UNICEF - Teachers Talking
articles, opinions, and research about teaching and learning
UNESCO published a book entitled What makes a Good Teacher? (1996). Over 500 children from some 50 countries aged 8-12 contributed their opinions.
What follows are some of their responses. You can also
your ideas on the topic.
Response from our Web visitors
A great teacher Interacts with the child (physically, and mentally)
A great teacher gives affection to the pupils, makes them understand what emotion is.
A great teacher smiles to his/her pupils even when they screw him up.
A great teacher teaches not only text book materials but also The truth that's happening outside. Practice balanced with theory.
A great teacher dedicates him/herself to the job. They made a commitment. Then they have to do it.
A great teacher understands that a child is not only a tiny bundle of joy that can cry, smile, laugh. He/she must understand that in front of him stands a true miracle of life.
Yuventius, Jakarta, Indonesia
A good teacher is someone who teaches not only with mind, but also with heart.
Syanne Helly, East Java, Indonesia
A teacher should have 3 essential qualities.....
BACK GROUND KNOWLEDGE
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
PERSONAL QUALITIES.
There is a saying,"GIVE ME A FISH AND I EAT FOR A DAY, TEACH ME TO FISH AND I EAT FOR A LIFE TIME".
This must be a philosophy of a good teacher... She/he should be patient and kind, flexibile and resourceful, tolerant and open minded with a good sense of humour. Enthusiastic and enjoys teaching. should be honest, imaginative and creative. Efficient. Self-disciplined. Helpful. Humble and modest........ In my opinion teacher should be like this.
SHEEBA RAMACHANDRAN, BURAIDHA, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
One who help his students in all respects. He makes his students able to live better life. He teaches students to take decisions in all the conditions. Who is good teacher for his students and also good students for his students and society, having moral character and model for building new good society.
Prafull Bhasarkar, Babupeth, Chandrapur, India
I think that a good teacher should be a good and complete person: curious, passionate, interested about their pupils' interests, wishes, feelings... A really good teacher should be child in his soul which mean, creative, imaginative and ready for exploration etc.
Mirjana Kazija, Rijeka, Croatia
I was graduated as a teacher of english in Albania.What really makes a very good teacher is having a lot of intuition and intelligence because having these qualities you will have the power to understand your students'phsycology and behaviour and helping them out would be much easier.A teacher should also be super comprensive to understand what's going on in the students'world.And a teacher should the subject that he/she is teaching.
Migena Mullaj, Reseda, California, USA
A good teacher makes herself available to all students, however, knows which students need extra assistance.
A good teacher is an effective communicator, however, who knows when she needs to change her communicating techniques to be sure students can grasp instructional concepts.
A good teacher allows students to ask questions, however, does not answer questions without drawing from other students' learning experience first.
A good teacher has classroom rules and procedures which help students know what is expected from them and how the students can help themselves.
A good teacher encourages cooperation and sets an example with other students and faculty.
A good teacher is flexible and able to change lessons "spur of the moment" in order to accommodate the needs of her students.
A good teacher respects all students and encourages good performance.
Marie Garcia, Oyster Bay, NY, USA
A great teacher can be defined by two simple words. Best friend.
Who better to trust than a best friend?
Who better to love and be loved in return than a best friend?
Who better to gain knowledge from, than a best friend?
Finally, who better to remember throughout the days of your life, than a best friend?
Let's all be teachers, shall we?
Marco Melendez, San Angelo, Texas, USA
A teacher must have motherly love with their students (Means he should be a mother in the school).
He must have
Moral character and honesty.
He must be well prepared with his subjects.
He must have a good knowledge of his subjects.
Physically and mentally fit for the job.
He should be active and smart in the classroom.
While teaching he should use so many support materials.
The support material should be prepared himself.
The pupils should be joyful in the class.
Wadgire, Yavatmal, Maharashtra, India
A good teacher of children understands childhood in an engaging way. She understands that childhood culture is more universal than adult culture, and therefore easier to engage with any place any time.
KUKUBO BARASA, NAIROBI, KENYA
Everybody will have their own opinion on this because it is impossible to please everybody at the same time.
It is very difficult to say what a good teacher is when I am still a student and have seen my share of what a teacher should do. I think that the qualities that a teacher should maintain are the abilities to relate to their students on their on level, make learning fun and easy to understand, be nice so students will listen, make the kids look forward to entering the classroom, and above all.... maintain control.
Katie, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
"When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece" (Ruskin) It is fundamental that a teacher cares about humanity in general. Once we love, enjoy and appreciate the individuality of each and every child in our classroom - everything else falls into place. A good teacher takes cognisance of the fact that they are role models for children remembering that we teach more by what we do than by what we say! This is a challenge for the best of us!!!!
Judith Butler, county Cork, Ireland
Using his/her heart in teaching,he/she must love children and able to bring satisfaction in learning.
Dwi Rahayu, Jakarta,Indonesia
A good teacher is someone who can learn from his students, who can learn with them, and for them. He also must be honest in his relationships with students, and proud enough about his own value to work, from there, on helping his students to build their own self esteem.
Christian Berger, Santiago, Chile
A good teacher is someone who is a learner herself.
Astrid, Perth, WA, Australia
One who has no bias, no fixed point of view, open eyes to see and explore life and learning itself, is the best teacher for he is a child too!
Ashish, Mumbai, Maharshtra, India
I think a good teacher should always show his students the values behind the items he/she is teaching in an exciting and friendly way.
Aly AlSabbagh, Cairo, Egypt
I have been reading through this column - "What makes a
good teacher?" The qualities mentioned are great, no
doubt, but if a little bit more is added to the forum,
I believe the teacher will be a model teacher.
The teacher should be loving, know the children
personally in order to help them with their
problems.
Caring and sharing nature will help the teacher to know the children better.
Children love and like the teachers more in whom they can confide.
To win their confidence should be the teacher's first aim - though strictness has to be in its place.
vinod Bala Jain, Meerut, U.P., India
A good teacher represents some of the following qualities:
has to be interested in his own subjects and at the same time open-minded for others and other topics.
has to be strict, self-confident and show authority, but at the same time he has to be the pupils' "helper" and quite often even something like their friend who they can talk to if problems occur.
has therefore to find a balance between him representing an authority or a friend.
likes to work with children.
enjoys teaching.
arrives in time to start a lesson and ends a lesson in time because of good organisation and planning.
uses different methods to liven up his lessons and therefore keep his pupils' attention.
has to gain the pupils' interest in his subject.
conveys information and keeps the pupils' attention.
has to be patient.
A good teacher still remains a human being like you and me so that it is obvious that the qualities listed above are useful to keep in mind to be or become a good teacher, but they are only few of the qualities teachers need to "survive" in their everyday life.
Birte Schneeweiss, Dagmar Schulz, Berit Hencke, Kiel, Germany
A good teacher needs (besides a lot of other important features) to provide feedback and consequences to students. It makes no sense if a teacher tells a pupil to leave the class five times. Advice can only be useful if they are taken seriously.
Apart from that a good teacher, of course, has to be humorous, friendly (but not too friendly), and well prepared for the lessons.
And it is important for a teacher to find the right way between passion for his subject and the interests of the class.
Thomas Tschirner, Kiel, Germany
In brief, a teacher needs self-confidence and knowledge about her subject(s), but the most important thing is that a teacher has to enjoy what she does! She has to be enthusiastic and she has to have a true interest in her pupils!!!
Hannah Gunther, Kiel, Germany
A good teacher
has to be patient
wants to improve his teaching methods
has mastery of his/her subject
has to be motivated to give his/her pupil the same interest for the subject that he has
has to understand how children act
has to remember how it was when he/she was a child
Franziska Lindenthal, Kiel, Germany
A good teacher should be friendly and consequently should listen to the pupils and he/she should care for every pupil in the class.
Christiane Stroeher, Kiel, Germany
A good teacher is well prepar knows what and how children/pupils want to learn about his/her subject and is so interested in pupils behaviour...; a teacher needs to be respected by the pupils as the teacher of the subject and so talk in a f has to make pupils feel successful and of course tries to really make them a successful st he has to express/radiate his interest to his subject in a way that the pupils can feel it and start feeling the same...
Torben Wolgast, Kiel, Germany
A teacher should have various qualities. First of all he/she should love to be a teacher and fond of his/her subjects. He/she should be patient with his/her students and be able to explain the subject matter to them well. His/her class should be a mixture of learning by doing and theoretical learning and should be fun as well. A teacher should be a person you can always speak to and be able to give you some advice in case you need help. He/she also needs to be friendly but also a little strict so students pay respect.
Claudia Thiel, Kiel, Germany
A Teacher must know well about:
psychology of
education psychology
his duties and obligations
the parental behaviour
the methods and techniques of teaching/learning.
Besides,he must have up-to-date knowledge of the subjects he is teaching.
Sajjad Haider, Islamabad, Pakistan
I want to be a guide for "my children": I want them to look to the world, ask themselves questions, see that they can do something, be surprised and curious to learn, grateful for what they have and have respect for eachother and for others... There are so many things that we can do.
Maaike Corteville, Ingelmunster, Belgium
A good teacher is the one who:
is a master in the subjects taught.
always thinks to improve the teaching techniques.
always tries to produce quality students (quality results).
does 'needs assessments' to help students meet the requirements.
Mohamad Hazawawi Yusof, Perak, Malaysia
One who doesn't 'teach' but instead is willing to 'learn' with the child and from the child. The minute one thinks one 'knows' something that very moment he/she doesn't!
Vivekananda Roy Ghatak, Gujarat, India
A good teacher is the one that takes his/her own initiatives to prepare the students to become valuable assets to his/her own country.
A good teacher is the one who cares and is committed to his/her work for the children.
A good teacher is the one with a big HEART.
A good teacher is the one that provides good coaching for his/her students.
A good teacher is the one that has excellent end results.
Stanley Ret, Colonia, Yap State FM
A good teacher never forgets what it is like to be a learner - vulnerable, anxious and dependent! Remembering this, a good teacher looks at a student and sees "only the soul of a human being". A student is a teacher's equal - both leading each other to grow in knowledge, both learning about 'self' and not playing a power struggle for today, both smiling in satisfaction for a job well done!
Susan Sheldon, USA
One who is child friendly, caring, kind
hearted, humble, patient, who has the fear of God, who is always ready to give
a listening ear, who is not jealous (because most teachers are always
jealous and envious of their students), a motherly love.
I feel there should be a rule and punishment for teachers who maltreat
and call children names.
Teachers are suppose to be children's best
friends instead they are their worst enemies.
In fact, some children refuse
to go to school because of their teachers.
Children are not suppose to
learn with fear.
I work with a children NGO and they children complain a lot to me about
their teachers.
Ngozi Ekwerike, Nigeria
A real friend is someone who knows all about
you and still he loves you. A good teacher is a good friend. A good teacher is someone who teaches us like children with love.
Arif Raza, Pakistan
Good teaching is keeping yourself in the shoes of your students.
A good teacher should live his/her life in such a way that those who are watching him/her will not be led astray.
A good teacher should have a teachable heart.
Fe Espiritu, Philippines
A good teacher does not dictate what is written on the book or the curricullum. A good teacher shows the whole wide world to the students.
Mario Martino Rustan (age 18), Indonesia
Today's child will be a man of tomorrow.Teachers must be a symbol of kindness and love.
Zahid Shah, Pakistan
I think a good teacher must guide the student throughout his needs, both textual and personal. He should love, serve and honour the child.
Amritanshu, India
A good teacher is like a loving parent... fair, respectful, flexible and able to bounce back after even the gravest challenges.
Enitan Mason, USA
A good teacher means someone who plays a role as children's mate in learning, and she/he should be someone who thinks and acts at the best of her/his children's view and growth.
Linda Ivonne, Indonesia
A good teacher is one who challanges her students to be all that they can be.
from Barbara Murphy, USA
Everyone in the world is a teacher in a sense.
We all teach something to someone at one point in our lives.
However, some of us succed to be great teachers. I believe this happens when a teacher believes in the power of education.
When you teach with the certitude that everyone can learn from you.
When the student does not learn the way the teacher teaches, then the good teacher teaches the way the student learns.
Ana Laura Garcia Gutierrez, Special Education Teacher, Mexico
A good teacher must be prepared to be foolish if that will help his pupil attain wisdom.
A good teacher, like the good shepherd, must
"lay down his life" (sacrifice all) so that the pupil can be solidly grounded in wisdom and understanding.
A good teacher derives absolute satisfaction from seeing his pupil contribute to making life more meaningful to fellow human beings.
A good teacher is always willing to learn from (and of) his pupil.
A good teacher sits at his pupil's feet tirelessly.
A good teacher disciplines himself before anyone else.
Ruth Agamah, Nigeria
A good teacher is someone who will do everything in their power to make every child feel loved and sucessful in some way because all children learn differently and are their own unique individuals.
Mary Kalix, USA
A good teacher must be patient, with gentle but firm voice, can go down to the level of his pupils and willing to learn from them.
from Regina Z. Ubana, Philippines
To be a good teacher, it is fundamental:
to feel like a child
to think like a child
to act like a child
to reason and react as an understanding adult, remembering that one has once been a child, and it's time to revive that child
from Oscar Pacheco
A good teacher must first have been a good student.
from Deborah Barger, USA
"A good teacher is one who can express his\her point of view clearly, who can understand a child's problem, who is ready to help at any time, who knows what is right and what is wrong.
A teacher who is very hardworking and friendly too.
Who can light the future of child."
from Aruna Hissaria
( on what makes a good teacher)
from UNESCO (1996) What makes a good teacher? Paris: UNESCO
The teacher is to the students what the rain is to the field.
Zaira Alexandra Rodriguez Guijarro, 11,
A good teacher should treat all pupils like his own children. He should answer all questions, even if they are stupid.
Fatoumata, 11, Chad
To become a good teacher, you not only teach the children but you also have to learn from them.
Tasha-Leigh, 12, Jamaica
A good teacher answers the needs of the pupils and not only the needs of the chosen programme.
Omar, 12, Morocco
I like a teacher who helps me think and get answers for myself.
Bongani Sicelo, 9, Zimbabwe
Others have emphasised the central role of teachers:
see Delors, J. (1996) Learning: The Treasure Within
Paris: UNESCO
Teacher Dale Gordon has written her own
for helping her students learn.
http://www.unicef.org/teachers/
Last revised December 16, 2001Parenting Tips, Advice, & Help
Does your child always insist that they&re right and everyone else is wrong? Some kids have a bad habit of asserting their opinions by drowning out everyone else in the room&regardless of whether or not they know what they&re talking about. Understandably, this overbearing behavior can be very annoying and frustrating for both& parents and family members alike.
"If you want a child to be a real pain in the neck?if you want to strengthen some behavior or characteristic?just argue with them. It will serve to exercise that muscle and make your child feel more powerful."
Before I give you ideas for dealing with this behavior, I want to make one thing clear: As kids grow, they need to develop their interests and ideas, and they need to learn how to express them. They also have to learn where they end emotionally and where their parents begin&what we call &emotional boundaries.& At different developmental periods, kids go through a process called separation and individuation. Sometimes this process is not very noticeable at all, and sometimes it occurs very intensively. As an older child or teen, they continue that process by learning how to form their own opinions. So realize that some of the behavior you&re experiencing with your teen or pre-teen is very normal for this stage in life.
I also can&t stress enough the importance of listening to your child once. I know they can be obnoxious and irritating&but just remember that sometimes they might be stating an opinion about something you really need to know about. It might be something the teacher is doing that may be inappropriate, a dangerous thing the bus driver is doing, or a risky behavior on the part of your child&s friends. It&s important that you listen to your kids with an open mind, because when something important does come along, you want to make sure they feel free to bring it to you.
Saying that, if your child&s need to assert their opinions crosses the line and becomes obnoxious, there are things you can do to help curtail that behavior and teach them more socially appropriate ways of behaving, both inside and outside of the family.
Don&t Be Frightened by Your Child&s Opinions
Do not be frightened by kids& opinions&just respond to them honestly. I think it&s much more effective to judge your child by their behavior rather than by their opinions, thoughts or ideas. Often their ideas are based on peer conversations at school, rumors, cultural events, or something they&ve seen or heard in the media. When your child or teen is talking to you, they&re often trying to shape their own opinions. It&s better to hear your child out, state your opinion honestly, let them respond, and then respectfully disengage from the conversation. That way, nobody gets their feelings hurt and you&ve avoided an argument.
So don&t be threatened by your child&s opinions and assertions, even if they&re wrong. The more you ignore these kinds of statements, the sooner they will go away. In fact, if you want a child to be a real pain in the neck&if you want to strengthen some behavior or characteristic&just argue with them. It will serve to exercise that muscle and make your child feel more powerful.
Don&t Keep the Argument Going
If your child is trying to start an argument with you, don&t keep it going. Parents often feel like they have to get the last word in to be in control, which in reality only serves to further the child&s urge to argue with you. If you disagree with your adolescent child, they often think it&s because you don&t understand what they&re saying, so they&ll keep trying to put it another way. This is because people who are immature in their communication styles aren&t always able to see that you don&t agree with their position. They think that if they could just explain it a little better, you&d understand and accept it. This is another reason why arguments with kids can keep going even after you&ve explained your point of view.
If your child tends to be argumentative and you stay in the argument with them, it makes them feel more powerful and in control. Don&t forget: kids only have the power you give them. Some of the power they need to ha it helps them develop their personal and social lives. In fact, it&s very important that they gain increasing access to power as they grow older and individuate more. On the other hand, when it comes to discussing house rules or consequences or privileges, I think that after they state their opinion, you say, &I understand, but this is the way it is,& and then leave. If you stand there, they think it&s OK to keep talking. When you get out of the situation, it takes the power out of the room.
One of the most powerful things you can do with kids who are know-it-alls is not respond to them when they try to drag you into an argument. Be respectful but disengage, because each time you respond, they feel compelled to answer back&and as you know, the discussion will just keep going and going.
When your child has come up with some erroneous statement in an attempt to prove their point, the best thing you can do is state your opinion honestly. When they state their counter opinion, you can say, &That&s really interesting. I have to go downstairs now.& If what they are saying has to do with health or safety: then you should correct it and walk away.
Don't Let One Child Ruin It for Everybody
If family members are having dinner, watching TV or a movie together at home, don't let one child dominate the conversation in such a way that it blocks everyone else from expressing their opinions. It's very important to understand that while everyone's opinion is valued, it's usually valued once. After that, it becomes harassment. If one of your children doesn't like what you're having for dinner or doesn't care for the movie choice, give them their options and don't let them sit there and continue to annoy everyone with their negativity. Always have a back-up plan. This usually includes having them go to their room until they can let go of the topic or complaint they're stuck on. This does not have to be a punishment or consequence. It's just a time out for your child in his or her room, until they can get off the subject. Often, when kids are over-stimulated, anxious or frustrated, it's hard for them to switch thoughts on their own. A change of scenery and a few minutes away from the stimulation can be very helpful.
Many parents of children who act in an overbearing way find it effective to come up with a cuing system with their child to signal that they&re &doing it again.& You and your child should agree on a signal, just like a cue in a movie or play. The gesture means, &Really stop it now. You&ve stated your opinion and you need to let it go. If you go further, there are going to be consequences.& Many parents find this a very effective, non-verbal tool for helping their child curtail inappropriate behavior without embarrassing them in front of others.
My Child Won&t Let His Siblings Express Themselves
If your child won&t let his siblings express themselves, or will not listen to their opinions, what I would recommend is that you say &Jack, you aren&t listening to others. How can you keep arguing your position when you won&t even listen to your sister&s answer? Why don&t you give her a second and hear what she&s saying?& That way, you provide an example to your other kids so they can learn to say, &You&re not listening.&
If your kids won&t stop arguing back and forth, you can also say, &I&m tired of this bickering. This conversation has 60 more seconds, and if you don&t stop, you&re going to your rooms.& At first, the child who&s the know-it-all might get more obnoxious, but just follow through with the consequences so he learns how to stop. Give them the responsibility that the argument has to stop in 60 seconds and when it doesn&t, you hold them accountable. In this way they learn to meet the responsibility of stopping the argument, as well as a more socially appropriate way of behaving.
Remember, as a parent, you don&t have to attend every argument you& you can make choices. Although it is very important that kids feel like they&re being heard and responded to, it does not mean they get to go on endlessly. We can all debate about a lot of things, but we&re responsible to a structure in our home. The truth is, we all have varied opinions about our jobs, our supervisors, or our teachers, but as we mature, we have to learn to deal with our thoughts and feelings independently and keep our opinions separate from our functioning at school or work, as well.
This is very important for kids to understand: There&s a difference between his or her opinion about things and the way the family structure&and the world&operates.
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