What Makes an Effective Teacher?

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 What Makes an Effective Teacher?

It takes more than a love for kids to be an effective

teacher. And while a love for kids is an absolute must, specific skills are needed
to motivate students and increase their learning potential. By understanding the
best avenues to pursue in order to promote learning and actively stimulate
children, teachers will be better equipped to effectively instill change within their
communities from the ground-up.

The impact of a good elementary school teacher is something that sticks with a
child the rest of their life. It sets the tone for what children will come to think of the
education system as a whole, so sparking interest at a young age is absolutely
crucial. Someone who can make learning fun, engaging, and memorable will
certainly contribute to promoting the value of an education to children.

Our guide on what makes an effective teacher might sound all too familiar,
especially if you’re an education student or already in the classroom, but
sometimes it’s helpful to remind ourselves how to be the best we can be at our
jobs. Elementary school educators form the building blocks of the system our
children are only beginning to climb and below we help underline the best ways
to maximize your impact.
Check out our tips below for a little inspiration and guidance.

 Preparedness is Fundamental: Being prepared is more than just bringing

handouts to class. It’s about being mentally and emotionally fit to teach
and supervise children. Remember, each day is a new day so come to
class with an open mind, a schedule of the day’s events and to-dos, and a
back-up plan in place. Prepared teachers help propagate students to be
more prepared as well and when you have focus, they’ll take notice.
 Foster Individualized Instruction: This can be tough with a classroom of
25 students, if not more, but it’s not impossible. Each student learns
differently, so it’s important for teachers to keep a variety of teaching
strategies in their tool belts in order to reach all students. Below are a few
helpful sites to help teachers enhance their pedagogical skills:
o Differentiating Instruction: Meeting Students Where They Are
o 8 Lessons Learned on Differentiating Instruction
o How to Differentiate Instruction
o Differentiated Instruction
o Six Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based
Learning
 Encourage Creativity: It’s so important to stimulate students’ creativity
and imagination. Keeping them off guard as much as possible helps make
them more adept and agile learners. You can foster a generation of
innovators just be encouraging students to experiment with improvisational
skills, role play, and other active learning techniques. These activities not
only build confidence but speech and language skills as well.
 Demonstrate Kindness: Again, might sound like a no-brainer, but it’s
easy to forget the importance of demonstrating kindness and caring when
students are unruly or inattentive to instructions. But when students act up,
that doesn’t mean you throw in the towel. It’s okay to share your feelings of
disapproval—communication is key! However, remember that your
students are human, too, and they will have days that they are distracted.
Since they’re the embodiment of the limited experiences they’ve already
had, all you can do as a teacher is provide memorable educational
experiences that will have a significant impact on their development.
Being a teacher is one of the most valuable occupations out there. The 21st
century has seen some pretty significant changes to teaching methods from
educators in the field. You’re responsible for providing the best possible
outcomes for your students, and that’s a tall order. But with the right tools and
strategies, and of course the right attitude, your students will not only meet
specific learning objectives but have fun while doing it.