essay about quality of a good learner

Teaching the 6 Qualities of a Good Learner

One of the biggest mistakes we can make as teachers is making assumptions about what our students know and/or don’t know. 

Sometimes we dumb things down for a group of students who could complete the task at a higher level, or we assume that a text is too hard for a student only to hear from their parents that they are reading that same text aloud to their siblings every night.

We also often assume that students have certain soft skills. That they understand what ‘being good’ looks like or what being ‘respectful’ sounds like. Unfortunately, not all kids are aware of  these qualities and skills we take for granted.

Often, our students are not trying to be bad students; they just have no idea what a good student is.

Teaching the qualities of a good learner

I realized that my students didn’t really know what a good learner looked like, so I finally decided to start explicitly teaching it. In fact, the 6 qualities of good learners took on a special role in my classroom.

The six key qualities I focused on in my lessons …

• Positive Attitude
• Citizenship
• Responsibility
• Cooperation
• Perseverance

Teaching kids about the qualities of good students and learners was at times like teaching a foreign language. Students were not familiar with the term perseverance, but they knew what ‘trying again’ was or they had heard people talk about ‘not giving up.’

The term citizenship often stumped them completely, and it was hard to get them to understand that cooperation was now about an end product, rather it was about the process a group worked through to arrive at a product/decision.

After teaching on these topics for a few years, I started to identify that good instruction on these qualities included a few key components.

First, explicit instruction.

Students needed explicit instruction on each quality. We didn’t just brainstorm a list of qualities and move on. I spent time really discussing each quality on the list with my students.

Reading about the qualities and diving into what it means to possess each quality was key for my students, and once they could ‘talk the talk,’ they were able to start ‘walking the walk.’

Second, we assessed. 

I felt it was important for students to really consider where they stood on each quality. We know that it is great to be a ‘10’ in all of these qualities, but if you didn’t notice…perfection is not one of the qualities of a good learner. Having a good work ethic is.

Once we honestly assessed where we were on each quality, we knew which qualities were strengths and which needed more attention and growth.

Lastly, we spent time reflecting.

After explicitly teaching about each quality and asking students to honestly assess themselves on each quality, I gave them time to reflect. They spent time thinking deeply about which areas they needed to put more focus and created action steps to work on improving that quality. I’m sure it’s no surprise that every student had something they needed to work on.

Constructing a positive culture of learning

Explicitly teaching, assessing, and reflecting on the qualities of a good learner put the whole class on an even playing field. We knew what our goals were, and we were making plans to accomplish them. The common vocabulary that my class could now share and use to discuss our strengths and weaknesses helped us build a positive culture and community where we all knew what was expected of us.

The Tab Book

I have since developed an entire resource based around the qualities of a good learner. My Qualities of a Student Tab Book provides all three of the pieces of instruction that I believe to be most valuable for students as they learn about the qualities of a good learner: explicit instruction, assessment, and reflection. 

Students are given reading passages focused on each quality, a scale to assess themselves, and space to reflect on their overall evaluation. 

If you are looking for a way to help your students be more successful learners, the Qualities of a Student Tab Book may be just what you need to get the conversation started!

Thank you for this post. Just hearing the words “Students needed explicit instruction on each quality” is a game changer. We do tend to forget that teaching these concepts is important. I have copied this post (with your credits) so that I can keep this reminder close by.

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What makes a good learner?

As a teacher of students who were struggling to learn I had one question.

Why do some children learn more easily than others?

I knew that it had nothing to do with a child’s intelligence because some of the slow learners I worked with were very bright –  just not ‘school bright’.  By ‘school bright’ I mean able to learn the way schools wanted them to.

It took training, research and asked endless questions and eventually I found my answer.

Children who learn more easily than others have the skills that lead to learning.  They know how to learn!

The students who were struggling to learn did not have all the skills they needed.  They did not have the vital foundational skills that make learning possible.

So what are these skills?  And how can we make sure children develop them?

When you look up ‘learning skills’ you get a host of different ideas and few of them relate to how children learn in school.  I took all these ideas as well as those I had been taught to diagnose in class and regrouped them into a more manageable system – one based on over 35 years as a classroom teacher, my diagnostic training and experiences and the latest research into how children learn.

Here is the result!

A good learner has developed every one of the following skills and knows how to use them.  It is a simple list but it is effective.  I have used this knowledge and skill categorization to help hundreds of parents unlock their child’s genius and children overcome learning hurdles.

Don’t be confused by how simple they are.  They are the basis of all learning and when you know what they are you can look at your child’s learning issues in a new way, a way that leads to learning.

The Porter Skills List©

These foundational learning skills come in three categories.

There are –

• physical learning skills – the skills that enable student learning –they are pretty obvious when you think about it but they can get overlooked with disastrous results.
• emotional learning skills – these are attitudes children need that get them ready to learn. Without the right attitude to learning children never even try to do their work
• cognitive learning skills – these are the skills children need to get their work done. They are school based skills, specific to learning in class.

Let’s take a closer look

Physical skills – The ABLE to learn skills

There are four physical attributes children need. These attributes give children the physical ability they need to learn.  They seem obvious but they are often overlooked and can cause learning difficulties.  Fortunately, once discovered they are easy to correct.  A visit to a professional or small changes in lifestyle are often all that is needed.

Children need to be able to see clearly.  Any disturbance in their visual ability becomes a learning hurdle.  These ‘disturbances’ may be caused by astigmatism, myopia, long sightedness or dry eyes.

Yearly checks by an optometrist are recommended.

This is a tricky issue and has been the cause of many learning issues.  Lack of hearing is a ‘hidden’ disability.  The child with a hearing issue may not know this is the cause of their problems.

There are two kinds of hearing loss.  One is a general hearing loss that can be corrected using hearing aids.  The other is intermittent hearing loss which is much more insidious.  When children have colds their ears get blocked and they cannot hear well.  They miss much of what is being said in class.  When the cold goes away their hearing is back to normal but they may never catch up with the learning they have missed.

Yearly check-ups from a hearing specialist are advised.

There are two kinds of movement – gross movement that uses the big muscles of the body and allows a child to walk run and jump and fine movement that uses smaller muscles and allows a child to hold a pencil and do a puzzle.

These skills of movement are developmental but if their development is delayed children are often labelled as clumsy or uncoordinated and their work can be affected.  Children with major movement issues – such as those in wheelchairs- – have extra limitations on their ability to learn.  Children with minor movement issues may not produce work that looks good or get chosen for the class sports team!

Learning takes energy!  The brain needs energy to function well.  Children get energy in two ways – food and sleep.

When a child is hungry his or her brain reverts to using their ‘primal brain’, the part of the brain that works on getting basic human needs met.  There is no energy left for the ‘thinking’ part of their brain.

Please make sure your child has a nutritious breakfast.  Cereal and milk is fine.  It may be a good idea to get the food out the night before as mornings can be rushed.  Teenagers may skip breakfast because they are still sleepy (teenagers never really wake up till later in the morning.  We shouldn’t be asking them to go to school before 10 a.m.). Having cereal and milk at the ready helps them avoid doing this.

Your child’s brain needs sleep. When your child is asleep his or her brain is busy.  It is sorting out the events of the day and putting useless information in the garbage.  Useful information gets sent to memory for use later!

How long does this process take?  A minimum of eight hours.  Younger children need more sleep to help regulate their brain and renew their energy.

How much seep does your child get each night?  Is he or she getting enough sleep to be ready to learn the next day?

The emotional learning skills – The READY to learn skills

Children may be able to learn, they may have the physical skills they need, but re they ready to learn?  Do they have the right attitudes and ways of thinking that make them open to learning?  Or does their attitude to learning get in the way of their success? Here are the four attitudes children need to be ready to learn.

Good feelings about themselves and their ability to learn.

Children need to know that they can learn.  They need self-confidence in their learning abilities.   When a child struggles to learn or undergoes repeated failure in school their confidence in their abilities gets smaller and smaller until the think they cannot learn and don’t even try.

Without confidence in their abilities, the confidence to keep trying despite failures, children very quickly give up and stop learning.  About half of my time teaching children was spent boosting their self-confidence.  Until they felt good about themselves there was no point trying to teach them.

Parents know when their child starts to lose confidence in their abilities.  Talk to your child about what is happening and why.  Then take steps to change the situation.

Good feelings about others and sharing knowledge

Going to school is a social activity.  Social activities require sharing and taking responsibility for your actions.  A child who is open to sharing what he has learned and who is responsible for getting work done is much more able to benefit from classroom teaching than a child who does not have these skills.

Children often learn in groups and they certainly learn from each other.  A child who is not social, who does not feel like sharing and taking responsibility for their own actions misses out on these learning opportunities.

You want your child to be sociable, to have friends, to enjoy the company of others.  If your child is having difficulty with this, you need to know why.

Your child may be shy and unwilling to share with others or aggressive and unwilling to take responsibility for his or her actions.

Whatever the situation you need to help your child have a good attitude about working and learning within the classroom situation.

Good feelings about their work and what they are learning

Children have little control over what they are taught in school.  Much of what they are expected to learn seems to have little or no relevance to their lives.  They wonder why they have to learn all the things they are taught and why they should put effort into seemingly irrelevant topics.

Children need to know that their efforts are going to yield results.  Often the result they want is a good report card or a good mark on an exam but sometimes that is not enough to make them feel happy about their work.  Then learning becomes a slog and the child is unhappy and possibly resentful.

Children need to know why they have to do the work they are given.  Many young students have no idea why they go to school.   Make sure your child understands why school is important and that learning sometimes seemingly irrelevant facts and subjects leads to a better outcome in life.

Good feelings about the future and what they can achieve in life

No one knows what the future will look like.  Children need to be optimistic.  They need to know that their future could include a family, a job they love, and enough money to cover their needs.  Without hope for the future there is no point in trying to get there.  There is no point in doing school work because it won’t make any difference what the child does if he or she thinks the future is out of their control.

Student who are sad or depressed do not have good feelings about the future.  They are too wrapped up with their own concerns to look forward.

Curiosity is a good approach to thinking about the future.  A child who is curious and asks questions is imagining what the future might look like and knowing what opportunities await gives a child some sense of control and optimism.

The best way to help your child feel good about the future is to model optimism and curiosity.  If your child sees you being optimistic and curious, he will want to follow your lead.

• The cognitive learning skills – the PREPARED to learn skills

When a child has the physical and emotional learning skills he or she is almost prepared to learn in class.    Learning is a process and children need to be able to follow the process to get to a result.  In order to follow the process of learning children need the following four skills.

Attention – the ability to focus on what matters for the amount of time it matters

Children who cannot pay attention or who have a short attention span never even get to first base!  Attention is a skill that needs developing and using wisely.  There are several types of attention; selective, sustained, alternating, divided, and children need to be able to use them all.

One way of helping your child learn this skill is by redirecting his or her attention when you notice it straying.

Understanding – the ability to understand what they have paid attention to

Then comes the skill of understanding.  Children need to use visual and aural perception skills to make sense of what they have seen.

You can help your child makes sense of what he or she sees and hears by asking him or her to describe the experience.  What did you see? What did you hear?  This is also a way of helping your child develop the skill of attention.

Processing – the ability to process the information and make it their own

When your child has paid attention and understood what he or she has seen and heard the next step in the learning process is to process that information.  This is normally called ‘thinking’.  This thinking process takes place when new information is added and compared to what a child already knows.  It is a way to push knowledge forward.

For this to happen children need to have access to their memories. You can help by asking your child if they remember another situation like this and how they handled it.  Asking any of the five ‘W’ questions is also a good way of promoting thinking skills.

Production – the ability to show others what they have learned

This skill is often overlooked in school.  Teachers are not good at letting students know what a finished piece of work should look like.  If a student does not produce work that looks good, that answer the right questions, that is well organized and easy to understand their marks will be low.

This level of production takes time and effort. Don’t expect your child to produce perfectly produced work all the time.   Decide which work needs this effort and concentrate on that.

These twelve skills will lead your child to learning, will help him or her reach their full potential and succeed in school.  If children are missing, or not using, one or more of these skills they will struggle to be all that they can be.

The reason your bright child underachieves may be that he or she lacks one or more of these skills and all that is required for him or her to flourish and grow is to discover which skill needs developing and provide the support that helps your child develop it!

Do you agree with this list?  Do you have any skills to add?  I’d love to hear from you.

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12 Characteristics of Successful Learners

Successful learning may happen organically, but it does not happen accidentally. One might be surrounded with rich educational resources, but without key capabilities, those learning opportunities will go untapped.

What makes a successful learner?

 Successful learners…

• …are leaders in their own learning.
• …engage with the world around them.
• …question everything.
• …think for themselves.
• …are driven by their interests.
• …push through challenges.
• …are determined to succeed.
• …have inner motivation and self discipline.
• …exercise their minds and their bodies.
• …cultivate good habits.
• …know how and when to ask for help.
• …are willing to take risks, fail, and learn from their mistakes.

What other characteristics can you add to this list? How did you encourage successful learning today?

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What are the key elements of a positive learning environment? Perspectives from students and faculty

Shayna a. rusticus.

Department of Psychology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 12666 72 Ave, Surrey, BC V3W 2M8 Canada

Tina Pashootan

The learning environment comprises the psychological, social, cultural and physical setting in which learning occurs and has an influence on student motivation and success. The purpose of the present study was to explore qualitatively, from the perspectives of both students and faculty, the key elements of the learning environment that supported and hindered student learning. We recruited a total of 22 students and 9 faculty to participate in either a focus group or an individual interview session about their perceptions of the learning environment at their university. We analyzed the data using a directed content analysis and organized the themes around the three key dimensions of personal development, relationships, and institutional culture. Within each of these dimensions, we identified subthemes that facilitated or impeded student learning and faculty work. We also identified and discussed similarities in subthemes identified by students and faculty.

Introduction

The learning environment (LE) comprises the psychological, social, cultural, and physical setting in which learning occurs and in which experiences and expectations are co-created among its participants (Rusticus et al., 2020 ; Shochet et al., 2013 ). These individuals, who are primarily students, faculty and staff, engage in this environment and the learning process as they navigate through their personal motivations and emotions and various interpersonal interactions. This all takes place within a physical setting that consists of various cultural and administrative norms (e.g. school policies).

While many studies of the LE have focused on student perspectives (e.g. Cayubit, 2021 ; Schussler et al., 2021 ; Tharani et al., 2017 ), few studies have jointly incorporated the perspectives of students and faculty. Both groups are key players within the educational learning environment. Some exceptions include researchers who have used both instructor and student informants to examine features of the LE in elementary schools (Fraser & O’Brien, 1985 ; Monsen et al., 2014 ) and in virtual learning and technology engaged environments in college (Annansingh, 2019 ; Downie et al., 2021 ) Other researchers have examined perceptions of both groups, but in ways that are not focused on understanding the LE (e.g. Bolliger & Martin, 2018 ; Gorham & Millette, 1997 ; Midgly et al., 1989 ).

In past work, LEs have been evaluated on the basis of a variety of factors, such as students’ perceptions of the LE have been operationalized as their course experiences and evaluations of teaching (Guo et al., 2021 ); level of academic engagement, skill development, and satisfaction with learning experience (Lu et al., 2014 ); teacher–student and student–peer interactions and curriculum (Bolliger & Martin, 2018 ; Vermeulen & Schmidt, 2008 ); perceptions of classroom personalization, involvement, opportunities for and quality of interactions with classmates, organization of the course, and how much instructors make use of more unique methods of teaching and working (Cayubit, 2021 ). In general, high-quality learning environments are associated with positive outcomes for students at all levels. For example, ratings of high-quality LEs have been correlated with outcomes such as increased satisfaction and motivation (Lin et al., 2018 ; Rusticus et al., 2014 ; Vermeulen & Schmidt, 2008 ), higher academic performance (Lizzio et al., 2002 ; Rusticus et al., 2014 ), emotional well-being (Tharani et al., 2017 ), better career outcomes such as satisfaction, job competencies, and retention (Vermeulen & Schmidt, 2008 ) and less stress and burnout (Dyrbye et al., 2009 ). From teacher perspectives, high-quality LEs have been defined in terms of the same concepts and features as those used to evaluate student perspective and outcomes. For example, in one quantitative study, LEs were rated as better by students and teachers when they were seen as more inclusive (Monsen et al., 2014 ).

However, LEs are diverse and can vary depending on context and, although many elements of the LE that have been identified, there has been neither a consistent nor clear use of theory in assessing those key elements (Schönrock-Adema et al., 2012 ). One theory that has been recommended by Schönrock-Adema et al. ( 2012 ) to understand the LE is Moos’ framework of human environments (Insel & Moos, 1974 ; Moos, 1973 , 1991 ). Through his study of a variety of human environments (e.g. classrooms, psychiatric wards, correctional institutions, military organizations, families), Moos proposed that all environments have three key dimensions: (1) personal development/goal direction, (2) relationships, and (3) system maintenance/change. The personal development dimension encompasses the potential in the environment for personal growth, as well as reflecting the emotional climate of the environment and contributing to the development of self-esteem. The relationship dimension encompasses the types and quality of social interactions that occur within the environment, and it reflects the extent to which individuals are involved in the environment and the degree to which they interact with, and support, each other. The system maintenance/change dimension encompasses the degree of structure, clarity and openness to change that characterizes the environment, as well as reflecting physical aspects of the environment.

We used this framework to guide our research question: What do post-secondary students and faculty identify as the positive and negative aspects of the learning environment? Through the use of a qualitative methodology to explore the LE, over the more-typical survey-based approaches, we were able to explore this topic in greater depth, to understand not only the what, but also the how and the why of what impacts the LE. Furthermore, in exploring the LE from both the student and faculty perspectives, we highlight similarities and differences across these two groups and garner an understanding of how both student and faculty experience the LE.

Participants

All participants were recruited from a single Canadian university with three main campuses where students can attend classes to obtain credentials, ranging from a one-year certificate to a four-year undergraduate degree. Approximately 20,000 students attend each year. The student sample was recruited through the university’s subject pool within the psychology department. The faculty sample was recruited through emails sent out through the arts faculty list-serve and through direct recruitment from the first author.

The student sample was comprised of 22 participants, with the majority being psychology majors ( n  = 10), followed by science majors ( n  = 4) and criminology majors ( n  = 3). Students spanned all years of study with seven in their first year, three in second year, five in third year, six in fourth year, and one unclassified. The faculty sample consisted of nine participants (6 male, 3 female). Seven of these participants were from the psychology department, one was from the criminology department and one was from educational studies. The teaching experience of faculty ranged from 6 to 20 years.

Interview schedule and procedure

We collected student data through five focus groups and two individual interviews. The focus groups ranged in size from two to six participants. All sessions occurred in a private meeting room on campus and participants were provided with food and beverages, as well as bonus credit. Each focus group/interview ranged from 30 to 60 min. We collected all faculty data through individual interviews ranging from 30 to 75 min. Faculty did not receive any incentives for their participation. All sessions were conducted by the first author, with the second author assisting with each of the student focus groups.

With the consent of each participant, we audio-recorded each session and transcribed them verbatim. For both samples, we used a semi-structured interview format involving a set of eight open-ended questions about participants’ overall perceptions of the LE at their institution (see Appendix for interview guide). These questions were adapted from a previous study conducted by the first author (Rusticus et al., 2020 ) and focused on how participants defined the LE, what they considered to be important elements of the LE, and their positive and negative experiences within their environment. Example questions were: “Can you describe a [negative/positive] learning [students]/teaching [faculty] experience that you have had?”.

We analyzed the data using a directed content analysis approach (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005 ) that used existing theory to develop the initial coding scheme. We used Moos’s (Insel & Moos, 1974 ; Moos, 1973 , 1991 ) framework and its three dimensions of personal development, relationships, and system maintenance/change to guide our analysis. During the analysis phase, we renamed the system maintenance/change dimension to ‘institutional setting’ as we felt it was more descriptive of, and better represented, the content of this theme.

We analyzed student and faculty data separately, starting with the student data, but used the same process for both. First, we randomly selected two transcripts. We each independently coded the first transcript using the broad themes of personal development, relationships and institutional setting, and developed subcodes within each of these themes, as needed. We then reviewed and discussed our codes, reaching consensus on any differences in coding. We then repeated this process for the second transcript and, through group discussions, created a codebook. The first author then coded the remaining transcripts.

When coding the faculty data, we aimed to maintain subcodes similar to the student data while allowing for flexibility when needed. For instance, within the personal development theme, a subcode for the student data was ‘engagement with learning’, whereas a parallel subcode for the faculty data was ‘engagement with teaching’.

We present the results of the student and faculty data separately. For both, we have organized our analysis around the three overarching themes of personal development, relationships and institutional setting.

Student perspectives of the learning environment

Personal development.

Personal development was defined as any motivation either within or outside the LE that provide students with encouragement, drive, and direction for their personal growth and achievement. Within this theme, there were two subthemes: engaging with learning and work-life balance.

Engagement with learning reflected a student’s desire and ability to participate in their learning, as opposed to a passive-learning approach. Students felt more engaged when they were active learners, as well as when they perceived the material to be relevant to their career goals or real-world applications. Students also said that having opportunities to apply their learning helped them to better understand their own career paths:

I had two different instructors and both of them were just so open and engaging and they shared so many personal stories and they just seemed so interested in what they were doing and what I was like. Wow, I want to be that. I want to be interested in what I’m learning. (G6P1)

A common complaint that negatively impacted student motivation was that instructors would lecture for the entire class without supporting materials or opportunities for students to participate.

I’ve had a couple professors who just don’t have any visuals at all. All he does is talk. So, for the whole three hours, we would just be scrambling to write down the notes. It’s brutal...(G7P2)

Trying to establish a healthy work-life balance and managing the demands of their courses, often in parallel with managing work and family demands, were key challenges for students and were often sources of stress and anxiety. For instance, one student spoke about her struggles in meeting expectations:

It was a tough semester. For the expectations that I had placed on myself, I wasn’t meeting them and it took a toll on me. But now I know that I can exceed my expectations, but you really have to try and work hard for it. (G6P1)

Achieving a good work-life balance and adjusting to university life takes time. Many students commented that, as they reached their third year of study, they felt more comfortable in the school environment. Unfortunately, students also noted that the mental and emotional toll of university life can lead to doubt about the future and a desire to leave. One student suggested more support for students to help with this adjustment:

I think school should give students more service to help them to overcome the pressure and make integration into the first year and second year quicker and faster. Maybe it’s very helpful for the new students. (G7P4)

Relationships

Relationships was the second dimension of the LE. Subthemes within this dimension included: faculty support, peer interaction, and group work. Most students commented on the impact that faculty had on their learning. Faculty support included creating a safe or unsafe space in the classroom (i.e. ability to ask questions without judgement, fostering a respectful atmosphere), providing additional learning material, accommodating requests, or simply listening to students. Students generally indicated that faculty at this university were very willing to offer extra support and genuinely cared for them and their education. Faculty were described as friendly and approachable, and their relationships with students were perceived as “egalitarian”.

I think feeling that you’re safe in that environment, that anything you pose or any questions that you may have, you’re free to ask. And without being judged. And you’ll get an answer that actually helps you. (G1P4)

While most students felt welcome and comfortable in their classes, a few students spoke about negative experiences that they had because of lack of faculty support. Students cited examples of professors “shutting down” questions, saying that a question was “stupid”, refusing requests for additional help, or interrupting them while speaking. Another student felt that the inaction of faculty sometimes contributed to a negative atmosphere:

I’ve had bad professors that just don't listen to any comment or, if you suggest something to improve it which may seem empirically better, they still shut you down! That’s insane. (G2P2)

The peer interactions subtheme referred to any instances when students could interact with other students; this occurred both in and out of the classroom. Most often, students interacted with their peers during a class or because of an assignment:

I think the way the class is structured really helps you build relationships with your peers. For example, I met S, we had several classes with each other. Those classes were more proactive and so it allowed us to build a relationship… I think that’s very important because we’re going to be in the same facility for a long time and to have somebody to back you up, or to have someone to study with…”. (G1P4)

However, other students felt that they lacked opportunities to interact with peers in class. Although a few participants stated that they felt the purpose of going to school was to get a degree, rather than to socialize with others, students wanted more opportunities to interact with peers.

The final subtheme, group work, was a very common activity at this school. The types of group work in which students engaged included classroom discussions, assignments/projects, and presentations. Many students had enjoyable experiences working in groups, noting that working together helped them to solve problems and create something that was better than one individual’s work. Even though sometimes doing the work itself was a negative experience, people still saw value in group work:

Some of the best memories I’ve ever had was group work and the struggles we've had. (G2P2) I don’t like group work but it taught me a lot, I’ve been able to stay friends and be able to connect with people that I’ve had a class with in 2nd year psych all the way up till now. I think that’s very valuable. (G6P1)

Almost all students who spoke about group work also talked about negative aspects or experiences they had. When the work of a group made up a large proportion of the final grade, students sometimes would have preferred to be evaluated individually. Students disliked when they worked in groups when members were irresponsible or work was not shared equally, and they were forced to undertake work that other students were not completing.

A lot of people don’t really care, or they don’t take as much responsibility as you. I think people have different goals and different ways of working, so sometimes I find that challenging. (G7P2)

Institutional setting

The third overarching theme was the institutional setting. Broadly, this theme refers to the physical structure, expectations, and the overall culture of the environment and was composed of two key subthemes: importance of small class sizes; and the lack of a sense of community.

Small class sizes, with a maximum of 35 students, were a key reason why many students chose to come to this institution. The small classes created an environment in which students and faculty were able to get to know one another more personally; students felt that they were known as individuals, not just as numbers. They also noted that this promoted greater feelings of connectedness to the class environment, more personalized attention, and opportunities to request reference letters in the future:

My professors know my name. Not all of them that I’m having for the first time ever, but they try… That means a lot to me. (G6P4)

Several students also said that having smaller class sizes helped them to do well in their courses. The extra attention encouraged them to perform better academically, increased their engagement with their material, and made them feel more comfortable in asking for help.

Having a sense of belonging was a key feature of the environment and discussions around a sense of community (or lack thereof) was a prominent theme among the students. Students generally agreed that the overall climate of the school is warm and friendly. However, many students referred to the institution as a “commuter school”, because there are no residencies on campus and students must commute to the school. This often resulted in students attending their classes and then leaving immediately after, contributing to a lack of community life on campus.

What [other schools] have is that people live on campus. I think that plays a huge role. We can’t ignore that we are a commuter school… They have these events and people go because they’re already there and you look at that and it seems to be fun and engaging. (G4P1)

Furthermore, students commented on a lack of campus areas that supported socialization and encouraged students to remain on campus. While there were events and activities that were regularly hosted at the school, students had mixed opinions about them. Some students attended the events and found them personally beneficial. Other students stated that, although many events and activities were available, turnout was often low:

There isn’t any hanging out after campus and you can even see in-events and in-event turnout for different events… It is like pulling teeth to get people to come out to an event… There are free food and fun music and really cool stuff. But, no one’s going to go. It’s sad. (G5P1)

Faculty perspectives on the learning environment

Similar to the student findings, faculty data were coded within the three overarching themes of personal development, relationships, and institutional setting.

Personal development reflected any motivation either within or outside the LE that provided faculty with the encouragement, drive, and direction for their personal growth and engagement with teaching. Within this dimension, there were two main subthemes: motivation to teach and emotional well-being.

As with any career, there are many positive and negative motivating factors that contribute to one’s involvement in their work. Faculty generally reported feeling passionate about their work, and recounted positive experiences they have had while teaching, both personally and professionally. While recollecting positive drives throughout their career, one instructor shared:

It’s [teaching in a speciality program] allowed me to teach in a very different way than the traditional classroom… I’ve been able to translate those experiences into conferences, into papers, into connections, conversations with others that have opened up really interesting dialogues…. (8M)

Faculty also reported that receiving positive feedback from students or getting to see their students grow over time was highly motivating:

I take my teaching evaluations very seriously and I keep hearing that feedback time and time again they feel safe. They feel connected, they feel listened too, they feel like I'm there for them. I think, you know, those are the things that let me know what I'm doing is achieving the goals that I have as an educator. (1F) Being able to watch [students] grow over time is very important to me… I always try to have a few people I work with and see over the course of their degree. So, when they graduate, you know I have a reason to be all misty-eyed. (2M)

Emotional well-being related to how different interactions, primarily with students, affected instructors’ mental states. Sometimes the emotional well-being of faculty was negatively affected by the behaviour of students. One instructor spoke about being concerned when students drop out of a class:

A student just this last semester was doing so well, but then dropped off the face of the earth… I felt such a disappointing loss… So, when that happens, I'm always left with those questions about what I could have done differently. Maybe, at the end of the day, there is nothing I could've done, nothing. It's a tragedy or something's happened in their life or I don't know. But those unanswered questions do concern-- they cause me some stress or concern. (1F)

Another instructor said that, while initially they had let the students’ behaviour negatively affect their well-being, over time, they had eventually become more apathetic.

There are some who come, leave after the break. Or they do not come, right, or come off and on. Previously I was motivated to ask them ‘what is your problem?’ Now I do not care. That is the difference which has happened. I do not care. (4M)

This dimension included comments related to interactions with other faculty and with students and consisted of three subthemes: faculty supporting faculty; faculty supporting students; and creating meaningful experiences for students.

Most faculty felt that it was important to be supported by, and supportive to, their colleagues. For instance, one instructor reported that their colleagues’ helpfulness inspired them to be supportive of others:

If I was teaching a new course, without me having to go and beg for resources or just plead and hope that someone might be willing to share, my experience was that the person who last taught the course messaged me and said let me know if anything I have will be useful to you… When people are willing to do that for you, then you’re willing to do that for someone else….(7M)

Many faculty members also spoke about the importance of having supportive relationships with students, and that this would lead to better learning outcomes:

If you don't connect with your students, you're not going to get them learning much. They're not; they're just going to tune out. So, I think, I think connection is critical to having a student not only trust in the learning environment, but also want to learn from the learning environment. (3M)

Facilitating an open, inviting space in the classroom and during their office hours, where students were comfortable asking questions, was one way that faculty tried to help students succeed. Faculty also spoke about the value of having close mentorship relationships with students:

I work with them a lot and intensively…and their growth into publishing, presenting, and seeing them get recognized and get jobs on their way out and so forth are extraordinary. So, being able to watch them grow over time is very important to me. (2M)

Faculty also noted that occasionally there were instances when students wanted exceptions to be made for them which can create tensions in the environment. One instructor spoke about the unfairness of those requests arguing that students need to be accountable to themselves:

The failure rate, …it was 43%. I do not know if there is any other course in which there is a 43% failure rate. So, I do not want to fail these students, why? Instructors want these students to pass, these are my efforts […], and there are also the efforts of these students and their money, right? But, if a student doesn’t want to pass himself or herself, I cannot pass this student, that’s it. (4M)

Faculty were generally motivated to provide memorable and engaging experiences for students. These included providing practical knowledge and opportunities to apply knowledge in real-world settings, field schools, laboratory activities, group discussions, guest speakers, field trips, videos and group activities. They were often willing to put in extra effort if it meant that students would have a better educational experience.

Creating meaningful experiences for students was also meaningful for faculty. One faculty member said that faculty felt amazing when the methods that they used in their courses were appreciated by students. Another faculty member noted:

This student who was in my social psychology class, who was really bright and kind of quirky, would come to my office, twice a week, and just want to talk about psychology … That was like a really satisfying experience for me to see someone get so sparked by the content. (9F)

This third theme refers to the physical structure, expectation, and overall culture of the environment and it consisted of two subthemes: the importance of small class sizes, and the lack of a sense of community.

The majority of the faculty indicated that the small class sizes are an integral feature of the LE. The key advantage of the small classes was that they allowed greater connection with students.

Your professor knows your name. That’s a huge difference from other schools. It’s a small classroom benefit. (6F)

Similar to the students, nearly all the faculty indicated that a sense of community at the institution was an important part of the environment, and something that was desired, but it currently was lacking. They spoke about various barriers which prevent a sense of community, such as the lack of residences, a dearth of events and activities at the university, the busy schedules of faculty and students, the commuter nature of the school, and characteristics of the student population:

When I complain about the commuter campus feeling that occurs with students, we suffer from that too at a faculty level… People are just not in their offices because we work from home… And that really also affects the culture… We come in. We do our thing. We meet with students. And then we leave… I encounter so many students in the hallway who are looking for instructors and they can’t find them. (9F)

These findings have provided insight into the perspectives of both students and faculty on the LE of a Canadian undergraduate university. We found that framing our analysis and results within Moos’ framework of human environments (Insel & Moos, 1974 ; Moos, 1973 , 1991 ) was an appropriate lens for the data and that the data fit well within these three themes. This provides support for the use of this theory to characterize the educational LE. Within each of these dimensions, we discuss subthemes that both facilitated and hindered student learning and commonalities among student and faculty perspectives.

Within the personal development dimension, both students and faculty discussed the importance of engagement and/or motivation as a facilitator of a positive LE. When students were engaged with their learning, most often by being an active participant or seeing the relevance of what they were learning, they saw it as a key strength. Other studies have also identified engagement as a feature of positive LEs for populations such as high-school students (Seidel, 2006 ), nursing students (D’Souza et al., 2013 ) and college students taking online courses (e.g. Holley & Dobson, 2008 ; O’Shea et al., 2015 ). Faculty who reported being motivated to teach, often felt that this motivation was fueled by the reactions of their students; when students were engaged, they felt more motivated. This creates a positive cyclic pattern in which one group feeds into the motivation and engagement levels of the other. However, this can also hinder the LE when a lack of engagement in one group can bring down the motivation of the other group (such as students paying more attention to their phones than to a lecture or faculty lecturing for the entire class period).

Emotional climate was another subtheme within the personal development dimension that was shared by both students and faculty although, for students, this was focused more on the stress and anxiety that they felt trying to manage their school workloads with their work and family commitments. The overall emotional climate of the school was generally considered to be positive, which was largely driven by the supportive and welcoming environment provided by the faculty. However, it was the negative emotions of stress and anxiety that often surfaced as a challenging aspect in the environment for students. Past research suggests that some types of stress, such as from a challenge, can improve learning and motivation, but negative stress, such as that reported by our participants, is associated with worsened performance and greater fatigue (LePine et al., 2004 ).

For faculty, their emotional state was often influenced by their students. When things were going well for their students, faculty often shared in the joy; however, when students would disappear without notice from a class, it was a source of disappointment and self-doubt. For other faculty, the accumulation of negative experiences resulted in them being more distant and less affected emotionally than they had been earlier in their career. This diminishing concern could have implications for how engaged faculty are in their teaching, which could in turn influence student engagement and harm the LE.

The relationships dimension was the most influential aspect of the environment for both students and faculty. While both groups felt that the relationships that they formed were generally positive, they also reported a desire for more peer connections (i.e. students with other students and faculty with other faculty). Students commented that it was a typical experience for them to come to campus to attend their classes and then leave afterwards, often to work or study at home. Many of the students at this school attend on a part-time basis while they work part- or full-time and/or attend to family commitments. While this is a benefit to these students to have the flexibility to work and further their education, it comes at loss of the social aspect of post-secondary education.

The one way in which student–peer relationships were fostered was through group work. However, students held both positive and negative views on this: the positive aspect was the opportunity to get to know other students and being able to share the burden of the workload, and the negative aspect was being unfair workloads among team members. When group dynamics are poor, such as unfair work distribution, having different goals and motivations, or not communicating effectively with their groups, it has been shown to lead to negative experiences (Rusticus & Justus, 2019 ).

Faculty also commented that it was typical for them and other faculty to come up to campus only to teach their classes and then leave afterwards. They noted that their office block was often empty and noted instances when students have come looking for faculty only to find a locked office. Overall, faculty did report feeling congenial with, and supported by, their peers. They also desired a greater connection with their peers, but noted that it would require effort to build, which many were not willing to make.

Finally, student–faculty relationships were the most-rewarding experience for both groups. Students saw these experiences as highly encouraging and felt that they created a safe and welcoming environment where they could approach faculty to ask questions and get extra support. However, in some cases, students had negative experiences with faculty and these had an impact on their self-esteem, motivation and willingness to participate in class. Students’ negative experiences and feedback have been shown to result in declined levels of intrinsic motivation, even if their performance ability is not low (Weidinger et al., 2016 ).

Within the third dimension, institutional setting, a key strength was the small class sizes. With a maximum class size of 35 students, this created a more personal and welcoming environment for students. Students felt that their instructors got to know their names and this promoted more opportunities for interactions. Faculty concurred with this, indicating that the small classes provided greater opportunities for interactions with their students. This enabled more class discussions and grouped-based activities which contributed to a more engaging and interactive educational experience for students and faculty. For students, not being able to hide in the crowd of a large lecture hall, as is common in other university settings, encouraged them to work harder on their studies and to seek help from their instructor if needed.

Finally, both students and faculty commented that the lack of a sense of community was a negative aspect of the LE. This institution is known as a commuter school and both groups reported that they would often attend campus only for school/work and would leave as soon as their commitments were done. This limits opportunities to interact with others and could also potentially impact one’s identity as a member of this community. While both groups expressed a desire for more of a community life, neither group was willing to put in much effort to make this happen. Others have also found that sense of community, including opportunities to engage and interact with others, is important in LEs (e.g. Sadera et al., 2009 ). Schools with more activities and opportunities for student involvement have reports of higher satisfaction for both academic and social experiences (Charles et al., 2016 ).

Limitations

Because this study is based on a relatively small sample at a single university, there is a question of whether the findings can be applied to other departments, universities or contexts. However, it is a strength of this study that both student and faculty perceptions were included, because few past studies have jointly looked at these two groups together using qualitative methods. The use of focus groups among the student groups might have limited the openness of some participants. We also acknowledge that the analysis of qualitative data is inevitably influenced by our roles, life experiences and backgrounds. (The first author is a faculty member and the second and third authors were fourth year students at the time of the study.) This might have impacted our approach to the interpretation of the data compared with how others might approach the data and analysis (Denzin & Lincoln, 2008 ). However, the analysis involved consultation among the research team to identify and refine the themes, and the findings are presented with quotes to support the interpretation. Finally, because experiences were self-reported in this study, they have the associated limitations of self-report data. Despite these limitations, we believe that our findings add to what is known about LEs by capturing multiple perspectives within the same environment.

Future directions

Because our sample was comprised of students across multiple years of their program, some of our findings suggest that upper-level students might have different perceptions of the LE from lower-level students (e.g. work/life balance, access to resources, and overall familiarity with the environment and resources available). However, because the small sample sizes within these subgroups prevent any strong conclusions being made, future researchers might want to explore year-of-study differences in the LE. Additionally, the data collected for this study occurred prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the mandatory switch to online teaching and learning. Future researchers might want to consider how this has impacted student and faculty perceptions of the LE regarding their personal motivation, the nature and quality of the relationships that have formed with peers and faculty, and the culture and norms of their institution.

This study increases our understanding of LEs by incorporating data collected from both students and faculty working in the same context. Across both groups, we identified important aspects of the LE as being high levels of engagement and motivation, a positive emotional climate, support among peers, strong faculty–student relationships, meaningful experiences, and small class sizes. Students identified negative aspects of the LE, such as certain characteristics of group work and struggles with work–life balance. Both faculty and students identified a lack of a sense of community as something that could detract from the LE. These findings identify important elements that educators and researchers might want to consider as they strive to promote more-positive LEs and learning experiences for students.

Appendix: Interview guide

[Faculty] Tell me a little bit about yourself. For instance, what department you are in, how long you have been teaching at KPU, what courses you teach, why you were interested in this study

• When I say the word learning environment, what does that mean to you?
• Probe for specific examples
• Relate to goal development, relationships, KPU culture
• Probe for factors that made it a positive environment
• Probe for factors that made it a negative environment
• How would you describe an ideal environment?
• Probe for reasons why
• Probe for how KPU could be made more ideal
• What recommendations would you give to the Dean of Arts regarding the learning environment? This could be changes you would recommend or things you recommend should stay the same.
• Do you have any final comments? Or feel there is anything about the learning environment that we have not addressed?

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Shaping a Positive Learning Environment

Several years ago, American surgeon, author, and public health researcher Atul Gawande experimented with using a two-minute checklist in operating rooms in eight different hospitals. One unexpected result was that a round of team-member introductions before surgery lowered the average number of surgical complications by 35%. Learning names and building a positive environment at the outset of this short-term medical community experience made huge impacts on their ability to function effectively together. How might we apply this and other community-building principles to establish positive learning environments that facilitate student learning?

Learning is an emotional process—we feel excitement when learning a new skill, embarrassment about mistakes, and fear of being misunderstood. Fostering positive emotions in your classroom will motivate students to learn, while negative emotions such as stress and alienation will inhibit their learning.

Research tells us students learn better when they are part of a supportive community of learners. When you create a positive learning environment where students feel accepted, seen, and valued, they are more likely to persist in your course, in their majors, and at the university.

In How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching , Susan Ambrose et al. address the many and complex factors that influence learning environments, including intellectual, social, emotional, and physical (2010).

They offer a few key takeaways for educators:

• Learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your classroom community is made up of individuals with diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences; the act of learning is intertwined with a variety of socioemotional influences.
• Classroom climate is determined by both intentional and unintentional actions, and by both explicit and implicit messages. And their impact on students is not always obvious. Seemingly well-meaning or unimportant choices and remarks can have unintended effects on student learning.
• The good news: You have more control over the learning environment in your courses than you might guess. If you know how learning environments influence student learning, you can employ a variety of strategies to consciously shape a welcoming and inclusive classroom.

Sense of Belonging in College

In a welcoming and inclusive classroom, students are more likely to feel a sense of belonging . A sense of belonging is a basic human need. That is,  everyone  needs to belong. In the college context, sense of belonging refers to whether or not students feel respected, accepted, valued, included, cared for, and that they matter—in your classroom, at the university, or in their chosen career path (Strayhorn, 2012).

Although everyone needs to belong, students’ feelings of comfort in your class largely depends on their identities and experiences (Strayhorn, 2012; Walton & Cohen, 2007). Being the only student, or one of a few, of a particular identity group can lead students to feel detached, apathetic, or reluctant to participate. They may feel marginalized by the course content or by other students’ comments.

Indeed, research shows that minoritized students tend to report a lower sense of belonging than their peers (Johnson et al., 2007; Strayhorn, 2008a). Academic performance or preparation can also raise or lower students’ perceived sense of belonging (Hoops, Green, Baker, & Hensley, 2016; Strayhorn, 2008b; Zumbrunn, McKim, Buhs, & Hawley, 2014). Particularly for minoritized students, academic struggle can be internalized as a sign that they do not belong (Walton & Cohen, 2007).

Research by DeSurra and Church in 1994 provides a spectrum for understanding learning environments that ranges from explicitly marginalizing, where the course climate is openly hostile and cold, to explicitly centralizing, where multiple perspectives are validated and integrated into the course. While this particular research was based on sexual orientation, the earliest research on learning environments—the “chilly climate studies”—focused on gender and had similar findings (Hall, 1982; Hall & Sandler, 1984; and Sandler & Hall, 1986). These early studies demonstrated that marginalization of students does not require an openly hostile environment. Rather, the accumulation of microaggressions alone can adversely impact learning. Later studies showed similar effects based on the race and ethnicity of students (Hurtado et al., 1999; Watson et al., 2002).

Diversity and Inclusion 

Students, like all of us, are complex human beings—they have a gender, race, class, nationality, sexual orientation, and other axes of identity. These overlapping identities mean that an individual may face multiple barriers at once to feeling welcome in your class. Rather than thinking your course should support “a” student of color or “a” student with a disability, craft a learning environment that is welcoming to as many students—and their complexities—as possible. 

Students struggling with sense of belonging are less engaged. They may sit in the back of class, be inattentive during lecture, or avoid participation in discussion or group activities. They may even skip class or show up late more often than others. However, sense of belonging is not static but dynamic, and it can fluctuate with transitions from class to class, year to year, or situation to situation. For example, a student who feels they belong in your course today may suddenly doubt they belong if they score poorly on an exam tomorrow. Therefore, it is important to continually observe students’ behavior and support their belonging throughout the term.

Sense of belonging affects students’ academic engagement and motivation, as well as their emotional wellbeing. The bottom line is this: Students who feel they belong are more likely to succeed.

For more insight into college students’ sense of belonging, watch this engaging TEDx talk by Ohio State professor Dr. Terrell Strayhorn.

In Practice

You want all students to feel they belong in your course. What concrete strategies can you use to shape a positive learning environment?

Set a positive tone from the start

Simple efforts to establish a welcoming atmosphere in the early days and weeks of class can help students feel more comfortable, included, and confident.

• Use positive language in your syllabus . Your syllabus is the first impression students have of your course. Framing policies and expectations in friendly and constructive language, rather than with strong directives or punitive warnings, can increase students’ comfort.
• Get to know students and help them get to know each other . On the first day, ask students their preferred names and pronouns and facilitate icebreaker activities to build community. Use Namecoach in CarmenCanvas to have students record the pronunciation of their names and set their pronouns. Surveys and polling, such as through Top Hat , are great ways to informally assess students’ motivations, learning goals, and prior knowledge early in the course.
• Be warm, friendly, and present . Greet students when they enter the class, make yourself available before and after class, and set up office hours. Share your enthusiasm about the course and relevant personal experience—this can humanize you and increase students’ connection to the material.
• Share positive messages about student success . Show students you believe in their capacity to succeed. Avoid negative statements such as, “Only 1 in 4 of you will pass this class.” Instead, normalize academic struggle and assure students they can master difficult content with effort.

Online Instructor Presence

Strong instructor presence in online courses has been shown to increase participation, facilitate knowledge acquisition, and foster a healthy learning community. When teaching online, you can make meaningful connections to students through video introductions, online office hours, and regular and planned communication. Read more about online instructor presence .

Foster open discourse and communication

Meaningful class discourse requires more than a friendly demeanor. Be prepared to address complex issues, difficult questions, and conflict in collaborative ways.

• Develop a classroom agreement . Involve students explicitly in shaping the learning environment. Help them craft a (potentially living) document that outlines community norms and ground rules for respect, civil discourse, and communication.
• Resist “right” answers . Encourage discussion that promotes critical thinking rather than simple consensus. Invite students to offer their perspectives before sharing your own, and guide them to consider multiple viewpoints and avenues to solving problems.
• Respond to classroom conflict . Consider how you will frame controversial content or “hot topics” in your course. Rather than avoiding these conversations, plan in advance how to facilitate a productive and civil discussion. Refer students back to the ground rules they laid out in the classroom agreement. See Calling in Classroom Conflict for more information. 
• Get feedback from students . Provide opportunities for students to give frequent anonymous feedback on your course—and show you value their input by acting on it. Surveys or exit slips, in addition to conventional midterm feedback, can bring to light issues that affect students’ sense of belonging or inhibit their learning.

Create an inclusive environment

Embrace multiple perspectives, ways of learning, and modes of expression so all students feel included and supported.

• Choose inclusive course content . Do the authors of your course materials represent the spectrum of identities of people in your field? Of students in your class? Who is depicted in the readings and videos you assign? Include course material representing diverse identities, perspectives, and experiences to help all students connect to your content.
• Use a variety of teaching methods . Incorporate multiple strategies that appeal to various abilities and preferences: lecture, whole-group and small-group discussion, think-pair-share, in-class writing exercises, case studies, role-playing, games, technology tools, and more. And don’t limit yourself to conventional “texts”—film and video, podcasts, and guest lectures are all engaging ways to present content.
• Provide assignment options . Support student success by offering multiple modes to complete assignments. Options range from traditional, such as papers, presentations, and posters, to creative, such as websites, blogs, infographics, games, videos, and podcasts. Allow both individual and group work options, when feasible.
• Make space for differing participation . Fear of being called on can hinder students’ comfort and motivation. Encourage, but don’t force, participation during in-class discussions, and acknowledge introverted students when they contribute. Consider alternate ways students can share ideas, such as via written reflections, online discussion posts, and lower-pressure think-pair-shares. Giving students time to reflect on “big questions” before discussion can also increase their confidence to speak up.

Organize your course to support students

The structure and content of your course, in addition to how you deliver it, are key to creating a supportive course climate.

• Communicate learning outcomes . Being explicit about what you want students to do—and why it matters—can increase their motivation. Discuss the purpose of your course and its relevance to their lives, tell them what you will cover at the beginning of each class, and share a rationale for all assignments.
• Be transparent and efficient with grading . Create student-friendly rubrics that lay out clear expectations for all assignments. Grade and return student work in a timely manner, with actionable feedback that helps them understand their progress and areas for improvement.
• Ensure course materials are accessible . When content is accessible , students with vision, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities can successfully navigate, use, and benefit from it. Using heading structures in documents, providing alternate text for images, and captioning videos are a few practices that make your course material accessible, as well as more clear and user-friendly for everyone.
• Share resources . In addition to extended material on your course subject, link students to helpful resources for mental health, stress, and learning assistance.

Carmen Common Sense

Consult Carmen Common Sense , a student-authored list of ten solutions to a student-friendly course, to learn how to build a supportive learning environment in Carmen.

Icebreaker Activities

Tips for learning student names, addressing offensive comments in class.

Students are more likely to succeed in positive learning environments where they feel a sense of belonging.

There is no singular or perfect learning environment. Every class you teach is a unique community made up of individuals with diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences. A number of strategies can help you foster a classroom climate that is welcoming, inclusive, and responsive to their needs.

• Set a positive tone from the start through your syllabus, community-building activities, a warm demeanor, and constructive messages about student success.
• Foster open discourse and communication through classroom agreements, addressing complex issues and conflict productively, and collecting regular feedback from students.
• Create an inclusive environment by choosing diverse and representative course material, using a variety of teaching methods, and providing options for assignments and participation.
• Organize your course to support students by making your goals, rationale, and expectations for the course and assignments clear, ensuring materials are accessible, and providing resources to support students’ wellbeing.
• Office of Diversity and Inclusion (website)
• Teaching for Racial Justice (website)
• Classroom Climate: Creating a Supportive Learning Environment (website)
• Encouraging a Sense of Belonging (video)
• Namecoach for Instructors (guide)

Learning Opportunities

Ambrose, S. A., & Mayer, R. E. (2010).  How learning works: seven research-based principles for smart teaching . Jossey-Bass.

DeSurra, C. J., & Church, K. A. (1994). Unlocking the Classroom Closet Privileging the Marginalized Voices of Gay/Lesbian College Students . Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association, New Orleans, LA. Distributed by ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED379697

Hall, R. (1982). A classroom climate: A chilly one for women?. Association of American Colleges. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED215628

Hall, R., & Sandler, B. (1984). Out of the classroom: A chilly campus climate for women?. Association of American Colleges. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED254125

Hoops, L. D., Green, M., Baker, A., & Hensley, L. C. (2016, February). Success in terms of belonging: An exploration of college student success stories. The Ohio State University Hayes Research Forum, Columbus, OH.

Hurtado, S., Milem, J., Clayton-Pedersen, A., & Allen, W. (1999). Enacting diverse learning environments: Improving the climate for racial/ethnic diversity in higher education. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education in cooperation with Association for the Study of Higher Education. The George Washington University. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED430514

Johnson, D. R., Soldner, M., Leonard, J. B., Alvarez, P., Inkelas, K. K., Rowan-Kenyon, H. T., & Longerbeam, S. D. (2007). Examining Sense of Belonging Among First-Year Undergraduates From Different Racial/Ethnic Groups.  Journal of College Student Development ,  48 (5), 525–542. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0054

Sandler, B., & Hall, R. (1986). The campus climate revisited: Chilly for women faculty, administrators, and graduate students. Association of American Colleges. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED282462

Strayhorn, T. L. (2008). Sentido de Pertenencia: A hierarchical analysis predicting sense of belonging among Latino college students.  Journal of Hispanic Higher Education ,  7 (4), 301–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192708320474

Strayhorn, T. L. (2009). Fittin' In: Do Diverse Interactions with Peers Affect Sense of Belonging for Black Men at Predominantly White Institutions?  NASPA Journal ,  45 (4).  https://doi.org/10.2202/0027-6014.2009

Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  92 (1), 82–96. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.1.82

Watson, L. W., Person, D. R., Rudy, D. E., Gold, J. A., Cuyjet, M. J., Bonner, F. A. I., … Terrell, M. C. (2002).  How Minority Students Experience College: Implications for Planning and Policy . Stylus Publishing.

Whitt, E. J., Edison, M. I., Pascarella, E. T., Nora, A., & Terenzini, P. T. (1999). Women's perceptions of a "chilly climate" and cognitive outcomes in college: Additional evidence.  Journal of College Student Development, 40 (2), 163–177. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ590847

Zumbrunn, S., Mckim, C., Buhs, E., & Hawley, L. R. (2014). Support, belonging, motivation, and engagement in the college classroom: a mixed method study.  Instructional Science ,  42 (5), 661–684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-014-9310-0

Related Teaching Topics

Creating an inclusive environment in carmenzoom, supporting student learning and metacognition, search for resources.

What Makes A Good Student? 10 Characteristics of Successful Learners

Krystal DeVille

October 7, 2023

There’s no denying that every parent hopes for the success of their children. However, most parents or guardians are unsure of how to nurture and guide their child into a successful student.

Successful learners in classrooms usually exhibit similar characteristics, regardless of their cultural background, age, or gender. By identifying the traits of a good student (as discussed below), parents can help their kids develop those characteristics that will reap the greatest benefit.

Whether they are a homeschooled student or working among fellow students in public school, these are great traits to encourage.

Table of Contents

1. Eagerness to Learn

A good student thrives in school due to their eagerness to gain knowledge. Most of it stems from parents and other people in the child’s life that have offered a wealth of interesting things to discover.

By exposing a child to a boatload of environments at a young age, they quickly learn the world is their oyster.

Make the world an intriguing place that your child will want to explore. However, parents that work this concept too hard face the risk of their child losing motivation and burning out on the learning process before school starts.

As much as learning is important, kids need to have lots of free time alone and with their peers to play and create, not just study.

Please take a look at my full guide to the best STEM subscription boxes for kids.

2. Culture of Reading

According to the U.S. Department of Education , the most crucial thing to ensure their children’s academic success in school is to cultivate a reading culture. The love of reading starts when your child is still an infant.

While a baby won’t grasp the story at this tender age, they’ll quickly become accustomed to the act of cuddling together and hearing the voice of their parent reading aloud every day.

As your child grows, keep a plethora of reading materials throughout the home, allowing them to read regularly. This will develop a positive attitude towards reading, a skill they can take with them from elementary school into higher education.

For some of the best books for young kids, check out my Best STEM Picture Books list to Inspire Future Inventors, Scientists & Engineers.

3. Willingness to Put in the Required Effort

A good student is willing to put in the effort needed to excel at school and beyond. Parents can instill this value at a fairly young age, by showing their children the reward that can come with doing a great job.

When a child learns to be proud of their work, they’ll also learn to follow through with their tasks even when they encounter a challenge. This will get your child well on their way to becoming a great student.

4. Respectful to Everyone

It’s not all about academic skills! Parents should also teach their children to respect everyone and their property. A good student doesn’t take others’ belongings without their permission and treats them with utmost care.

Similarly, a child must learn to respect their peers and adults in charge by first respecting their parents. Respect and obedience are essential values to instill in your child from the onset. After all, they’ll be called to these values every day in the classroom, from grade school to college.

Make sure to check out my article, STEM vs. STEAM : Making Room for the Arts.

5. Solid Emotional and Social Skills

School is one of the environments where a good student benefits from being nice to others. Kids need to exhibit emotional and social skills even in the absence of their parents.

These skills can be nurtured before school starts through social activities under the watchful eye of caregivers of parents. Furthermore, students need to learn how to express their feelings appropriately to others. This is an important factor even outside of school that will help them throughout their life.

6. Self-Motivated

Good learners understand the joy that stems from the completion of a task independently. As a result, they can tackle challenging assignments in the classroom without extra help.

Parents can use simple chores around the house to provide the groundwork their children require. By doing so, they make their kids feel like contributing members of the family and develop the discipline needed to get their tasks done.

Age-appropriate chores teach a child the necessity of pitching in and giving them the satisfaction that comes from knowing they handled the task all on their own.

7. Persistent and Consistent

Learning occurs consistently and slowly, case in point the process of learning how to read. Steps were involved, from holding a book the right side up and differentiating between phonetics and letters to fluency and years of practice.

Although learning to read isn’t an uphill task for neurotypical kids, they must develop building blocks and practice frequently. It’s the willingness to practice with discipline that sets an excellent student apart from the pack.

Consistency is becoming less common in adolescent children with some of the most affected areas being languages, math, and music. In each field, there must be a mastery of some fundamental skills which only comes with practice.

8. Responsibility

When children head off to the classroom, their possessions, behavior, and homework, become their responsibility. It can become overwhelming for a child who hasn’t had responsibility before.

To avoid this predicament, instill responsibility at home by ensuring your child picks up their toys after a play session, washing their hands, and having a bath without your help.

Although a young child shouldn’t be bogged down with a myriad of responsibilities and chores, a few tasks help them become independent at school as well.

9. Partners with Teachers

A child’s relationship with their teacher is crucial to their success at school. A good student recognizes that their teachers are their allies, not enemies.

However, parents usually view this relationship as being entirely in the hands of the teachers. That isn’t the case. Great learners contribute to the creation of this strong relationship. They view their teachers as invaluable resources with whom they need to partner.

Such students are easy to notice as they participate in class, ask questions to understand a topic better, seek the assistance of their teachers when need be. This can lead to better academic achievement in the long run.

10. Accustomed to Routine

School revolves around routines.

A great learner who is accustomed to a schedule usually thrives in those early days.

Although your child’s daily schedule doesn’t have to be too rigid, carving out certain times for baths, eating, going to bed, and playing will give them a sense of structure to help them transition well into the school setting.

They’ll know how to adhere to the classroom rules, whether it’s waiting in line to buy a snack or raising their hand before they speak.

By having structure and rules in the home, a child learns the security that stems from adhering to those guidelines and the value of boundaries.

The Bottom Line

Successful learners exhibit a multitude of similar traits. However, these characteristics don’t always come as naturally as you think. When parents and teachers nurture these traits from the onset, children revel in productive and successful years throughout their school experience and beyond.

Thank you for reading and please take a look at my article on the 7 best computer build kits for kids.

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The Most Important Qualities That Make a Good Teacher

July 30, 2023

Teachers significantly impact the lives of their learners. They challenge their students to confidently think outside the box and counter new challenges. 

A good teacher will also support their learners when they take in new challenges and fail. They build their confidence to try again, inspire creativity, and encourage exploration and competition. 

Teaching is not a job but a calling. It is, therefore, crucial to acquire and perfect the required skills to efficiently inspire and grow students in their classrooms. 

Good teachers model behaviors of patience, empathy, communication, and understanding. Qualities that they can help grow in their learners. 

In this article, we discuss ten qualities of good teachers that should serve as motivation if you hope to impact the lives of your learners positively. 

The Value of a Teacher’s Role

A teacher’s role is essential not only in the education system but also later on in the lives of their students. 

You can make a difference in your student’s life by influencing everything, from educational goals to after-school success. 

Good teachers help their students reach more success, understand themselves better, and make well-thought decisions that will help them make the right choices to propel them to greater heights in life. 

To be good at your job as a teacher, you must love it. Passion is infectious; your students will feel passionate about the subject if you are passionate about it. 

Also, you can cultivate self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth in your learners in your daily interactions. 

Your interactions with your students also guide them into laying the foundation for meaningful relationships, understanding their feelings, and navigating challenging situations. 

10 Qualities of a Good Teacher

Outstanding teachers have certain qualities that make them rise above the rest of their student’s lives. Such teachers have a way of remaining in our memories no matter how far removed from our school years. 

Studies from the Economic Policy Institute show that good teachers contribute more to student achievement than learning facilities and school leadership. 

Here are our top ten qualities that make a good teacher:

1. Great communicators

When you possess excellent communication skills, you will know how to teach your subject in a learner-friendly and engaging way. 

This will, in turn, improve their understanding and achievement as it will bring you closer to them and help them present any concerns they may have regarding any learned content. 

For instance, a finance class will be easier to understand if the teacher uses everyday examples with which the students are familiar. 

2. Experts in their field

Your students will be motivated to learn if you are an expert in your field. If you love your teaching area, you will show that expertise in the classroom. 

Once you have mastered the content in your subject area, you can use different angles to explain the subject matter; hence be very resourceful when teaching. 

For instance, a math teacher can use the rows and columns in the class to enhance understanding of matrices. 

3. Collaboration

Collaboration in teaching creates a growth-based learning environment that increases student learning processes.

You should work closely with other teachers and your students if you aim for great results. 

Collaborating with other teachers helps you learn from each other, allowing you to brainstorm new ideas. This is significant in improving learner outcomes. 

A good teacher is also interested in learning from parents about their students. This equips you with an understanding of how to help your students better.

Empathy is how you understand your learner’s emotional, social, and intellectual situations. A good teacher can respond empathetically to a learner’s admirable and ugly emotions without losing focus on student learning. 

For instance, if your best student failed a test. Your first instinct might be to reprimand them and for an explanation for their poor performance. On the other hand, consider putting yourself in their situation, imagine how they are feeling, and empathize with them. 

Seek to understand how they feel about the dismal performance, what they think they did wrong, and then suggest ways to improve the result. Assure them that they have a chance to turn things around. 

When your learners feel physically, mentally, and emotionally safe, they will engage better in your subject as they feel loved and understood. 

You can grow your empathetic touch by reading books on such, taking courses on empathy, and attending seminars that build on this. 

5. Loving challenges

A great teacher loves challenges. A classroom environment is full of varied challenges; therefore, embracing them is a sure way to manage them. 

Once you love your challenges, you will teach your learners more effectively. This is because a teacher who loves challenges will grow to challenge students. Students love challenges, provided they are presented in a kind spirit. 

You can draw your students to love challenges by asking thought-provoking questions that get learners to think about sequencing and predictions. 

Challenging them will push them to work harder, improve, and achieve beyond their imagination. 

6. Creativity

Although not all subject areas promote creativity, they can all be taught creatively. 

For instance, a biology teacher teaching about different kinds of plants would take students to the natural habitat to exploit the topic practically. Also, a literature teacher would more creatively use film to enhance the mental correlation of a play the learners are reading as a literary text. 

A science teacher would use real solutions more creatively when teaching learners to test for bases and acids. Learners always appreciate the extra mile. 

When you creatively motivate your learners, they are motivated to do this in education and their lives after school. 

7. Constant growth 

Teachers need a growth mindset that prepares them for the classroom environment. Continuous learning will equip you with invaluable knowledge to progressively inspire your students. The growth mindset is essential because it will enable you to collaborate with your learners with the understanding that they can learn it to a higher level. 

A view that continuous growth is essential will create a love of learning and resilience in just one area. It empowers your learners to believe they can develop their abilities with brains and talents as starting points. 

The need for growth will motivate you to focus on creativity and intelligence, the two factors that result in success in both your academic and professional lives. 

8. Patience

When managing learners, your patience is constantly tested. You will also deal with learners, parents, and colleagues with differing perspectives, backgrounds, and characters. This requires patience. 

For instance, with your learners and their parents, you must be patient in repeatedly dealing with the same questions and issues.

Also, some of your learners will have difficulties understanding various concepts; it’s essential that you keep going but should continuously try out new ways of helping them succeed. 

9. Adaptability

Your environment as a teacher is constantly evolving. This demands that you continually adapt to the constant changes and adjust your teaching methods to suit the age and intellect of your learners. 

Also, with the continuously changing educational frameworks, being able to adopt those changes makes you a good teacher. 

Adaptability is also one of the essential skills that you will require if you are educating learners of varying grade levels or those with different learning styles. 

10. Respect

Many educators imply respect, but few understand how to use it in the classroom. 

As a good teacher, you must be mindful of any imbalance in respect and ensure that your students feel respected and heard. 

In stories from American Teacher Week , Maggie remembers her seventh-grade language teacher for the respect she fostered and reflected on her students. The feeling that her teacher valued and respected each of them taught her a valuable lesson about the significance of fostering the respect you demand.

Desired Classroom Skills

Besides the teaching and communication skills you should possess as a good teacher, excellent class management skills are critical.  

Some of the desired class management skills include:

• Setting high but achievable expectations for your students – You can do this by teaching them about growth mindsets. They should believe that success is within their control. Reinforce in them daily that they can succeed if they put in the effort. 
• Good planning skills – With good planning skills, you will help students identify their goals and guide them in deciding what their priority is. Teach them how to plan their learning by breaking their tasks into steps to make them more manageable. Teaching learners how to plan will also eliminate uncertainty in the mind, which in most learners results in procrastination. 
• Creating a sense of community- A sense of community will create a social connection and a sense of belonging among your learners. You can establish this community within your students by consistently holding class meetings every morning to focus on building social and emotional skills and establishing relationships among them. 

Common Weaknesses of Teachers

Teachers, even the most experienced, are helpful with some weaknesses. Every teacher would like to see themselves as being perfect, but admitting that we are all flawed in different ways is the first step to becoming better teachers tomorrow. 

Here are some common weaknesses in teachers: 

Perfectionism

Making mistakes is a normal part of human life. Perfectionism is a fear-based pattern whose short-term rewards are getting the job done and exceeding expectations. Its long-term effects, however, include burnout, compromised quality of work, and missed deadlines. 

Being afraid to make mistakes primes us for burnout and overwhelms us with fear, factors that distort our functioning as teachers. 

Dealing with others as a perfectionist is challenging since you will always want them to do things your way, allowing little room for the ideas and imperfections of others. 

Perfectionism also prevents you from taking constructive criticism from colleagues who may want to share relevant observations on your interaction. 

Though no one is perfect, some teachers seem to have it together, and this may be the basis for our comparison. Comparison can hinder your success as a teacher if you are constantly comparing yourself with colleagues you view as perfect. 

Learning helpful hints and new ideas from teachers with the strengths we would like to possess would help you overcome comparison.

For instance, if a colleague is better at relating with learners and they look up to her more for guidance, instead of getting all jealous and bitter at her, seek to know what she does differently to get the students to open up to her. 

Spontaneous

If you are a spontaneous teacher, you act without planning but will rely on previous experience teaching diverse classes and using different approaches to teaching. 

Spontaneity in learning is not all bad, as it helps adjust the power imbalances in a typical classroom. Spontaneous teaching, however, can have some adverse effects on learning. This can result in a lack of structure to your lesson and poor lesson organization. It may also limit your degree of learner assessment of learner progress and achievement. 

To avoid the adverse effects of spontaneity, find a balance between flexibility and structure in the lesson. Consider the individual learner’s needs and learning abilities when deciding on the instructional method. 

Becoming a Good Teacher

A chosen path can guide you into becoming a better teacher. Many specialties are available, so knowing what grade you want to teach and what subject area you are passionate about is essential. 

Here are some steps to take toward becoming a good teacher. 

Bachelor’s Degree 

A bachelor’s degree is crucial to becoming a good teacher. Though most states will require a bachelor’s degree in education, alternative routes to licensure are also available. 

 It will allow you to learn essential skills that will help you become a better teacher. Such include:

• Cognitive skills : A degree program grows your ability to recall, integrate, and analyze information. You will be able to foster critical and creative thinking skills that guide fluency, originality, flexibility, and adaptability in developing and adjusting to learner programs. 
• Communication skills: Acquiring communication skills enables you to interact and collaborate effectively with your learners in delivering and assessing knowledge acquisition. Efficient communication is necessary when also engaging with students’ families and colleagues. 
• Research skills: The skills to initiate and complete data collection concerning learner performance and curricula are essential in effective instruction. A bachelor’s degree program will guide you into effectively demonstrating, considering consequences, information presentation, and record keeping. 
• Social skills: A good teacher is sensitive to ethical and integral processes of establishing functional relationships with all the school community members. The program will develop compassion, empathy, interpersonal skills, and internal motivation, skills you will require to impact your learners and effectively relate with your colleagues positively. 

Here is a list of some bachelor’s degrees that would guide you into initial certification as a teacher:

• Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education
• Bachelor of Special Ed. and Elementary Education
• Bachelor of Special Education (mild to moderate)
• Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education (middle grades)
• Bachelor of Science in Science Education (Secondary Biological Science)
• Bachelor of Arts in Music Education
• Bachelor of Science in STEM Education

Master’s Degree

Besides attaining a bachelor’s degree, aspiring teachers should also think about acquiring a master’s degree. A master’s degree will upgrade your knowledge and help you learn more about your subject area. You will also acquire more effective ways of curriculum instruction. 

Teaching Certification

To get hired after completing your degree program, getting certified to teach in the state where you are interested in teaching is essential. 

Getting certified gives you credibility as a teacher and is one of the states’ quality measures for hiring teachers. 

Most states will therefore require teachers to have certificates to teach. 

Teachers are crucial in changing lives, inspiring dreams, and pushing individuals to realize their potential. Teachers educate the next generation, promoting positive attitudes that shape society. 

Middle School Teacher Salary in Texas in 2023

July 30, 2023 by bryan

Texas Teachers Certification Areas

Texas teachers currently offers 50+ certification areas:.

• Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272)
• American Sign Language (ASL) (184)
• Art EC–12 (178)
• Bilingual Education Supplemental (164)
• Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) Spanish (190)
• Business and Finance 6–12 (276)
• Chemistry 7–12 (240)
• Computer Science 8–12 (241)
• Core Subjects EC-6 (291)
• Core Subjects 4–8 (211)
• Dance 6–12 (279)
• English as a Second Language Supplemental (154)
• English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 (117)
• English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 (231)
• English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4–8 (113)
• Family and Consumer Sciences EC-12 (200)
• Health EC–12 (157)
• Health Science 6–12 (273)
• History 7–12 (233)
• Journalism 7–12 (256)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Arabic EC–12 (600 & 605)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) French EC–12 (610)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) German EC–12 (611)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Latin EC–12 (612)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Japanese EC–12 (602 & 607)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Mandarin Chinese EC–12 (601 & 606)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Russian EC–12 (603 & 608)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Spanish EC–12 (613)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Vietnamese EC–12 (604 & 609)
• Life Science 7–12 (238)
• Marketing 6–12 (275)
• Mathematics 4–8 (115)
• Mathematics 7–12 (235)
• Mathematics/Physical Science/Engineering 6–12 (274)
• Mathematics/Science 4–8 (114)
• Music EC–12 (177)
• Physical Education EC–12 (158)
• Physical Science 6–12 (237)
• Physics/Mathematics 7–12 (243)
• Science 4–8 (116)
• Science 7–12 (236)
• Social Studies 4–8 (118)
• Social Studies 7–12 (232)
• Special Education EC–12 (161)
• Speech 7–12 (129)
• Technology Applications EC–12 (242)
• Technology Education 6–12 (171)
• Texas Assessment of Sign Communication–American Sign Language™ (TASC–ASL™) (073)
• Theatre EC–12 (180)
• Trade and Industrial (T&I)

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What is quality education? How can it be achieved? The perspectives of school middle leaders in Singapore

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• Volume 27 , pages 307–322, ( 2015 )

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• Pak Tee Ng 1  

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This paper presents the findings of a research project that examines how middle leaders in Singapore schools understand ‘quality education’ and how they think quality education can be achieved. From the perspective of these middle leaders, quality education emphasises holistic development, equips students with the knowledge and skills for the future, inculcates students with the right values and imbues students with a positive learning attitude. Quality education is delivered by good teachers, enabled by good teaching and learning processes and facilitated by a conducive learning environment. The challenge of achieving quality education is to find the balance between lofty ideals and ground realities. One critical implication of the research findings is that policymakers should appeal to the ideals of practitioners to drive change.

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Ng, P.T. What is quality education? How can it be achieved? The perspectives of school middle leaders in Singapore. Educ Asse Eval Acc 27 , 307–322 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-015-9223-8

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Received : 03 July 2014

Accepted : 01 June 2015

Published : 12 June 2015

Issue Date : November 2015

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-015-9223-8

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What Makes a Great Teacher

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Respect for students, creating a sense of community and belonging, providing a welcoming learning environment, commitment to ongoing learning and professional development, adaptability to diverse learners, challenges in teaching, opportunities for growth.

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Good Leaders Are Good Learners

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Set goals, experiment, and reflect.

When it comes to learning how to lead, experience has better rewards than leadership academies– if leaders are conscientious about how and what they are learning. Leaders can learn from their experiences by diligently working through each of the following three phases of the experiential learning cycle: setting learning goals, experimenting, and reflecting on experiments.

Although organizations spend more than $24 billion annually on leadership development, many leaders who have attended leadership programs struggle to implement what they’ve learned. It’s not because the programs are bad but because leadership is best learned from experience .

• Lauren A. Keating is a doctoral student at UNSW Sydney Business School, Australia. Her research focuses on the role of mindsets in a range of career and leadership development issues.
• Peter A. Heslin is Associate Professor of Management at the UNSW Sydney Business School, Australia. Peter lives his passion for discovering and sharing useful ideas in the realms of employee engagement, leadership development, career success, and Agile software development.
• Susan (Sue) Ashford is the Michael and Susan Jandernoa Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Sue is an award-winning scholar whose passion is using her teaching and research work to help people to be maximally effective in their work lives, with an emphasis on self-leadership, proactivity, change from below, and leadership and its development.

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Qualities That Effective Teachers Should Have Essay

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Introduction

Qualities of an effective teacher, effective learning environments, overcoming challenges as educators.

Teachers form a critical part of the learning environment by guiding students. Effective teachers become successful at achieving their set targets over time by producing desired results. Ensuring that learners can understand different concepts within a specific period increases their chances of future success in that particular area of study (Ida, 2017). Consequently, having both patience and tolerance, besides continually assessing the teaching methods and practices, can enhance a teacher’s effectiveness.

One of the most influential teachers in my learning experience possessed patience that others lacked, especially in instances where I had difficulties. The teacher took the time after the mathematics lessons to have discussions on some challenging aspects of the subject. In such situations, having an understanding mind as an educator plays a big role in encouraging a learner to continue along the path without giving up (Ida, 2017). This enabled the processing of new information slowly without undue pressure, thus portraying a high tolerance level despite such challenges. Furthermore, it also allowed the making of mistakes critical in the learning process since students can gain knowledge from such situations. When difficulties arise, patient teacher can thus adjust their approach to increase their effectiveness in the classroom.

Additionally, frequent assessment of the teaching practices and methods allows monitoring and evaluation. This becomes important in understanding the right channels to use during the teaching process. Any procedures that seem to fail to take shape during a term can then be changed into more appropriate ones (Marshall, 2017). As a result, such changes provide for the increased effectiveness of teaching plans over an extended period. This assessment further ensures that learners showing problems can be appropriately instructed to keep pace with others. In my case, the teacher always made an effort to change the lesson type by using different approaches whenever a group of learners failed to understand specific concepts despite the situational lack of time.

On the contrary, an ineffective teacher does not consider the dynamic nature of a classroom and thus uses the same teaching methods for all students. More students tend to lag in such cases, creating an unequal classroom in terms of knowledge gain (Ida, 2017). On one occasion, the teacher openly criticized me for answering questions on multiple occasions wrongly. This demotivated the learning process, creating negative perception of that specific subject. A better approach in such a case would be to correct the mistakes properly using an appropriate tone to guide the understanding of the concept.

An effective learning environment provides support during the process to ensure that students feel connected. This makes it easier for a teacher to address the individual needs of all the members of the classroom. Moving as a group allows for weaker students to get assistance from their peers and the teachers, thus providing a learning environment that cultivates a culture of teamwork (Marshall, 2017). In the long run, this assists in developing relationships in the classroom that fosters academic and social development. Once students develop confidence despite their problems in school, they can begin to gain the motivation to work harder to achieve higher scores.

The concept of proactive classroom management involves the educator’s behavior and classroom organization to eliminate or reduce instances of problematic behavior. Ineffective methods can lead to the development of unruly behavior among learners, hence, it becomes essential to structure the teaching process to ensure that the teacher can manage the classroom at all times (Marshall, 2017). To reach all students in the classroom, an educator would require a deeper understanding of each student’s background. They can then perform all the necessary actions that provide a comfortable environment for the students to thrive. This provides a basis for creating a relationship that can foster growth both from a personal perspective and at an academic level.

Educators face a myriad of challenges during the teaching process ranging from uncooperative students, poor working conditions, and the pressure to perform according to expected standards. However, having the right attitude ensures that an educator can persevere when faced with such challenges. Understanding that such a job is never easy creates a mindset that takes each day as a new opportunity to impart knowledge to students (Ida, 2017). Furthermore, taking time to reflect on past experiences also provides an opportunity for educators to learn from the past. Mistakes enable the improvement of both the decision-making process and the procedures used in teaching to improve the outcomes.

Effective teachers require qualities such as patience and tolerance in addition to continually assessing the teaching methods and practices to enhance their processes. Patience plays a significant role in encouraging a learner to continue along the path without giving up while assessing the teaching practices and methods that enable monitoring and evaluation. Moreover, effective learning environments allow a teacher to address the individual needs of all the members of the classroom. To overcome the challenges educators face, they must become proactive and change their mindsets to persevere for the greater good of the learners they face each day.

Ida, Z. S. (2017). What makes a good teacher? Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5 (1), 141-147. Web.

Marshall, J. C. (2017). The highly effective teacher: 7 classroom-tested practices that foster student success. ASCD.

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Essay on Qualities of a Good Teacher

Students are often asked to write an essay on Qualities of a Good Teacher in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Qualities of a Good Teacher

Understanding and patience.

A good teacher is understanding and patient. They know that every student learns at their own pace and they are patient in explaining concepts until every student understands.

Knowledgeable

A good teacher has a strong knowledge about the subject they teach. They can answer questions accurately and explain complex ideas in simple terms.

A good teacher makes learning fun and engaging. They use different teaching methods to keep students interested and motivated.

Good Communicator

A good teacher communicates effectively. They explain lessons clearly and are always ready to listen to students’ questions and concerns.

250 Words Essay on Qualities of a Good Teacher

Introduction.

A good teacher is instrumental in shaping the future of their students. They not only impart knowledge but also inspire, motivate, and guide students to reach their full potential.

Subject Knowledge

A good teacher possesses deep knowledge of their subject. They understand the intricacies of the discipline and can articulate complex ideas clearly. This expertise allows them to answer student queries effectively, fostering a conducive learning environment.

Communication Skills

Effective communication is a hallmark of a good teacher. They present information in a clear, concise manner, ensuring that students grasp the concepts. They also listen actively, understanding student perspectives and responding empathetically.

Passion and Enthusiasm

A passionate teacher invigorates the classroom, stimulating student interest. Their enthusiasm is infectious, inspiring students to learn and explore. Passion also drives the teacher to stay updated with the latest developments in their field.

Patience and Adaptability

Patience is crucial as students have diverse learning speeds and styles. A good teacher adapts their teaching methods to cater to these differences, ensuring every student benefits.

In conclusion, a good teacher is knowledgeable, communicative, passionate, patient, adaptable, and a positive role model. These qualities make them effective educators, capable of shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

500 Words Essay on Qualities of a Good Teacher

Teaching is one of the most noble and impactful professions, shaping the minds and futures of young individuals. A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. However, what defines a good teacher? This essay explores the essential qualities of a good teacher.

Deep Knowledge and Passion for the Subject Matter

Strong communication skills.

Effective communication is a fundamental quality of a good teacher. This includes not only delivering information clearly but also listening to students’ concerns. A good teacher can simplify complex concepts, making them accessible to all students, regardless of their learning style. Furthermore, they can interpret non-verbal cues, understanding when students are struggling and need extra help.

Patience and Empathy

Patience and empathy are crucial for a good teacher. Every student learns at a different pace and in unique ways. A good teacher recognizes these differences, providing individual attention when necessary. They empathize with students, understanding their challenges, and offering support to overcome them. This fosters a safe and nurturing environment where students feel comfortable to learn and grow.

Adaptability

High expectations and encouragement.

A good teacher sets high expectations for all students, pushing them to reach their full potential. They believe in their students’ abilities, even when the students themselves may not. This confidence can motivate students to strive for excellence. Furthermore, a good teacher provides positive reinforcement, celebrating students’ achievements, and encouraging them to keep improving.

In conclusion, a good teacher is defined by a blend of professional skills and personal attributes. They possess deep knowledge and passion for the subject matter, strong communication skills, patience, empathy, adaptability, and the ability to set high expectations while providing encouragement. These qualities not only make a teacher effective but also inspire students to become lifelong learners. The influence of a good teacher can never be erased, as they shape the minds that will shape the future.

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