University of M’sila Department of English

Master One Classes TEFL Courses / Lecturer: Berkani

LESSON THREE: CHARACTERISTICS AND ROLES OF A GOOD TEACHER

There is really no “secret” recipe of being the perfect teacher. That is to say, there is probably no
teacher out there who is uniformly strong in all areas. Indeed, the most important characteristics of effective
teaching might not appear on any list. This idea is best expressed by de Saint-Exupery (1943) in  The Little
Prince: “That which is essential cannot be seen with the eye. Only with the heart can one know it rightly.”

The earliest studies of teacher efficacy defined it as “the extent to which the teacher believes he or she
has the capacity to alter student performance” (McLaughlin & Marsh, 1978, p. 84).Since then, a considerable
amount of research has been done over the years, yet very basic questions still persist. Educators have failed
to reach agreement on answers to questions like:

 What is effective teaching?

Many researchers in the field believe that consensus on the above-mentioned questions is not possible.
What the research has found, however, is that the overall expectations of a “good teacher” have not changed
drastically over the years but how they are manifested in the classroom has (Larsen-Freeman, 1986). Much
of the research conducted has sought to identify characteristics, factors, traits and/or classroom behaviors of
“effective teachers.”

1. What is a Teacher?

In his book The Practice of English Language Teaching (3 rd.Ed), Harmer.J noted that teachers use
metaphors to describe what they do .Sometimes they say that they are like actors because "we are always on
the stage". Others think they are like orchestral conductors because "I direct conversation and set the pace
and tone". Yet, others feel like gardeners because "we plant the seeds and then watch them grow". The range
of images-these and others- that teachers use about themselves indicate the range of views that they have
about their profession.

Dictionaries also give a variety of messages about teaching. According to the Cambridge International
Dictionary of English, teaching means " to give someone knowledge or to instruct or train someone";
whereas, the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English suggests that teaching is "show somebody how
to do something " or " to change somebody's ideas". It is because views are somewhat as to what teachers
are, and because different functions are ascribed to teaching, that one needs to describe and examine the
teacher's characteristics and roles not only in education, but in classroom itself.

2. Characteristics of a Good / Great / Effective/ Qualified Teacher

Many trainers are fond of quoting from a work called " The Prophet" by Gibran.K " if (the teacher) is
indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you the threshold of your
own mind"(Gibran 1991,p.76).Such humanistic sentiments expose a dilemma in the minds of many trainers

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and trainees. Is teaching about the "transmission" of knowledge from teacher to student, or is it about
creating conditions in which, somehow, students learn for themselves? (Harmer, p.56).

Teaching is hard work and some teachers never grow to be anything better than mediocre. They
do the bare minimum required and very little more. The great teachers, however, work tirelessly
to create a challenging, nurturing environment for their students. Great teaching seems to have
less to do with our knowledge and skills than with our attitude toward our students, our subject,
and our work. Although lists are certainly not all-inclusive, one may narrow down the many
characteristics of a great teacher:

2.1. A “Calling” to the Profession (Dedication) : Effective teachers are driven and passionate about what
they do and feel a “call” to teach as well as a passion to help students learn and grow. Without this mission,
or calling, teaching is just another job—and a tough one at that. Central to this calling is the idea of a positive
attitude. Effective teachers recognize that teaching is demanding. Despite this, they exhibit a sense of pride
in what they do.

2.2. Respecting Students. In a great teacher’s classroom, each person’s ideas and
opinions are valued. Students feel safe to express their feelings and learn to respect and listen
to others. This teacher creates a welcoming learning environment for all students.

2.3. Professional Knowledge : Shulman (1986) has identified seven types of knowledge that highly effective
teachers must have. According to him, teachers need knowledge about :

• The content they are teaching

• The particular educational context they are teaching in

• Pedagogical content knowledge which is a special mix of content and pedagogy unique to teachers .

It is thus said that a great teacher maintains professionalism in all areas—from personal appearance to
organizational skills and preparedness for each day. Their communication skills are exemplary, whether they
are speaking with an administrator, one of their students or a colleague. The respect that the great teacher
receives because of their professional manner is obvious to those around them.

2.4. Creating a sense of community and belonging in the classroom. The mutual respect in this teacher’s
classroom provides a supportive, collaborative environment. In this small community, there are rules to
follow and jobs to be done and each student is aware that he or she is an important, integral part of the group.
A great teacher lets students know that they can depend not only on them, but also on the entire class.

2.5. Warmth, accessibility, enthusiasm, and caring. These features describe a teacher who is approachable,
not only to students, but to everyone who may need them. This is the teacher to whom students know they
can go with any problems or concerns or even to share a funny story. Great teachers possess good listening
skills and take time out of their way-too-busy schedules for anyone who needs them. If this teacher is having
a bad day, no one ever knows-the teacher leaves personal baggage outside the school doors. Like the above
mentioned characteristics can be also named as " Personality traits or personal qualities". To what extent

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personality factors relate to teaching effectiveness has been the topic of numerous empirical studies.
Weinstein (1998) conducted a study which identified 10 characteristics “good teachers” were thought to have
(as cited in Brown & Rodgers, 2002, p. 153). Seven out of the ten characteristics related to personality. The
Weinstein study found personality factors like patience, warmth, creativity, humor, and outgoingness to be
indicative of effective teaching.

2.6. Loving learning: A good teacher inspires students with his passion for education and for the course
material. He constantly renews himself as a professional on his quest to provide students with the highest
quality of education possible. This teacher has no fear of learning new teaching strategies or incorporating
new technologies into lessons, and always seems to be the one who is willing to share what he’s learned with
colleagues.

2.7. Good Leadership: A great teacher is a skilled leader. Different from administrative leaders, effective
teachers focus on shared decision-making and teamwork, as well as on community building. This great
teacher conveys this sense of leadership to students by providing opportunities for each of them
to assume leadership roles.

2.8. Flexibility: A great teacher can “shift-gears” and is flexible when a lesson isn’t working. This teacher
assesses his teaching throughout the lessons and finds new ways to present material to make sure that every
student understands the key concepts.

2.9. Cooperation: A great teacher collaborates with colleagues on an ongoing basis. Rather than thinking of
themselves as weak because they ask for suggestions or help, this teacher views collaboration as a way to
learn from a fellow professional. A great teacher uses constructive criticism and advice as an opportunity to
grow as an educator.

2.10. Management: (With-it-ness): The concept of with-it-ness (McEwan, 2002) is defined as the state of
being on top of things, tuned into the teaching/learning environment, and in control of the different facets of
classroom life and our jobs. A “with-it” teacher is one who can organize and manage their classroom,
engage students in the lesson, and keep up a fast-paced momentum. Teachers with this quality are ones who
can do multi-tasks, use their time most effectively, and adapt to the changing needs and demands of their job
and the profession.

2.11. Instructional Effectiveness: For many, if teachers possess the requisite qualifications and years of
teaching experience, being a good teacher is considered a given. However, we all know and work with
teachers who have good credentials and lots of experience but have the same one year of teaching experience
20 times (as opposed to having 20 years of teaching experience). Knowing your content area and being able
to deliver effective lessons matters. Study after study confirms that students who have high quality teachers
make significant and lasting learning gains. Those with less effective teachers play a constant game of
academic catch up.

3. Roles of a Good Teacher

In the 21 st century classroom, teachers are facilitators of student learning and creators of productive
classroom environments, in which students can develop the skills they might need at present or in future.
However, before we begin to understand the evolving role of an EFL/ ESL teacher, let’s outline some of the
most popular teacher roles. Harmer, J. states that ‘it makes more sense to describe different teacher roles and
say what they are useful for, rather than make value judgments about their effectiveness.’ So, here are some
of the most common teacher roles:

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 Most teachers take on a variety of roles within the classroom, which role do you think most defines
your role in the EFL /ESL classroom?

1. The Controller: The teacher is in complete charge of the class, what students do, what they say and how
they say it. The teacher assumes this role when new language is being introduced and accurate reproduction
and drilling techniques are needed.
In this classroom, the teacher is mostly the centre of focus, the teacher may have the gift of instruction, and
can inspire through their own knowledge and expertise, but, does this role really allow for enough student
talk time? Is it really enjoyable for the learners? There is also a perception that this role could have a lack of
variety in its activities.

2. The Organizer: Perhaps the most difficult and important role the teacher has to play. The success of many
activities depends on good organization and on the students knowing exactly what they are to do next.
Giving instructions is vital in this role as well as setting up activities.
The organizer can also serve as a demonstrator, this role also allows a teacher to get involved and engaged
with learners. The teacher also serves to open and neatly close activities and also give content feedback.

3. The Prompter: The teacher encourages students to participate and makes suggestions about how students
may proceed in an activity. The teacher should be helping students only when necessary.
When learners are literally ‘lost for words’, the prompter can encourage by discreetly nudging students.
Students can sometimes lose the thread or become unsure how to proceed; the prompter in this regard can
prompt but always in a supportive way.

4. The Resource: The teacher is a kind of walking resource center ready to offer help if needed, or provide
learners with whatever language they lack when performing communicative activities. The teacher must
make her/himself available so that learners can consult her/him when (and only when) it is absolutely
necessary.
As a resource the teacher can guide learners to use available resources such as the internet, for themselves, it
certainly isn’t necessary to spoon-feed learners, as this might have the down side of making learners reliant
on the teacher.

5. The Assessor: The teacher assumes this role to see how well students are performing or how well they
performed. Feedback and correction is organized and carried out.
There are a variety of ways we can grade learners, the role of an assessor gives teachers an opportunity to
correct learners. However, if it is not communicated with sensitivity and support it could prove counter-
productive to a student’s self-esteem and confidence in learning the target language.

6. The Participant: This role improves the atmosphere in the class when the teacher takes part in an activity.
However, the teacher takes a risk of dominating the activity when performing it.
Here the teacher can enliven a class; if a teacher is able to stand back and not become the center of attention,
it can be a great way to interact with learners without being too overpowering.

7. The Tutor: The teacher acts as a coach when students are involved in project work or self-study. The
teacher provides advice and guidance and helps students clarify ideas and limit tasks.
This role can be a great way to pay individual attention to a student. It can also allow a teacher to tailor make
a course to fit specific student needs. However, it can also lead to a student becoming too dependent or even
too comfortable with one teacher and one method or style of teaching.

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8.The Observer: According to Harmer.J.(1998), we will want to what students do observe what the
especially in oral communicative activities so that to give them useful group and individual feedback.
Hence, in observing students, we should be careful not to be too intrusive! When taking notes on students'’
performance, have columns not only for what they get wrong, but also what they do right. Observing for
success gives us a different feel for how well they are doing. We need to be able to work and observe
simultaneously, listening, watching, and absorbing. Not only in order to give feedback, but also to judge the
success of the different materials and activities we take into the lessons, so we can make necessary changes
in the future. This represents an important area of teacher development

 The Teacher as Teaching Aid

Apart from the different roles and how they are performed, we are a kind of teaching aid ourselves. We
use mime and gesture, we are the most important language models, and we provide meaningful input.

Brown, H. Douglas (2007) mentions that “teachers can play many roles in the course of teaching and this
might facilitate learning. Their ability to carry these out effectively will depend to a large extent on the
rapport they establish with their students, and of course, on their own level of knowledge and skills.

Regardless of the roles they assume, teachers shape the culture of their classrooms, improve student
learning, and influence practice and production.

**A good teacher is more than a lecturer**