Teaching Styles and Effectiveness of Teachers

Becoming a teacher can be an exciting and challenging experience for anyone. It can be quite difficult to put four years of knowledge into their teaching and into a classroom environment. And while it may seem challenging at first it does become easier over time.

A teacher is not only someone who teaches, but they are a symbol of learning.

A teacher is a person who plays the most important role in the development of any student. The future of those students depends on the qualities and the dedication of that teacher. It is the teacher who creates an interest in students to develop and to progress. It is the teacher who helps the students achieve whatever aims they set for themselves.

Teachers have a lot to do with motivating their students. An effective teacher is passionate and enthusiastic about their job and everything it includes. ‘Enthusiastic teachers are more successful than unenthusiastic teachers at engaging learners in learning’ (Killen, 2003a: 77). Enthusiastic teachers have been shown to have a positive effect on students as it motivates them and it encourages them to have an interest in the subject that they are learning.

There are two basic classifications of motivations that teachers use. And they are both very important to the students learning. They are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation occurs from curiosity, needs, interests and enjoyment. ‘Intrinsic motivation increases the effectiveness of learning, and is therefore more desired’ (Fulk, 1994). Lumsden (1994) notes that ‘when students are intrinsically motivated, they tend to use strategies that require more effort and involve processing of information on a deeper level’.

Extrinsic motivation is the motivation to pe...

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... for values, respect and guidance. The teacher needs to show them the way.

It is vital that they learn in a healthy atmosphere surrounded by professional teachers that would be able not only give them the knowledge they require, but lessons in ethics as well.

An effective teacher needs to inspire and influence students through enthusiasm and motivation. This teacher knows their subject well and is kinds and respectful towards all students.

An effective teacher is an innovator who uses different types of strategies, materials and techniques to accommodate different learning styles and to present learning content from different angles.

This type of teacher values respects and uses students’ ideas about how to develop their own learning.

This teacher is effective because they know that they are making a difference in a child’s life and shaping their future.