineering And Technology
Bhagwan Parshuram Institute of Technology
Bharathiar University Arts & Science College, Gudalur
Bharathiyar University
Bharati Vidyapeeth University College of Engineering, Pune
Builders Engineering College, Kangayam
BV Raju Institute of Technology, Narasapur, Medak
BVRIT Hyderabad College of Engineering for Women, Hyderabad
Canara Engineering College
Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut
CSSR & SRRM Degree & PG College, Kamalapuram
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science And Tech, Sonipat
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Sonipat
Delhi University North Campus, Delhi
Dhanalakshmi Srinivasa College of Engineering and Technology, Chennai
Dhirajlal Gandhi College of Technology, Salem
Don Bosco Institute Of Technology, Bangalore
Dr. NGP Institute of Technology
East Point College Of Engineering & Technology, Bangalore
EGS Pillay Engineering College(Autonomous), Nagapattinam
Einstein College of Engineering
Ellenki College of Engineering and Technology
Erode Sengunthar Engineering College
Francis Xavier Engineering College

Participants
Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management
Gateway Institute Of Engineering & Technology, Sonipat
GITAM Institute of Technology
GITAM(Deemed to be University), Bangalore
Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kukatpally
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, South West Delhi
Hindu College Of Engineering, Sonipat
Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology
Hindusthan Institute of Technology
HKBK College of Engineering
Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology
Indraprastha University, New Delhi
Institute of information technology and management
Institute Of Technology & Management, Meerut
Institute of Technology and Management University
Janki Devi Memorial College, West Delhi
Jawaharlal College of Engineering and Technology
Jawaharlal Nehru College for Women, Ulundurpet, Villupuram
JKK Nataraja College of Arts & Science
JKK Nataraja College of Engineering and Technology
JP College of Arts & Science, Tirunelveli
JSS Academy Of Technical Education, Bangalore
JSS Academy Of Technical Education, Gautam Buddha Nagar
Kamaraj College
Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology
Karmaveer Adv. Baburao Ganpatrao Thakare College of Engineering, Nashik
Karpagam Academy of Higher Education
Karpagam College of Engineering
KCG College of Technology
KCS Kasi Nadar College of Arts & Science, Chennai
Khandesh College Education Societys College of Engineering & Information Technology
KLN College of Engineering
KLN College of Information Technology
Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode
Kongunadu College of Engineering and Technology
Krishnasamy College of Engineering and Technology
KSR College Of Arts & Science
KSR College of Engineering
KU College of Engineering and Technology, Warangal
Kumaraguru College of Technology
Lady Doak College
Lakshmi Narayana Visalakshi Arts & Science College
Lakshmibai College, Delhi
M A Tengalikar Degree College, Gulbarga
M Kumarasamy College of Engineering
Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University
Mahendra Engineering College
Malla Reddy Institute of Engineering and Technology, Secunderabad
MAM College of Engineering

Participants
MAM College of Engineering and Technology
Manakula Vinayagar Institute of Technology
Mangalmay Institute of Engineering & Technology, Gautam Buddha Nagar
Mangayarkarasi College of Arts & Science for Women
Mangayarkarasi College of Engineering, Madurai
Mepco Schlenk Engineering College
Miranda House, Delhi
MIT College of Engineering
Mohamed Sathak College of Arts & Science
Mohamed Sathak Engineering College
Mount Zion College Of Engineering
Mount Zion College of Engneering and Technology
Muthayammal College of Arts & Science
Muthayammal Engineering College
N S S College Of Engineering
Nadar Mahajana Sangam S Vellaichamy Nadar College
Narasu's Sarathy Institute of Technology
NBKR Institute of Science & Technology
Nehru Institute of Engineering and Technology
Nitte Meenakshi Institute Of Technology, Bangalore
Nmam Institute Of Technology
Northern India Engineering College, Delhi
PA College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi
Paavai College of Engineering
Paavai Engineering College
Padmasri Dr BV Raju Institute of Technology, Narsapur
Panimalar Engineering college
Panimalar Institute of Technology
Panipat Institute Of Engineering & Technology, Panipat
Park College of Engineering and Technology
PB Siddhartha college of Arts and Science
Periyar University, Salem
PM College of Engineering, Sonepat, Kami
PSG College of Technology
PSGR Krishnammal College For Women
PSNA College of Engineering and Technology
PSR Engineering College
PSR Rengasamy College of Engineering For Women
Rajalakshmi Engineering College
Rajalakshmi Institute of Technology
Rajdhani College ,West Delhi
Rathinam College of Arts & Science
Rathinam Technical Campus (Institute of Technology)
RVS college of Engineering & Technology, Coimbatore
RVS Educational Trust Group of Institutions
Sarah Tucker College
Saranathan College of Engineering
Sasurie College of Engineering
SBM College of Engineering and Technology
SCAD College of Engineering and Technology

Participants
Sethu Institute of Technology
Shadan College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad
Shri Ramdeobaba College of Engineering and Management, Nagpur
Shri Sakthikailassh Women’s college
Sigma College Of Architecture, Kanyakumari
Sphoorthy Engineering College
SR Engineering College, Hasanparthy Mandal
Sree Saraswathi Thyagaraja College
Sree Sowdambika College of Engineering
Sri Durga Malleswara Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala Arts College, Vijayawada
Sri Eshwar College of Engineering
Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Management and information Technology, Delhi
Sri GVG Visalakshi College for Women
Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College
Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science
Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College
Sri Sairam College Of Engineering, Bangalore
Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai
Sri Venkateshwara College of Education, Madivala., Bangalore
Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering and Technology, Puducherry
Sri Venkateshwara College Of Engineering, Bangalore
Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering & Technology
ST Hindu College, Nagercoil
St Joseph's Institute of Technology, Chennai
St Mother Theresa Engineering College
St Xaviers Catholic College of Engineering
Stella Maris College for Women
Sv Degree College, Kadapa
SVS College Of Engineering
Swarnandhra College of Engineering and Technology
Swarnandhra Institute of Engineering and Technology
Syed Ammal Engineering College
Symbiosis International University
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai
Vaagdevi College of Engineering, Warangal
Valliammai Engineering College
Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College
VHNSN College
Vignan Institute of Technology & Science
Vishnu Institute of Technology
Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune
Vivekananda Arts And Science College For Women
Vivekanandha College of Arts & Science For Women
Vivekanandha Institute of Information & Management studies
VR Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada, A.P
VV Vanniaperumal College For Women
YSR Engineering College
Zeal Education Society's Zeal College of Engineering and Research, Pune
Zeal Institute of Business Administration, Computer Application and Research, Pune


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INSIGHT

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 3

For further information, contact

4 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 5

22 Ten attributes of a great teacher

34 A few sharp questions

47 A few things that didn’t make the cut

48 Meet Dr Opal Mehta

57 Survey and ranks

6 ICT Academy Publications

Rising Stars Super Stars

Hangars On Fading Stars

LOW MEDIUM HIGH

Rising Stars: These are tomorrow’s

8 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 9

THE PECKING ORDER

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 11

12 ICT Academy Publications

1000 BCE and 5AD

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 13

The British cometh

14 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 15

16 ICT Academy Publications

01. PASSION Dr. Pratibha Jolly

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 17

18 ICT Academy Publications

Build from scratch, brick-by-brick, until after years of toil,

Visualize. Imagine these boys who in later years throng

02. KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 19

List out your learning goals: the specific certifications

20 ICT Academy Publications

Deliver your presentations with infectious enthusiasm.

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 21

22 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 23

In Japan, the Remember, by being on time, you show integrity. If

Make it a habit: Go by the rule that being late

ABC your tasks: Organize your to-do list and set

Shoot to arrive early: Set a timer. Aim

24 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 25

26 ICT Academy Publications

Relate it to their daily lives: If the subject is budgets, explain a household

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 27

28 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 29

30 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 31

32 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 33

Issue 1: Does the Ph.D. degree have a

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 35

36 ICT Academy Publications

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 37

That day, the state offered 6,863 buffet dishes to localities

38 ICT Academy Publications

Issue 6: How long will it take to

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER 39

Dr. M Ponnavaikko, Advisor, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology