Wednesday, November 04, 2009

What make a good teacher?

Found this article:

by Laura Greene, Augustana College
from "The National Teaching & Learning FORUM"
Volume 14, Number 2, February 2005
I sometimes think that students must feel as though they live in a world of questions not their own. Teachers often provide students with questions for a reading assignment in advance ("Here are some questions I'd like you to think about for next Wednesday's reading"); even more regularly, they assign questions to be answered in papers or on tests. Reasonably enough, most students conclude that it is the teacher's job to ask, and their job to answer. And if they get the answer right, they've learned something.

Most of us who teach make pretty different assumptions. We know that inquiry lies at the heart of every academic endeavor. The best professors don't want to teach their students the "facts" of the discipline so much as they want to help them construct knowledge by asking interesting questions within that discipline. We want our students to inquire - with energy, commitment, and passion.

Research shown that, by asking question, student's brain will be stimulated.

Questions asked by the teacher will guide a student into thinking and the student will be able to learn on his own for the rest of his life.

But, some students hate the teacher for asking questions on the topic they are learning.

They prefer the teacher to give them the answer directly.

What do you think? Should the teacher compromise or stick to the method that the teacher know best for the student?

Did you come across any good teacher in your life?

What is a good teacher to you?

14 comments:

Tekkaus said...

I thing sometimes teachers have to stick to something that is best for their students. :D

TZ said...

yes yes ... of coz i have a few good teachers and also bad teachers too... Good teachers printed the knowledge in my memory until today... Bad teachers just read from books and mumbled away in class ... So don't even remember what he/she has taught.

Superman said...

As long as the teacher put in the true heart and effort to teach the students, he or she is the best teacher already.

Medie007 said...

i prefer a teacher who ask and probe, but in a friendly manner. sarcasm isn't appreciated, definitely not scoldings.

i prefer a teacher who helps me think outside the box and not just wait for me to ask the question, cuz most of the time i can't even come up with one.

i prefer a teacher who is approachable, and doesn't seem too superior. yes, a sense of respect should be there, but when he treats you like you're a kid, then it doesn't help.

having said that, i prefer a teacher who also knows that i'm still a student and i need to be guided and not just "go back and read". read on what?!?!?! how much should i read?!?!??! how much can i read in one night when there's so many things to read on?!!?!?!

said...

a good teacher? hmmm~ a good teacher should provide the answer for the final exam for us~ kekekeke :P

Danny said...

i'm never a good student...
but i always felt that a good student and teacher should ask and answer when they learn...very lame horr? ;p

Gratitude said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gratitude said...

Wow, Medie is ranting away about all his lousy medic teachers LOLZ!

So true your post. I personally believe a good teacher is one who constantly challenges the students' minds to think out of the box, by being able to use interesting methods to provoke interest towards the learning process. The learning is not the final destination whereby the answer is obtained, but rather, learning is the journey that provides many other lessons are that learnt along the way.

Every moment of our lives could be a learning process but only if we want to learn.
+Ant+

Anonymous said...

hmmm its not easy to b a good teacher, a good heart is one of most important thing lor, then the willingness to teach, to teach in accordance with the capability of the student... and if can, make sure give tips before the exam :p

fufu said...

yeah.. i still remember my standard one teacher... she is the best class teacher ever... she treated me like her own son =p

Anonymous said...

I found your blog rather cute.. now will I get paid for answering your questions?????

foongpc said...

As a student, I want my teacher to spoon feed me!

As a teacher, I want my students to think on their own and not rely on me spoon feeding them!

As a parent, I don't care as long as my child can pass the exams with flying colours!

As an observer, I think all three have the wrong attitude! : )

Anonymous said...

been waiting days to eagerly looking forward to ur reply ..
^:^
to me when a pupil is, the teacher should be motherly enough to catch the heart of that pupil..
once in secondary levels, the teacher shud be proactive, initiative and sense of humour to get the attention of the students and moreover, get the hearts of the students to study not just merely ask them to go back to read or study lst b4 they come the next day...
in other words, teachers shud get the message across the minds of most students not just do it without a proper heart..

MiChi said...

Tekkaus:
Hmm.... Sometimes the teacher may too carried away by their own thinking?

TZ:
haha...at least you remember what the bad teacher did... not bad

Superman:
Sigh....not many people can see my heart.

Medie007:
I see... Luckily I didn't make this mistake

L2:
Wahhahaha..you ah!

Danny:
hahah....you are funny

Gratitude:
I love your phrase:
The learning is not the final destination whereby the answer is obtained, but rather, learning is the journey that provides many other lessons are that learnt along the way.

I hope my students read this phase.

the happy go lucky one:
I have done all you mentioned... but... still get betray sometimes :( my bad karma

fufu:
haha...did your teacher introduce her daughter to you?

foongpc:
haha....you scare me

housewife 9988:
thanks for visiting my blog... anyway... I think a good teacher is the one who did his / her job with full responsibility... that's all a teacher should...right?