Five Factors for Effective Teaching

Abstract

In the course of a teaching career a teacher does not often have the opportunity to consider the very basic principles of his/her craft in the classroom. This article is such an exploration. In searching for the elusive 'Holy Grail' of Good Teaching, the article suggests five key factors that could contribute to an effective and worthwhile learning and teaching environment. All teachers do good things some of the time, and all good teachers do bad things some of the time. The differences among teachers lie not only in the proportions of the good and the bad, but also in their awareness of the effects of what they are doing and their readiness to share this awareness with their students. (Smith, 1995: 590)