EDU 403.

16: PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICS
TEACHER

Module 1
Teacher Qualities and Competencies
Characteristics to Become a Good Math Teacher

Not all students like math, but a good math teacher has the power to change that.
A good math teacher can help students who have traditionally struggled with
arithmetic begin to build confidence in their skills. For students who are usually
bored with numbers, a good math teacher can breathe new life into the subject. A
good math teacher makes her class a place where students want to be
Knowledge of Mathematics
A successful math teacher has an extensive knowledge of mathematics. She has
taken multiple courses in algebra, geometry, statistics, calculus and other areas of
mathematics at the college level and, possibly, even the graduate level. This
knowledge allows her to confidently explain concepts and processes to her
students. She is not constantly consulting the answer key in the back of the
teacher's guide to help students solve problems. This confidence boosts her
credibility and helps students trust in her ability to teach them what they need to
know.
Teaching Strategies
Students learn in different ways, and a good math teacher understands
that. She keeps up with the best practices in math education and regularly
incorporates them into her instruction to help all of her students learn. She
also understands there may be multiple ways to solve problems and uses
those alternate strategies to help struggling students grasp difficult
concepts. Her lesson plans engage students and help them feel confident
in their mathematical abilities.
A Personable Approach
In the classroom, a talented math teacher does not take the "because I said so"
approach or play the role of a know-it-all. Instead, she serves as a facilitator of
learning, providing students with the knowledge and tools to solve problems and
then encouraging students to solve them on their own. When students answer a
problem incorrectly, she does not allow them to quit. She encourages students to
figure out where they went wrong and to keep working at the problem until they
get the correct answer, providing support and guidance where needed.
Classroom Leadership
A skilled math teacher is seen as a leader in her classroom and in the
school. Her students respect her, not only for her knowledge of
mathematics, but for her overall attitude and actions. Students can tell she
respects them as well. She has control over the classroom, laying out clear
rules and expectations for students to follow. When students misbehave,
discipline is consistent and fair.
Care and Concern
As any experienced teacher knows, teaching focuses less on the content
being taught than the students being taught. A good math teacher cares
about her students. She recognizes when a student is having a bad day or
needs some encouragement and addresses the problem to help the student
refocus on the material. While she holds students to high expectations, she
recognizes that occasionally life gets in the way of homework and that
studying sometimes take a back seat to family obligations. Therefore, she
offers students second chances when warranted and takes time out of her
 Qualities of a good Mathematics teacher
1.Great problem solver To be a maths teacher one should be a great problem
solver, because if one is not a good problem solver he/she may find maths or hard
If not he/she may find teaching math little rough.
2. Positive Attitude
One must be positive and have lots of motivation and inspiration to provide it to
students, because maths requires solving questions which may get wrong so it
requires positive attitude for the one studying and more likely the one who is
teaching.
To not let down if sum don't gets correct try again and again or move on…
3. Fearless
No you don't have to be fearless to battle a war, but to try to solve/teach any
question/concept or formula.
4. Math nerd or love for maths
One should love doing maths because to teach math you will need to solve and
solve and yeah solve.
5. Love for mathematics & passion for teaching
6. Ready to work hard & putting best effort for lecture preparation (prep of
handout, practice sets, etc.) as per different courses and target student’s
7. Understand one's students first, win their trust and then modify way of teaching
accordingly
8. A lot of patience with slow learners, forgiveness to mischievous students
9. Ability to engage class and create a learning environment. Simultaneously,
courage to handle challenging problems
10. Ability to motivate brilliant students to keep on practicing and dive more into
mathematics. At the same time, helping happily slow learners with basic things and
remove their fear/ phobia for maths and keep a balance between the two
11. Help students to develop mathematical thinking.
 Math Teacher Responsibilities and Duties

• Design teaching materials to sustain students’ interest in the subject.

• Prepare weekly lesson plans on time.
• Interact with students, parents and faculty.
• Design appropriate teaching plans and schedules.
• Design coherent instruction methodology.
• Implement initiatives and teaching methodologies.
• Facilitate classroom procedures.
• Set culture standards for learning.
• Inculcate discipline in students.
• Enforce classroom discipline.
• Monitor students’ progress in the subject.
• Monitor overall academic development.
• Design student assessment systems and methodologies.
TEACHERS AS FACILITATOR OF LEARNING
Contextual Competencies

• One of the first and foremost obligations of teacher is to ensure that whether
the parents and the community are accepting the importance and usefulness of
their efforts. For this teacher should have the ability to understand various
context such as historical background, present status of socio- economic,
cultural, linguistic and religious context of the family milieu and the community
profile.
• They should be able to conduct surveys for finding out reason for poor
enrolment, poor performance and causes of certain problems like wastage and
stagnation etc. which hinder the process of education [
Conceptual Competencies

• The teacher should have competencies identified under it are: Clarity of thought,
deep understanding of educational theories and through knowledge of various
educational trends, pedagogical methods, techniques etc.
• They should know significant characteristics of child development at different
stages to enable them to transact curriculum effectively.
• They should have knowledge of classroom organization and management too
which would help them in organizing curricular and co-curricular activities quite
effectively in and outside classroom.
• Concepts and educational implications of globalization, modernization,
liberalization and privatization have to be understood by teachers.
Content Related Competencies

These includes are-

• Full mastery over the content of the subject that they have to teach.
• They should find out the hard sots and gaps in curriculum which require
explanation and elaboration.
• They should identify such areas from the curriculum where there is enough
scope for undertaking joyful activities, individual and group learning etc.
Transactional Competencies

Educational transactional competency refers to the skill of day to day teaching to

achieve educational objectives effectively through meaningful interaction between
teachers and pupils and the environment by using different methods, activities and
technology in an integrated and effective manner. Thus it implies that the teacher
should be able:
To organize verity of activities such as storytelling, singing, games, field visits,
( celebration of national, social and cultural events to make teaching learning
process joyful, participatory and relevant.
• To prepare appropriate teaching aids and other teaching learning material to
support and enhance the effectiveness of teaching-learning process.
• To integrate continuous evaluation while transacting subject content.
• To use continuous evaluation approaches to diagnose weakness and strengths
of the teaching learning strategy.
• To identify the weaker and, brighter children in order to adopt remedial
Educational Activities Related Competency
The curricular activities are expected to promote cognitive development of
children as well as non-cognitive development. So here the competencies
required by a teacher are:
• Ability to organize curricular and co-curricular activities for achieving
educational objectives.
• Ability to organize social and cultural activities like morning assembly, days
celebration etc
Management Competencies
It involves the skill of the teacher to achieve high quality educational objectives in
minimum time, energy and money through appropriate and effective use of
educational aids and active participation of available human resources. Every
teacher is a manager of a particular class or group of students.
• Teacher should have the skill of classroom management including total
teaching as well as subject teaching in the class.
 Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment
• Teachers should be skilled in choosing assessment methods
appropriate for instructional decisions.
• Teachers should be skilled in developing assessment methods appropriate for
instructional decisions.
• The teacher should be skilled in administering, scoring and interpreting the
results of both externally-produced and teacher-produced assessment
methods.
• Teachers should be skilled in using assessment results when making decisions
about individual students, planning teaching, developing curriculum, and
school improvement.
• Teachers should be skilled in developing valid pupil grading procedures which
use pupil assessments.
• Teachers should be skilled in communicating assessment results to students,
parents, other lay audiences, and other educators.
 Extension Competencies
Competencies Related to Working with Parents It is the ability of a teacher to get
the co-operation of parents and their involvement for achieving the objective. It
implies the ability to discuss various problems that children with their parents face
and suggest some workable solution.
Competencies Related to Working with Community and Other Agencies
To improve the standard of education in schools, teacher needs to seek co-
operation and support of members of the community as well. Teacher must have
the ability to work towards bringing school and the community as close as
possible and inter-related. Teacher must be able to understand the role of the
community in the development of the school and community at large can
contribute to regular and effective functioning of the school and its continuous
growth, Thus, the above mentioned competencies are significant and need to be
developed among teacher to make them professionally competent. It will help to
improve quality of education.
The following are the expected teacher behaviour in the form of
accountability:-
• Accountability towards students – Teacher and students are the two
main pillars of the teaching learning process. The progress and
development of the learners can be possible only when the teacher is
sincere, hard work, sympathetic. For achieving optimal learning of
students, the teacher should be accountable and should take care of
the student’s progress according to his ability.
• Accountability towards Society – The most important role of teacher
is to bring the students into educational fold, coordinate various
activities of the society and motivate the weaker sections of the
society to learn because he can develop confidence to link between
the school and the society. Hence the teacher should be accountable
• Accountability towards Profession – A teacher should think various
ways and means to help the students to acquire the knowledge, to
develop academic potential and to sharp their future through the
process of teaching- learning. Professionally accountable teachers
adopt various methods and techniques of teaching follow the code of
conduct, set the examples for others apply new ideas in classroom
situations. Thus a teacher can achieve profession enrichment and
excellence which is beneficial for national development.

• Accountability towards lifelong teaching and learning – A teacher

should devote his whole life to teaching as well as learning for the
future of humanity as his role is multidimensional and multifarious
 Professional Ethics

If one is attempting to live a just, and therefore ethical, life, then it follows that
their actions should be virtuous in their vocation as well as their personal life. This
is the beginning of professional ethics. Professional ethics were established, and
are constantly being developed, as a guiding set of principles that help dictate
what constitutes good behaviour of person in authority. Professional ethics, in
short, are the means of which we judge authority’s validity.

Professional Ethical Principles

The following are the basic “rules” for ethical behaviour:
Not using authority to influence personal life or for monetary gain.
Not using authority with malicious intent.
Acting within the scope of position’s authority only.
Not influencing or advocating unethical conduct in others.
Acting in good faith to fulfil the duty of the position of authority.
Need of Professional Ethics

To aware the teachers to do their duties and abiding by truth, hard work and
honesty when they tend towards comforts, selfishness, laziness and money.
To change the conduct and behaviour of teachers in such a way behind which there
must be social acceptance and approval.
To act as a role model for students by behaving in ethical manner to one and all.
To create, sustain and maintain a reciprocal relationship between school and
society for ensuring harmonious development of the students as well as of society.
To enable every teacher for becoming a real one in truest sense of the term by
moulding his personality.
To bring improvement in professional environment to make it more conducive,
favourable and appropriate for effective working. For this the teacher have to
follow the ethical codes of teaching profession.
Professional Ethics
The following are some professional ethics for teachers:-
• Loyalty Towards Duty
• Punctuality • Motivational Attitude
• Dutifulness • Studious / Good Learner
• Respect for the profession • Dressing Sense
• Respect for the institution • Positive Attitude
• Respect and admiration for Co-Staff • Innovative
• Strictness and straight forwardness • Proper Use of Authority
• Truthfulness • IN PARAGRAPH FORM
• Honesty
• Good Behaviour Towards Students
• Use of Rights