THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING
3. Psychological parameter of effective teaching
The psychology of effective teaching is the self fulfillment of the teacher and the collective growth of the students, in other words, the efficacy of the teacher. Broadly the teachers self efficacy can be compressed into
“instructional efficacy, engagement efficacy, and classroom management efficacy.” (Aloe et al. 2013. p.105). Thus the effective teaching skills can be categorized and developed into three aspects. A) The subject of teaching. B) The ambient and the mode of teaching. C) The students, the primary goal of teaching.
3.1. The subject of Teaching
3.1.1. The subject, which is the substance of teaching, takes a prominent role. The matter matters a lot. Not all subjects are taught in the same way. The nature of the subject calls for its own preparation and presentation. The quality of teaching lies in the preparation. The productivity of the teaching lies in the presentation. “…coherent and learner-centered curriculum.” (Ten Dam et al. 2004; Spelt et al. 2009. p.367).So the subject has to be given its due importance according which the skill should be acquired. Therefore, we consider the following steps to be kept in mind as part of the teaching technique.
3.1.2. Know your stuff. As mentioned above, the material of the subject to be taught is an important component of teaching. If the teacher does not grasp the material that is to be taught then the whole teaching process fails in its purpose. (Pawan 2008; Cole 2006; Van de Pol. 2010. p.279). Even if the teacher has multiple skills to teach but if he/she does not have the matter, all the skills will hold no water. Hence the a-priori requisite for the teacher is to make sure that he/she has well assimilated the subject to be taught. The content of the teaching has to be part and parcel of the teacher.
3.1.3. The matter to be taught should be well structured logically.
3.1.4. The material should not be complicated, instead it should be simplified. This does not mean that the whole content is reduced to nothing. There should be complexity in the matter that gives challenge to the students to grapple with the subject.
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3.2. The ambient and the mode of teaching.
The style of teaching, the methods used in the class and the teaching setting can be collectively termed as the ambient of reaching. “Realizing desired learning outcomes demands consistent and well-designed learning environments.”(Ten Dam et al. 2004; Spelt et al. 2009. p.367). It’s here the skill is also utilized as teaching techniques. The teacher actually exhibits and reveals his strengths and weaknesses, his best and worst qualities in this context.
3.2.1. The ambient: The Ambient can be created by the teacher in most cases. But not always possible to create a desired physical condition beyond the given setting of a class room in most cases. Yet the teacher has to make sure that the teaching ambient is appropriate before beginning to teach.
3.2.2. The mode: the mode of teaching also depends on the ambient. If for instant there is a projector or if there is black board the mode of teaching should be adapted accordingly.
3.2.3.The audibility: At all cost the teacher should be audible. There is no substitute for this basic need of teaching. Whatever the teacher communicates should reach the students.
3.2.4. The undulation of the voice: During the course of teaching to draw the attention of the students the teacher should undulate his voice. It is one of the effect skills that the teacher should acquire. Monotonous voice is something that the students loath. The voice of the teacher is something that captivates the attention of the students in the classroom ambient.
3.2.5. Clarity in expression: The clarity of the words that the teacher uses should be optimum. There shouldn’t be any mumble-jumble while teaching. The clear the teacher in his expression, the better the students grasp the point that is communicated. Clarity in the words, clarity in the pronunciation, clarity in the thought, clarity in the material that is taught, clarity in logic.
3.2.6. Precision in communication: To be precise in communication is another character of a good teacher.
The concept that has to be communicated to the students must be precise and to the point. If the teacher is not comprehensive the students will have to spend more time and energy to grasp the theme of the subject that is being taught. An indication of being precise is seen in summing up the whole content of the day’s class. If you, as a teacher, is able to sum-up the entire lesson of the day in few sentences then you understand yourself how precise you are. Precision is nothing but, be short, be crisp and stop.
3.2.7. Mannerisms: Avoiding mannerisms is another skill of teaching. There are many habits that are destructive and digressive in teaching career. The less mannerisms the better distractions, because mannerisms is an indicator that the teacher is not having control of himself/herself. Hence its important to take efforts to find out what are the mannerisms that one has in order to eliminate them. For example, removing the spectacles every minute and putting back, pulling the tie all the time, adjusting pants or the shirt often, clearing the throat every second, shifting the legs right and left constantly, and repetition of some slangs and words such as, “practically speaking, practically speaking… practically speaking... what you call, what you call, what you call,…” etc.
3.2.8. Mobility: Stationary and physical stagnancy is a drawback of a teacher. If the teacher is only seated from the beginning of the class till its end or stationed only in one position like an unmoved mover, is not so productive for the classroom teaching. “Monitor students carefully and frequently so that misbehavior is detected early before it involves many students or becomes a serious disruption.”(kizlik 2014) The teacher should once in a while move into the class or the lecture hall if possible. The closer the teacher to the students in every sense the better the rapport between teacher and the students. “Moving close to the offending student or students, making eye contact and giving a nonverbal signal to stop the offensive behavior.”(Ibid.,) If the teacher never comes down from his teaching pedestal to the level of the students even in the physical structure of the class room the students will have their own game which the teacher will not be aware of. “Effective classroom managers practice skills that minimize misbehavior.”(Kizlik 2014). So it’s better to go towards the students periodically to get to know the students and their activities during the class.
3.3. The students, the primary goal of teaching.
“When considering the measurement of teachers’ interpersonal experiences with students, it is worthwhile to take the multidimensionality of teachers’ relationship perceptions into account. Teacher perceptions of student – teacher relationship quality embody relatively independent dimensions referring to close and warm aspects of the relationships.” (Spilt et al. 2011. p.471).
3.3.1. The focus of the teaching skill lies in the psychological bond between the students and the teacher.
“The strong connection between the personal and professional wellbeing of teachers and have reasoned that there
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cannot be real professional development without personal development…” (Day and Leitch 2001; O’ Connor 2008;
Spilt 2011. p.461). The teacher should primarily establish a dignified, cordial, educative relationship with the students. The students – teacher relationship is a vital aspect of teaching reality. All the skills of teaching would be considered a farce if the real target of teaching, that is the students, is not taken into main consideration. Hence the teacher should be ready to meet all sorts of students with a heart of an educator, as mentioned earlier.
3.3.2. The students are of different intellectual capacities. Not all students will be able to grasp the point that you are driving at in the class. And not all students are dull heads either. “Understanding of mind and its development to organize instructional content across diverse subject matter and to create teaching methods that are appropriate for different individuals at different phases of learning”. (Demetriou et al. 2011. p.602). Therefore to keep the senses alert to notice the weak students and the bright students who are in the class and give due attention to the needs of both the category of the students, which calls for a close observation of the students in the class like a mother who knows each child intuitively, the various needs of the children.
3.3.3. There are students who are very studies and there are those who are very playful and trouble makers.
This difference of temperaments and behaviors of students often get on the nerves of the teachers. This could be a cause of distraction and disappointment and disturbance for the teacher even to proceed teaching with peace of mind.
“Teachers’ mental representations of relationships with individual students are a more powerful predictor of teacher wellbeing than perceived student misbehavior”(Spilt et al. 2011. p.472). Some students listen to the teacher attentively and eagerly while others are bent on disturbing and playing mischief. This is what causes the conflict between the teacher and students. The teacher may show the displeasure on the whole class instead of dealing with the particular student who is the cause of disturbance. Hence the delicacy and tactful way of approaching the student who disturbs. This is one of the great efficacies of the teacher.
3.3.4. Finally, the essence of teaching is not just the material to be taught but to educate the student in holistic sense. The mind of the student is only a part of the personality. Hence a teacher has an important role to play as an educator of the entire person who confides in his hands. “There is also some evidence from descriptive and correlational research that confirms the importance of healthy teacher – student relationships for the wellbeing of teachers” (Shann 1998; Spilt 2011. p.461). This is possible only with the heart of an educator. The psychology of teaching and learning is a relationship of sharing knowledge in the depth of the human heart. “Deliberately focusing attention on positive feelings such as compassion, warmth and care for self and others.” (Waters et al. 2014. p.3) Once this communication is established the knower and the known merge to comprehend each other. This is the art of teaching.
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