What Makes a Good Teacher in 2016 Infographic

What Makes a Good Teacher in 2016 Infographic

There’s more to being a great teacher than classroom skills. The successful qualities of education professionals are not easy to instil or duplicate - which makes greatness in teaching just as rare as greatness in medicine. There is much debate, both online and offline, regarding this hot topic. Therefore, ITN Mark Education has put together the What Makes a Good Teacher in 2016 Infographic.

Love of the subject

Fantastic subject knowledge makes all the difference when it comes to teaching it. Teachers who know a subject inside-out have the ability to stretch pupils and make lessons more interesting for them.

Stress management

Effective discipline will create a positive atmosphere and support students’ learning. Control equals respect; this trait must come before all else.

Complete control

According to a BBC investigation last year, 83% of teachers reported workplace stress. Workload was the top concern followed by pay, inspections, curriculum reform and then pupil behaviour. Effective stress management techniques are crucial for great teachers.

Highly organised

Keeping track of pupils, switching one class to another and managing records and databases requires red hot organisational skills and can relieve the much-reported burden of a heavy workload.

Professional Behaviour

Positive relationships outside the classroom – including supporting colleagues and talking with parents - also has a moderate impact on students’ learning. Great teachers place priority on keeping parents informed about their children's progress – lack of a strong partnership between teachers and parents can undo many of their best efforts.

Praise is precious

The best teachers have high expectations of their pupils, while affirming students’ self-worth. Praise is never handed out unwarranted: success is attributed to effort rather than ability. In fact, one study found that the wrong kind of praise can be harmful for students, conveying a low expectation from teachers.

Expert instructional methods

According to studies, varying the type of tasks you ask pupils to do improves retention - even though it makes learning more difficult initially. The best teachers mix up teaching methods, selecting those that are well researched and widely practiced and becoming an expert in several that fit their style.