During the course of a long career as a surgeon, Dr. Thomas Taylor split his time between providing care to his patients and offering education and advice to future generations of surgeons. As such, he needed to work on his teaching skills to ensure students stayed engaged and learned from the lessons he had to teach them. Those who can do this tend to possess a number of common qualities, the most important of which are listed below.
Expertise
If you don’t have expertise in your subject, you may find it difficult to engage your audience as a teacher. Your students will look to you as a voice of authority in your subject area, so being unable to answer key questions or delivering lessons that provide nothing new to your students is a surefire way to lose them. Work hard to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in your subjects and tweak your lesson plans so they are as focused as possible on helping your students achieve their goals.
Understanding
No two students are exactly alike, which means teachers need to understand that each will present slightly different challenges. Some may prefer learning in a format that you are not comfortable teaching in, which means you need to adjust your techniques accordingly. You can build a better understanding with your students by getting to know them a little bit, so spend time speaking with them and building relationships. This will offer you more insight into their personal goals, while also allowing you to work on ways to deliver your messages more clearly to them.
Confidence
A lack of confidence can manifest itself in a number of ways. Poor vocal delivery and awkward body language tend to be the most obvious, especially for teachers, and they must be avoided if you want to maintain the respect of your pupils. Confidence comes through dedicating yourself to your subject and practicing your teaching technique. Learn from every situation you find yourself in and consider how you can use those lessons to become a better teacher.
Organizational Skills
Your students will look to you as an example of how they should act, so if you have poor time management skills or you take a chaotic approach to lesson plans you may find that the work you receive reflects those problems. Make sure you arrive at class on time and prepared for the lesson you are about to present.
Passion
Dr. Thomas Taylor had a passion for teaching, which was obvious to all of his students. If teachers don’t love what they do they struggle to motivate themselves, which leads to substandard lessons and pupils struggling to engage with what they are being taught. Furthermore, you might find this lack of enthusiasm manifests in how your students approach your lessons.
Expertise
If you don’t have expertise in your subject, you may find it difficult to engage your audience as a teacher. Your students will look to you as a voice of authority in your subject area, so being unable to answer key questions or delivering lessons that provide nothing new to your students is a surefire way to lose them. Work hard to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in your subjects and tweak your lesson plans so they are as focused as possible on helping your students achieve their goals.
Understanding
No two students are exactly alike, which means teachers need to understand that each will present slightly different challenges. Some may prefer learning in a format that you are not comfortable teaching in, which means you need to adjust your techniques accordingly. You can build a better understanding with your students by getting to know them a little bit, so spend time speaking with them and building relationships. This will offer you more insight into their personal goals, while also allowing you to work on ways to deliver your messages more clearly to them.
Confidence
A lack of confidence can manifest itself in a number of ways. Poor vocal delivery and awkward body language tend to be the most obvious, especially for teachers, and they must be avoided if you want to maintain the respect of your pupils. Confidence comes through dedicating yourself to your subject and practicing your teaching technique. Learn from every situation you find yourself in and consider how you can use those lessons to become a better teacher.
Organizational Skills
Your students will look to you as an example of how they should act, so if you have poor time management skills or you take a chaotic approach to lesson plans you may find that the work you receive reflects those problems. Make sure you arrive at class on time and prepared for the lesson you are about to present.
Passion
Dr. Thomas Taylor had a passion for teaching, which was obvious to all of his students. If teachers don’t love what they do they struggle to motivate themselves, which leads to substandard lessons and pupils struggling to engage with what they are being taught. Furthermore, you might find this lack of enthusiasm manifests in how your students approach your lessons.