An effective teacher keeps students’ motivated and focused as engaged and successful learners who develop personally, socially and academically. There are a range of factors that define an effective teacher:
Quality teaching: An effective teacher analyses and uses assessment data to understand the developmental characteristics and needs of their students. They translate the syllabus into accessible and engaging learning activities with the innovative use of resources and a range of evidence-based instructional methods. Effective teachers use explicit teaching and give students opportunities and time to check their understanding, ask questions and receive clear, effective feedback.
Maintaining relevance: An effective teacher understands and incorporates current affairs, popular issues, current trends and culture into a dynamic and informed teaching style that is interest sparking and builds on the natural curiosity of students. They use current educational research to keep updated and develop of new ways of thinking about content and new approaches to teaching. An effective teacher trials and incorporates technology in ways that improve learning outcomes, including using educational apps, online platforms, and digital resources to personalise learning and access information.
Good teacher-student relationships: An effective teacher knows their students with great insight into their needs and interests, their family and cultural backgrounds, their learning styles and talents, their vulnerabilities, strengths, and areas for development. They make students feel valued, known and cared for as empowered individuals who have a sense of self-worth, self-awareness and personal identity with the capacity to succeed. The effective teacher is patient, empathetic and encouraging, with unconditional attention and focus on student learning and wellbeing.
Effective behaviour management: An effective teacher maintains a supportive and safe classroom, free of disruptive behaviour, where all students are on task and making progress. They maintain a predictable and easily understood structure to the school day, with routines and procedures that enable all students to successfully navigate and meet clear requirements and expectations for success. The effective teacher is inclusive and fair and, working with the school’s learning support team as necessary, responds to the needs of an individual student with personalised, equitable, respectful and flexible solutions.
Teachers work in extremely complex and dynamic environments that require them to be adaptable, collaborative, resilient and empathetic to the needs of their students. They use intuition and evidence to know and understand their students and engage them in relevant and substantial lessons that enable them to make progress. An effective teacher takes personal responsibility to improve their teaching practice and be at the forefront of innovation and change.
The ability of teachers to engage in quality teaching practices, to manage behaviour, to be inspiring and have a strong rapport with their students, directly impacts student learning outcomes. An effective teacher is a highly qualified and talented professional who creates the conditions for success by running well-managed classrooms that enables students to excel.
aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/ australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf
ashfield-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/a/ ashfield-p/quality-teaching-/Quality_Teaching_Framework.pdf
westpoint.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/centers_research/ center_for_teching_excellence/PDFs/mtp_project_papers/ Dyrenforth_14.pdf
