How to Become an Effective Teacher

1292 Words6 Pages
There are a never ending amount of indictors that help to make an effective teacher, however I believe that there are some very important ones that really stand out, that I myself will strive for to become the most effective teacher I can possible be. The two strategies that stand out for me that I believe are very important are to have an ethic of care and strong pedagogical content knowledge in order to help students learn and grow. I believe that the most important strategy to becoming an effective teacher is the ethic of care, to create caring relationships and a nurturing environment, and to approach your teaching and students with the finest of care. In order for students to learn and grow throughout their perspective years an ethic of care needs to be clearly demonstrated by teachers and should be an expectation of effective teachers. “Teachers need to able to care for themselves, their students, the content, and other members of the school community. Too often, that ability to care is assumed rather than nurtured or taught” (Owens, L. 2005). There are several characteristics that come into play when practicing the ethic of care, including, engrossment which occurs when the caring teacher develops a caring relationship with their students. This relationship is created by getting to know their students feelings and accepting them and by acknowledging the significance of their student’s experiences and their personal journey. The second characteristic is commitment, which reflects the attitude that there is nothing that can take precedence over the caring teachers responsibility to care for their students. It’s about really building on this relationship, creating a strong rapport and connection with the student. “The motivational shift of caring occurs as the one-caring teacher views the world through the eyes of the students”(Owens, L. 2005). This
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