Walking the chalk: what really makes a good teacher?
In early November I attended the Battle of Ideas Conference at the Barbican in London for the sixth time and, as ever, I came away having gained new insights into many contemporary issues and dilemmas. The Battle of Ideas is a weekend long Conference Festival which hosts over ninety panelled (lively!) debates advocating free thinking from both leading academics and the audience. There is always a vast range of debates; this year’s event including sessions on fake news, knife crime, environmentalism, the EU, ‘woke’ corporations and feminism (just to name a few!).
However, one of the most valuable and engaging sessions I attended was on a topic a little less controversial: “Walking the chalk: what really makes a good Teacher?”. Although not the most polarising subject, many ideas were argued for, challenged and discussed between a panel of five Teachers, thus providing a wealth of experienced advice. This knowledge feels too significant not to share with other Yipiyap Tutors, so I’ve done my best to condense and categorise some of the key criteria offered by the panel and audience throughout the discussion.
Key points
Self-confidence - This is essential for delivering content, maintaining control and being an important figure to your students. Also, not relying on praise to sustain confidence in your methods.
Liking children - Speaks for itself!
Competent Curriculum understanding - Although not necessarily needing to be an expert on your subject (an idea discussed more when I raised Yipiyap and the role provided e.g. Tutors having limited qualifications), you should know the content of what you’re teaching well.
‘Distinctive intellectual presence’ - Finding a balance of high expectations, solid knowledge and confidence, can provide you with a specific and positive role in the students’ school experience. This will encourage, and help you cope with, being logically and intellectually challenged by the students as they will respect your strong influence on their education.
Caring - Caring and being passionate about your subject not only makes Teaching fun for you but also manifests as caring about it being taught in an engaging way for the benefit of your students. This also importantly ties into students gaining insight into the meaning and significance of your subject in a non-school context which will hopefully ignite their interest in life and knowledge on a broader scale.
Collaboration - Successful Teaching is a collective effort that spans throughout departments (and hopefully the entire school), meaning you should work in tandem with other Teachers in order to provide a full and consistent experience for the students. Don’t look to be a ‘hero teacher’ that sweeps in to rescue the otherwise dismal education of your students!
Classroom tips
80/20 balance of success and failure - Aim to create an environment in which students build confidence by being successful in 80% of their work yet are sufficiently challenged by struggling with 20%. Apparently, this is scientifically proven to be the most effective way of teaching children.
Accomplishment - Use this word regularly to focus on what students have accomplished rather than how high level their performance has been. This helps eliminate a sense of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ performance by creating a sense of personal achievement, relevant to each individual student. Students will feel more confident that they can accomplish things that are meaningful to their individual progression, thus generating a more positive approach to learning.
Introduce the ‘big picture’ - Where appropriate, at the start of each class, you should give students some objectives by saying “today we are going to try and do X, so that we understand Y”. This will help provide context for your lessons and engage students more effectively as they see the relevance of their lessons.
Pantomime Teacher - There is a necessary element of performing, in which you must embody the most exciting and engaging version of yourself in order to get the most out of your students.
It was very exciting to take so much useful advice away from an unexpected environment and I hope many of you can utilise it too.
https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/walking-the-chalk-what-really-makes-a-good-teacher/