An effective teaching for an effective learning

Effective teaching and the outstanding teacher I believe that an outstanding teacher should:

1. Have an excellent knowledge of the curricula, provide an outstanding teaching and assessment practices as per the required professional norms;

2. Have a strong knowledge of subjects and concepts to be taught; 3. Know how to present these subjects and concepts in meaningful contexts; 4. Define clear objectives and set high expectations to his students; 5. Be innovative and enable students to learn very effectively and successfully; 6. Plan lessons imaginatively and provides an inspiring and secure learning

environment where students efforts are respected and valued; 7. Manage class and time efficiently; 8. Use different resources and materials creatively to ensure an active learning

promoted by an optimum balance of different activities; 9. Differentiate and meet varying needs and different learning styles and multiple

intelligences; 10. Stimulate students’ interests and inquisitiveness; 11. Promote very well critical and high order-thinking, reflection,

independent learning, inquiry and investigation.

How the teacher would address a wide range of a mixed interests, abilities and skills classroom? To address the needs of mixed-ability classrooms (with a wide range of interests, skills and intelligences), an outstanding teacher should considerate a variety of strategies, methods and behaviors. Therefore, he should:

1. Have an excellent knowledge of each student’s varying needs; 2. Differentiate instructions and present the concepts in meaningful contexts to

meet learners’ interests and capacities. 3. Create and implement appropriate strategies of individualized teaching and

assessment to meet varying skills, multiple intelligences and variable students’ needs;

4. Set high and appropriate expectations for students at all levels of prior attainment;

5. Plan and provide adapted instructions on the basis of each student’s competencies;

6. Regularly update and innovate teaching practices and approaches in order to accommodate them with intelligences and learning styles;

7. Create a positive learning environment, respect and valuate each learner’s ideas and beliefs and appreciate his efforts against challenges in order to boost his self-confidence and to make him feel that his efforts are worthwhile;

8. Understand the difficulty of certain concepts and provide authentic examples to reinforce their relevance to each student;

9. Ensure that activities’ purposes are clear for each student and that learning is reviewed as an integral part of the lesson.

10. Ensure that lesson’ aims are specified clearly for each student and revised at the end of the lesson so that each learner has a clear sense of achievement;

11. Vary questions’ formulations in a manner that they arouse each students’ inquisitiveness, and ‘’push’’ them to find out more;

12. Usually focus and individualize question for particular student or group of students;

13. Make effective use of many resources to vary teaching and succeed in promoting outstanding learning;

14. Well organize classroom and well match learning activities to the individual student’s needs;

15. Ensure that the tasks and resources support and challenge all students to maximize their progress.

16. Promote collaborative and independent learning as appropriate, and expect students to take responsibility for their own learning.

17. Adjust the pace of learning as a result of students’ responses. And give sufficient time for reflection and require students to inquire, investigate, reason

and think deeply

How can teachers promote achievement success for every student in their classroom? As it was demonstrated by tens of researches, I believe that the determining factor with raising student achievement is the teacher and what the teacher knows and can do. In fact, to raise achievement for every student in the class, a number of unavoidable actions must be taken:

1. The teacher must have an excellent knowledge of the curricula, the subjects, the concepts and notions to be taught;

2. He has to set clear objectives and set high and appropriate expectations for all students at all levels prior attainment. Each lesson’s goals must be clearly specified for each student and reviewed at the end of the lesson, so that each learner has a strong sense of achievement;

3. The teacher must differentiate instructions and create appropriate strategies and designs to present these subjects and concepts in meaningful and authentic activities to meet students’ interests and capacities and ‘’hook’’ them to their

learning. For this reason, and from the start of the school your, a skilled teacher has to establish the class profile and define each student specific needs, so that he can provide adapted instructions and directives on the basis of each student’s competencies. In this sight, an effective teaching for an effective learning, requires a regular adjustments of the learning pace as a result of students’ responses. The teacher must give enough time for reflection and encourages inquiry, investigation, and high order thinking;

4. As a part of an efficient class and time management, the teacher must organize the classroom to match learning activities to the individual student’s needs. He has to ensure a positive learning environment where learner’s ideas and beliefs are respected and his efforts against issues and challenges are valuated. Such an action, improves student’s self-confidence and increase his feeling that his efforts are worthwhile. In this sight, planning an individualized teaching and assessment is a must to meet varying skills and variable needs;

5. The teacher is constantly asked to update, regulate and create effective teaching practices and approaches to accommodate with his students’ varying needs, their intelligences and learning styles. So, he has to individualize questions and ensure an effective use of different resources to vary his teaching and promote an outstanding learning. Also, the teacher has to find an appropriate balance between collaborative and independent learning and expect each student to take the main part of responsibility for his own learning.