Chapter 6 Reflection

The single most important characteristic a teacher should have in my opinion would have to enthusiasm. Effective teachers should always exhibit enthusiasm for the subject they are teaching.
Showing enthusiasm allows students to become interested in what is being taught. They will be interested in the discussion and will prompted to become involved in the classroom activities. Teachers should try to develope a good attituded for a subject that they find to be boring. Exhibiting a boring attitude will only turn students attention away from the lesson. Showing enthusiasm will help students retain larger amounts of information. Which will benefit them in the end.

We want to engage students in the discussion. Questioning them and showing enthusiasm about their responses will not only allow the students to dig deeper into their thinking but will give them the chance to show their enthusiasm for the topic as well. Enthusiasm is not to entertain the students but to motivate them. This is not to say that you can’t have fun teaching the subject but motivating students to learn and to want to learn is what is important.

Other ways of showing enthusiasm about what you are teaching is simple but effective: arm movements and constantly walking around the classroom is a good way to keep the students interested in the discussion. Also, making eye contact. In my opinion a teacher who teacher who sits behind her desk is a boring teacher. Students are more prone to doodle and work on other subjects because they don’t find any interest in what is being taught and there is not  much hope that the students will learn. Showing enthusiasm for the subject helps students to retain more of what you want or need for them to learn not just for that moment but past the next lesson being taught.
Being enthusiastic about what you are teaching in my opinion is the most important characteristic that makes a teacher effective in his/her filed. We need to motivate students to learn so that they can be more proficient and prepared for the future. Students need to ‘hear’ our words not just the sounds of our voices and being enthusiastic about what we are teaching will accomplish that.