Hello,
I am a novice to this forum and to forums in general,.. In fact, my student "smart" has invited me to this intellectual banquet.. so thanks so much .. I am so happy to be here.
I came across this big word "good teacher" or what I used to call the perfect teacher but to my humble opinion, no one is at that level... from the comments I read, I recognised that people tend to evaluate the teacher on how he could retain his class calm and make his pupils obey to discipline .. but this is not the only function of the teacher. This is more often than not the job of the policeman. From my short experience as a teacher, and from the accumulations of ELT literature. And most importantly, from the remarkable research of my pupils this year entitled "the profile of the good teacher" I think the good teacher is first and foremost a leader i.e. the good teacher is the one who fosters for closer relationships with his/ her students, the one who shows the way and gives the example, pays attention to discipline, and he who has the ability to deal effectively with discipline problems (some teachers try to retain control by shouting but it is not the way and I can give you an anecdote that happened to me this year. Once the problems start to arouse I suggested that they can form what I called "لجنة عقلاء" and it worked , and almost all the problems settled down afterwards ), besides cooperation with school employees and parents. The one who is ready to share and ready to listen leaving room for his pupils to share and to voice up whatever they have in their minds. In addition, Pedagogical competence is an other important factor. The professional teacher usestopics that will arouse interest or increase the students' commitment to learn the ********.Not to forget the declarative knowledge that he has to have. The traditional role of the teacher is as a resource person: "Teachers are proficient in English, are aware of the structure of the ********, and are able to explain it to learners"(?-). Not only knowing but knowing how: firstly, by fostering a classroom climate of trust, stress-free environment and a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.. because whenever there is stress, hatred to the subject matter none of the learning or teaching is going to take place. Another primordial quality is that of the manager: and that means aprofessional user of the means, uses and knows how to use enrichment materials(is familiar with technology-based resources). A manager of time, not loosing the slightest second. Choosing and providing the type of learning in class accordingly with students preferred styles and attitudes. Another quality is being reflective: reflects on his/ her teaching and re-assesses teaching practices. Teachers have to be sensitive and are always in search for the betterment. This entails another quality: Potential learner. Good teachers care for their self-development. They engage in every opportunity of in-service training . Yet other challenges we have to consider. In this changing environment teachers will have to seek for new ways of teaching. So he is also a problem solver: Coping with a changing pupil population. He has to innovate to confront the challenges of everyday teaching. We have to use our "own intuitive ability and experimental knowledge" to decide what works and what does not work.Not to forget that he is a professional evaluator, designing tests that are valid and reliable, and practical to administer and grade. And of course, he is a moral person when evaluating. Less important credential is the image: the image, the way he dresses and the way he speaks and I hope my student will talk about that quality more because they discussed it in details in class.
But we should perhaps do more as far as English ******** teaching is concerned (objective setting, goal achievement, decision making, problem solving, conflict solving, communication, commitment, responsibility, critique, providing autonomy… etc) all of which are essential skills that teachers need to grapple with all classroom difficulties. Especially in our region where foreign ********s are not a priority to our poor pupils. In so doing, teachers could successfully contribute to the shaping of ELT and the success of the pupils. Not only that but making the experience of teaching very exciting for our pupils first and for us possibly.
To sum it all: here is a quote from The Moroccan Teachers' Magazine:
"the role of the teacher is not only as that of an English teacher, but also as an educator, promoting and fostering the development of positive values, critical thinking and world knowledge"( M. T. association, 2002).