How to Become a Good Teacher

Effective teachers never stop learning.

One of the most remarkable teachers of all time never earned a college degree. She didn't use speech to instruct her student, nor sight. The teacher was Anne Sullivan, and the only way she could reach her severely disabled student, Helen Keller, was through touch. No amount of formal education could prepare Anne Sullivan to become a good teacher for Helen Keller. The challenges came "on the job," and Sullivan responded to them with her compassion, creativity and persistence. Good teachers "learn twice," as Joseph Joubert said in 1842. If you want to become a good teacher, there's a lot to learn.

Instructions

1. Know your "stuff." Whether you're lecturing at a university or teaching jewelry classes at the local craft store, you need to learn--- and know---your subject cold. This might require attaining one or more academic degrees. Or, you might just need to become expertly skilled at what you want to teach. In any case, earning the proper credentials, whether they are in the form of university degrees or life experience is key to becoming a good teacher.

2. Listen carefully. Good teachers listen at least as much as they talk. Thomas Cronin, a former president of Whitman College, uses a vivid description to explain it. He says good teachers learn "to squint with their ears." He cites patience as a critical skill teachers must learn to listen effectively. Good teachers are patient with students who have trouble asking questions. Instead of becoming impatient with the student's awkwardness, they give him the feeling that he has all the time in the world to get his thoughts out. Students need time to process a question. So instead of waiting two or three seconds, give a thoughtful student at least 20 or 30 seconds before responding.

3. Keep learning how to teach. Many people become teachers because they love to "teach." They want to talk about their subject, sometimes at the expense of actually teaching it to their students. Good teachers, on the other hand, are constantly assessing how well they are reaching their students. They ask for feedback, listen to it and then incorporate it into future teaching. In other words, they are constantly learning to teach.

4. Strive for continuous improvement. Steven Farr, who recruits teachers for Teach for America, believes great teachers constantly seek to improve their effectiveness. They aren't afraid to abandon methods that aren't working in order to find others that will. The idea of writing a lesson plan and sticking to it semester after semester is anathema to them. They constantly revise and improve.

5. Check in frequently. Farr also found another trait that good teachers seemed to share: they constantly checked for student understanding. But, they didn't do it by asking, "Does anyone have any questions?" Reasoning that students aren't the best judges of what they understand, the great teachers used other methods to judge for themselves how well students were learning. Ask students direct questions about the material you are teaching. Seek more than rote understanding. Get down to your student's level of confusion, and then try to explain things from his point of difficulty. Never let any student fall. And, never assume that everyone "gets it," just because a student says she doesn't.

References

• American Foundation for the Blind: Anne Sullivan Macy Biography
• Quote Garden: Quotations About Teachers
• Whitman College: On the Importance of Teaching Excellence
• The Atlantic: What Makes a Great Teacher?

Resources

• University of Hawaii: Teaching Tips
• University of Hawaii: Enhance Teaching Effectiveness