What Makes a Good Teacher?
By
Véronick Talbot, contributor, hired in the various student projects of Tolerance.ca
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What makes a good teacher? Academic training? Knowledge? Or skills as a communicator? According to several specialists, while a teacher’s qualifications are important, communication skills are just as crucial. Even if a teacher is entirely familiar with the material to be taught and passionate about the subject, he or she must be able to pass on the knowledge clearly and in a structured manner to allow students to understand and integrate it.
Knowing how to communicate passion
Jean-Marie Bergeron is a French teacher at Collège Lionel-Groulx, a post-secondary general and vocational college (known as a CEGEP) located in Sainte-Thérèse, just outside of Montréal. He believes that the communications relation established between student and teacher is a key element. “Of course, you have to be a very good communicator to be able to pass on your knowledge. The act of teaching always involves contact between two individuals: the teacher and the student. You must be able to create a climate of mutual trust in order to generate a space conducive to intellectual efforts.”
Certain factors enter into play. According to Mr. Bergeron, the teacher’s physical appearance may influence the student’s attitude towards him or her. “I believe that appearance is an important issue. If I look at how I’ve evolved in my profession, I’d say that the older I get, the easier is it to earn the respect of my students. I pay careful attention to my choice of clothing, because it’s a matter of respect towards them. Without giving in to the temptations of consumer society, it’s possible to avoid monotony. Teaching means communicating with a group. In the transmission/reception relation, the role of appearance is by no means insignificant.”
At www.ratemyteachers.com, an American Web site that was created by New York teacher Michael Hussey and receives more than 50,000 visits by students per day, visitors rate the qualifications of their teachers according to three criteria. Thus clarity of explanations matters, but teachers are also assessed on their good humour and the tolerance they show towards their students.
According to Josée Therrien, a student in natural sciences at the Terrebonne constituent college of the Lanaudière regional CEGEP, “the teacher’s enthusiasm is very important because it’s the first thing students notice about their teacher, and initial contact between two people is decisive. A good mood is expressed in the teacher’s tone of voice, and it’s much easier to pay attention to someone who speaks in an upbeat tone and who makes a few jokes than to someone who speaks in a monotone.” Teachers who like their profession will find it easier to motivate the students. A passion for the subject matter will also stimulate interest and facilitate learning. Students will be more likely to ask the teacher questions because they know he or she will take pleasure in answering them.
Mr. Bergeron believes that “good teachers disturb, provoke and spark a desire to learn as a result of their own passion. They trigger an intellectual curiosity that leads students to surpass themselves and push back the limits of ignorance.”
Values linked to surpassing oneself should be part of education, believes Mr. Chouinard, a specialist in education and motivation at the Université de Montréal. “I try to instil in my students the power to improve, the ability to work with others without conflict, and a desire to do the work well. All these elements will serve them in their personal and professional lives.”
Another factor that motivates students is the teacher’s availability, notes Mr. Chouinard. “Students like it when teachers are attentive to their needs and when they take the time to explain the material in another way when they don’t understand—without laughing at them, without being sarcastic.”
Establishing clear instructions
Mr. Chouinard feels that students also appreciate it when “teachers are consistent in the workload they give.” At school, students accept punishment when they deserve it, but they “like it when the rules are clear and applied fairly. That means they expect a teacher to intervene, but would rather receive a logical consequence for whatever they have done wrong. For example, students prefer to apologize or repair an object they’ve broken than have a detention.”
Marcel Thouin, professor in the education science department at the Université de Montréal, says he has learned by personal experience that a professor does not necessarily acquire authority by imposing discipline. “Some teachers earn respect by ‘having authority.’ I prefer to earn respect by trying to ‘be an authority,’ which means something quite different. It implies trying to be ‘recognized in one’s field.’”
However, it should not be forgotten that in the student-teacher relationship, the student’s attitude is fundamental. In the past few years, observes Mr. Bergeron, it has become more difficult to communicate with the students. “I’d say that over time, it’s become harder to capture their attention. They often come to class quite tired because of the jobs they hold or because they go out at night. At the same time, the sense of effort is less developed than it used to be, due to the Internet and the omnipresence of the media. On top of that, our overconsumption society encourages people to take the easy road. Cells phones also divert a lot of attention.” For many students, school today is no longer simply a place where knowledge is passed on, but an environment that facilitates contact with others and is home to various activities. As a result, students are less open to acquiring new knowledge. Teachers must learn to live with these new realities—no easy matter given that many factors are beyond their control.
Passing on citizen values
Mr. Chouinard believes that no matter what level they teach, most teachers today wish to instil respect in their students: respect for themselves, for others and for the environment.
Josée Therrien recalls an experience she had when she was only 10. “My religion teacher made us face the reality that even in Terrebonne, an affluent suburb of Montréal, some children would come to school without eating breakfast because their families couldn’t afford it. We organized several events to raise money to help them out. The pride I felt at that moment motivated me to think about others later on.”
It’s all about passing on “citizen values” to the students, contends Mr. Bergeron: “respect, tolerance, open-mindedness, a sense of responsibility, awareness of human realities, as well as recognition of diversity and the essential role of politics and pride in work well done.”
Teachers must act in accordance with these values themselves and treat all students as equals. “In my opinion, all students have the right to learn,” says Mr. Bergeron. “We must provide them with the best possible conditions for effective learning. Note that I am speaking of rights, not of privileges. In special cases, the teacher must receive appropriate support, which is often lacking in the school environment.”
How do students feel about the time teachers spend with less advanced students in comparison to that devoted to those who are stronger? Josée Therrien, who finds some classes harder than others, explains that even when she doesn’t understand the material well, she does not want her teacher to spend more time with her than the others. “It’s embarrassing to get a lot of attention from the teacher because the other students notice. I’d rather ask for help my friend, who does well at school. It makes me feel less uncomfortable.” Most students have the same attitude as Josée Therrien, confirms Mr. Chouinard, which explains why tutoring centres have been set up in some secondary schools and, more frequently, in CEGEPs.
“A matter of respect, but also of responsibility”
For Neil Caplan, director of the Humanities Department at Vanier College in Montréal, being a good teacher means being able to pass on a sense of responsibility. “One of the key things you need to pass on to the students, no matter what the course, is sensitivity to others and the importance of open-mindedness and communication between individuals. It’s not only a matter of respect, but also of responsibility: many people don’t make the connection between what they do or do not do and the consequences of their actions.”
In fact, he adds, “the course content is often secondary to that pedagogical goal. In most cases, the facts and details learned during the session will be forgotten once the last paper is handed in or the final exam written. But good work habits, including time management, will last a lifetime—especially if they are reinforced by other teachers.”
There are ways to build awareness of these realities, through the choice of books to be studied and assignments given. For Mr. Bergeron, assignments allow the students not only to probe further into the material being taught, but also “to develop an analytical mind and the critical faculty, which is essential.”
No matter what the student’s academic results, the learning process is a driving force in and of itself, according to Mr. Chouinard. “It’s important to make the students understand that at school, everyone is a winner. There are no losers, because we all learn something. Everyone has their strengths: that’s what makes the world as diverse as it is today.”
English translation : Christine York.
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To learn more:
GAUTHIER, Clermont, Qu'est ce qu'un bon prof? http://www.scienceshumaines.com/qu-est-ce-qu-un-bon-prof-_fr_14908.html
This article is part of a series on the diversity of values and religious beliefs in colleges and universities and is presented with the financial support of:
* Britain's Daisy Chamberlain, 8, from Archbishop Sumner School, south London, looks at the Erupting Volcano at the Science Museum Smart Toy Awards, central London, England. Image : Reuters.
** Mr Jean-Marie Bergeron teaches at collège Lionel-Groulx. Photo by Pierre-Henry Reney.