Have you ever wondered what makes a great special education teacher? What separates a mediocre teacher from a terrific teacher? It's not easy to define, however, here's a list of qualities listed by parents, principals, educators and students.

Are you a Top Special Education Teacher? 1. You love your role, you love being with your students and you couldn't imagine doing anything else. You were meant to

     teach special needs children, you know this in your heart

2. You have a great deal of patience and know that little steps in learning go a long way.

3. You know your students well and they are comfortable and at ease with you, they enjoy having you as their teacher and look forward to going school each day.

4. You provide a non-threatening, welcoming environment that nurtures each of the students you work with.

5. You understand your students, you know what motivates them and you know how to scaffold activities to ensure that maximum learning occurs.

6. You take each student from where they are and provide experiences that will maximize success. You're always discovering new things about your students.

7. You are very comfortable working with exceptional learners and learners with diverse needs.

8. You thrive on challenge, can easily build relationships with your students and your student's parents.

9. You are a life-long learner and committed to the profession.

10. You have a never ending willingness to ensure that all students reach their maximum potential. You constantly strive to 'reach and teach' every student under your care.

Constructive teacher-talk

TEACHING INDEX | NEXT

Verbal characteristics of good teacher-talk [by Robert O' Neill - Hove 1994]

Typical uses or Context of Teacher Talk -

1. Explaining lexis or structure
2. Correcting
3. Elicit response
4. Modelling (giving verbal models for students to use in their own communication)
5. Explaining or clarifying tasks
6. Summarising
7. Repairing break-downs in communication
8. Story-telling and oral presentation of written material
9. Questioning

Verbal characteristics of Teacher Talk -

1. Fully grammatical
2. Preserves "natural" stress & intonation
3. Broken into sense groups
4. Simplified but not unnatural
5. At least 80 % comprehensible
6. Broken into short paragraph segments to encourage or invite students to interrupt, comment and ask questions.
7. When new vocabulary is taught, typical examples of use and usage are given whenever possible
8. Teacher gets regular feedback through Qs & other devices,
9. Teacher gives students chances to interact with each other as well as with teacher.
10. Teacher gives models for students to use with each other in pair or group work.
11. Variety of elicitation & explanation techniques
12. Covert/overt correction techniques

Non- or Para Verbal -

1. Teacher maintains eye-contact when talking with as many students as possible.
2. Uses eye contact & body movement to give emphasis/invite participation (prolonged gaze to invite comment & gestures to help explain language.
3. When a student speaks the teacher looks at the speaker but also around class to judge reactions and to see if other students are indicating that they want to speak.
4. Walking away from the student speaking to make the student speak more loudly & engage in eye-contact with the class.
5. Teacher uses facial expression to indicate interest, doubt, approval and occasionally disapproval.

TOPIC: YOU, YOUR VOICE and YOUR BODY:

1. Erect or slouched posture?
2. Hunched shoulders when nervous?
3. Predictable/Unpredictable movement when teaching
4. Tics or physical habits?
5. Breathing from the diaphragm
6. What kind of voice - low/ high pitched, nasal
7. Avoiding monotonous tone
8. Adapting to different rooms
9. Facial expression: smile/grim/worried/
10. Facial or gesturial ties
11. Eliminating eye-dart, slow-blink, soul-gaze
12. Showing interest in what others are saying.

1. Formal lessons with clear boundaries
2. Beginnings and ends marked by formulaic cues
3. Regularly scheduled events both by time & place
4. Clear lesson format, instructions and lesson phases
5. Clear and fair turn-allocation
6. Clear separation of languages L1 & L2
7. Use of demonstration, enactment to convey meaning
8. New information presented in context of known information
9. Heavy message redundancy
10. Simpler structures used
11. Repeated use of same sentence patterns or routines
12. Repetitiveness, use of paraphrase for variation
13. Emphasize comprehension
14. Focus on communication.

TOPIC: The 25 Most Common Tips Given To Student Teachers

1. Start by being firm with pupils
2. Get silence before you start speaking to the class
3. Control the students' entry to the classroom
4. Know & use the students' names
5. Prepare lessons thoroughly and structure them firmly
6. Arrive at the classroom before students
7. Prepare furniture & apparatus before students arrive
8. Know how to use apparatus
9. Be mobile: walk around the class
10. Start the lesson with a "bang" and sustain interest & curiosity
11. Give clear instructions
12. Learn voice control
13. Have additional material for bright and slow students.
14. Look at the class when speaking & learn how to scan
15. Make written work appropriate (e.g. to age, ability, cultural background of students)
16. Develop an effective question technique
17. Develop the art of timing your lesson to fit the available period
18. Vary your teaching techniques
19. Anticipate discipline problems and act quickly
20. Be firm and consistent in giving punishments
21. Avoid confrontations
22. Clarify and insist on YOUR standards
23. Show yourself as a helper or facilitator to the students
24. Don't patronise pupils, treat them as responsible beings.
25. Use humour constructively.
26. Encourage Students (i.e. good efforts)

What makes a good teacher?

Teachers are important and make a difference. The quality of teaching is a crucial factor in promoting effective learning in schools. Effective teaching requires individuals who are academically able and who care about the well-being of children and youth.
Points Arising from Research

The most powerful single factor that enhances achievement is feedback – positive, encouraging, clearly targeted.

The setting of appropriate, specific and challenging goals is critical.

Effective teachers make purpose and content explicit, plan carefully, use systematic assessment and feedback, make connections, encourage children to think about thinking and model what they want the children to do.
Key Elements of What makes a good teacher?
Research detailing the direct effect of good teaching on pupils is difficult to assess, as relating ‘good teaching’ directly to higher attainment in pupils is almost impossible to verify. However there are many attempts to analyse what constitutes a ‘good teacher’. The following points are generally agreed to have an impact on pupils:
Subject Matter Knowledge

Highly knowledgeable and up to date in their subject area, but do not pretend to know it all, willing to learn from pupils
Teachers’ repertoires of best practices

Provide learner with clear tasks, goals, and requirement and inform them of progress made. A key skill in teaching is the ability to explain and describe things clearly

Encourage pupils to think, to make connections, to practise and reinforce, to learn from other learners and to feel that if they make mistakes they will not be ridiculed or treated negatively

Promote pupil participation through problem solving, questioning, discussion and “buzz group” activities

Treat all pupil questions seriously and do not intimidate or ridicule

Use regular informal assessment strategies including a range of types of questioning, observation and listening in

Understand that, since individuals learn at different rates and in different ways, we need to provide a variety of activities, tasks and pace of work, and monitor and evaluate children’s progress

Use breaks and activities to engage pupils’ thinking and interest

Turn to reading and research for fresh insights and relating these to their classroom and school

Work in a shared and collegial way with other staff
Personal qualities

Demonstrate an empathy with pupil thinking, anticipate misconceptions and allow pupils to develop understanding in a variety of ways

Observe pupils in class for signs that they are failing to keep up, are bored, or are not understanding

Show flexibility in responding to pupil needs

Genuinely want pupils to learn, understand and develop critical thinking abilities, as well as master content or learn skills

Encourage pupils to take an active role in working through difficulties and take time to work through concepts in detail with those who have difficulties

Teachers who show enthusiasm for subject, professional area and teaching role motivate pupils as they look forward to coming to that class

Highly effective teachers are viewed as “easy going”, “relaxed”, with an “open” manner. This brings a relaxed atmosphere to the classroom

Communicate effectively
Are resourceful and positive and adopt a problem-solving approach

Are creative and imaginative and have an open attitude to change

Are systematic and well organised, focused, determined and hardworking

Demonstrate empathy and fairness, are caring and approachable
Teacher Competences
The Standard for Chartered Teachers states that the quality of the educational service depends pre-eminently on the quality of our teachers. The standard then list the following 4 components:

Professional values and personal commitments

Professional knowledge and understanding

Professional and personal attributes

Professional action

It also lists 4 central professional values and personal commitments which effective teachers should develop:

effectiveness in promoting learning in the classroom

critical self-evaluation and development

collaboration and influence

educational and social values
Reflection and Discussion

Do you reflect on your practice in the classroom?

As a result of this reflection do you alter your approach within your classroom?

How much do you share good practice with colleagues?