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What makes a great teacher? What are the Institutional Standards of Instructor competencies?
I have researched a variety of sources that have numerous, lengthy and evidence-based Instructor competencies & characteristics and have compiled a Top #10 List:
#1: A great teacher is respectful of students, colleagues and institutions.
#2: A great teacher fosters a sense of belonging and builds a learning community.
#3: A great teacher clearly states the expectations & learning outcomes of the course.
#4: A great teacher conveys the implications & relevance of topics.
#5: A great teacher incorporates appropriate use of digital tools & technology.
#6: A great teacher initiates meta-cognitive strategies & reflection in her students.
#7: A great teacher facilitates student driven inquiry, discussion & discovery.
#8: A great teacher uses a variety of effective Instructional Strategies.
#9: A great teacher has high standards & fair assessment methods.
#10: A great teacher has excellent content knowledge in her field.
And while there are numerous other traits, characteristics and competencies (links to which can be found in the bottom of the resource section of this blog) I have chosen 10, which to me appear significant. Notice how content expertise is #10, it is very important yet not essential. A learning community, relevance, clear expectations and meta-cognitive strategies are much more essential if we are to maintain that learning is the intended outcome. A great teacher will exhaust this list and exhibit many more characteristics that contribute to her greatness!
On a side note, I found this link particularly useful and I appreciate the “What Less Effective Teachers Do Wrong” section. 😉
vivianachiorean 