12 Rules Of Great Teaching

[Md. Anikuzzaman]

Recently, I've been thinking of the universal truths in teaching. Students should be first. Don't always start planning with a standard. Questions matter more than answers. Trust is a currency of a human classroom.

So I thought I'd gather twelve of them to start with. The idea of "good teaching" is an idea we get at a variety of different ways, So then, here are some rules we might consider when making sense of this idea of what makes a teacher great. Thanks to Sylvia Duckworth for the great illustration, who went all out and added all 15.

1. Start small.

This is how great things are built. Curriculum. Relationships. Portfolios. Take your time–this is a marathon, not a sprint.

2. Embrace that there is no one way.

Learning models, for example, are the new teaching strategy.

Traditionally, teachers focus on "strategies" to "teach." Reciprocal teaching. Lit circles. Accountable talk. Of course, these have value.

But the modern approach should have as much to do with what students access, when, how, and why as it does with "what students do in the lesson." Self-directed learning. Scenario-based learning. Project-based learning. Inquiry-based learning. Game-based learning. These are the strategies that matter first.

3. Trust the people around you.

Your students, first and foremost. But this goes for parents, and colleagues as well. It may not always work out the way you want, but if you're the only one in control, there will be a net loss of capacity for the ecology of learning you participate in and serve.

4. In learning, curiosity is everything.

If you can't make them curious, teach something else. I've theorized that there are stages to curiosity–and even things that make students curious. as well.

Taskmasters seek compliance. Good teachers seek engaged students. Great teachers–somehow, some way–find out what makes students click, and use it.

5. Experiment. Experiment. Experiment.

Teaching is a craft. Play with it. A little more of this, a little less of that. This new tool. Start here instead of there. Try this instead. Throw this out. Welcome this in.

Not only does this keep things fresh for students, but it keeps you sharp and relevant as an educator as this big world keeps on turning.

6. Don't always start planning with a standard.

Know that it's okay to think technology-first. Or curriculum first. Or standards. Or data. Or (ideally) student-first. There are dozens of ways to plan content. What matters is the power and sustainability of the learning as it manifests in the classroom.

7. Teaching is always changing.

Technology. Curriculum. Assessment. The value systems of students. Since these are always changing, your teaching be should as well.

Source: https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/12-rules-of-great-teaching/