Educational Leadership
The Effective Educator
December 2010/January 2011
Volume 68 NO. 4

“What Makes a Great Teacher?”

Five key characteristics were identified by prominent educators as being the most important quality of an effective teacher.

The first quality identified was humility. True humility is a quiet self-confidence. In teaching, it means understanding that one does not know everything, and there is always more to learn and improve on. It means acknowledging that one can learn from other professionals, as well as from peers, immigrant parents, or even first graders. It is an understanding that no one method is the “magic bullet” to teaching and learning.

The second quality identified was excitement about learning. Students are motivated by a teacher’s passion for the subject he or she teaches.

The third quality was making meaning. An effective teacher teaches students to process what they have learned. Teachers teach such processing by having students practice critical thinking and problem solving . It is also done through the practices of collaboration and communication.

The fourth characteristic of an effective teacher was reflecting on how you teach. To quote John Dewey, “It’s not the doing that matters; it’s the thinking about the doing.” An effective teacher selects, adapts, and refines every teaching move in a reflective, intentional, way.

Finally, the fifth quality of an effective teacher was a willingness to grow. Teachers must be eager to seek out support and corrective feedback from supervisors and peers and grow in their strengths as an educator to meet students’ changing needs. One way to do this is for teachers to receive feedback from administrators from evaluations and classroom observations, reflect on that feedback, and make goals for personal improvement. Through this practice, teachers will continually grow in their profession.

Following the practices of these five key qualities will enable teachers to be on track for effective teaching.