Positive Teacher's Qualities for Promoting Student's Motivation

Literature review

According to Yager, constructivist or student-centered learning poses a question to the students, who then work together in small groups to discover one or more solutions [1]. In the view of Shymansky since many new ideas are likely to be rejected unless teachers examine their own theoretical framework and develop their own justification for the change, it was suggested that traditional quantitative evidence in support of constructivism might encourage more teachers to embrace this teaching style [2].

According to Stofflett, Traditional classroom can sometimes resemble a one-person show with a captive but largely uninvolved audience [3]. Classes are usually dominated by lecture or direct instruction. The idea is that there is a fixed body of knowledge that the student must come to know. Students are expected to blindly accept the information they are given without questioning the instructor.

In the view of Vast, the teacher seeks to transfer thoughts and meaning to the passive student learning little room for student-initiated questions, independent thought or interaction between students [4].

Whereas, Seheurman said that, many teachers are hesitant to try the constructivist model, because it requires additional planning and a relaxation of the traditional rules of the classroom [5].

On the other hand, Lord said, teacher centered method of teaching also assumes that all students have the same level of background knowledge in the subject matter and are able to absorb the material at the same pace [6].

According to Sprague and Dedu that teachers often feel as though they are not doing their job of the students are working together and actually discussing the material instead of busily taking notes [7].

In the words of Zoller, Test and quiz scores also indicated better understanding of the subject matter by students in the constructivist sections [8]. In fact, repeated research has found that teacher-centered lessons can be non-productive, and in some cases, detrimental to the students’ learning [9].

Difference Between Modern and Traditional Classroom

The chart below compares the traditional classroom to the modern one. You can see significant differences in basic assumption about knowledge, students, and learning.

1. Curriculum begins with the parts of the whole.

Emphasizes basic skills. 2. Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is highly valued.

1. Curriculum emphasizes big concepts, beginning with the whole and expanding to include the parts. 2. Pursuit of student questions and interests in valued.

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1. Materials are primarily textbooks and workbooks.

1. Learning is based on repetition.

1. Teachers disseminate information to students, students are recipients of knowledge.

1. Teacher’s role is directive, rooted in authority.
2. Assessment is through testing, correct answers.
3. Knowledge is seen as inert.
4. Students work primarily alone.

1. Materials include primary sources of material and manipulative material. 2. Learning is interactive, building on what the student already knows.

1. Teachers have a dialogue with students, helping student construct their own knowledge. 2. Teacher’s role is interactive, rooted in negotiation.

1. Assessment includes student works, observations, and points of view, as well as tests. Process is as important as product. 2. Knowledge is seen as dynamic, ever changing with our experiences.

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Significance of the Positive Teacher’s Qualities and Students’ Motivation in Teacher–Taught Interactions for Effective Outcome

• Teacher Personality As a Whole That Must be Very Pleasing And Attractive: I think this should be the first quality of the teacher that is teacher’s personality as a whole must be very pleasing and attractive because it may most likely become instrumental for students to get attracted towards the teacher and subsequently, the motivation level of the students may become increase. Other than teacher’s overall personality, a few important personality qualities are being mentioned below which are likely to be the source of attraction and proximity of students towards their teachers.
• The Teacher Must Always Have a Smiling Face With Balanced Temperament: If a teacher having imbalanced temperament that is, while teaching he/she becomes short tempered and after some time he/she becomes in a very jolly mood like laughing and joking with students, such type of personality create confusion and have negative effect on the students’ motivation level. Whereas, if a teacher have a smiling face with balance temperament then it has a positive influence on the students’ motivation in the classroom. It is to say that predictive uniform behaviour is always effective.

• The Teacher Should Be Supportive And Humanistic While Dealing With Students: Sometimes we found that a teacher who is unsupportive and in humanistic while dealing with students, which has a negative impact on students’ motivation because if a student face some problems or difficulties related to their study, they will never ask to their teacher about the solution because they already know that their teacher is unsupportive and behaves inhumane way. For such reason, students’ motivation gets decreased. On the other hand, if we found a teacher who is supportive and humanistic while dealing with students. Then students are most likely to consult their teachers, may seek advice and guidance from them to get resolve their problems. A teacher may give an effective solution to a problem. In such a way, teacher is able to enhance the students’ motivation through his/her positive perception and interaction as well.
• Teacher Must Be Knowledgeable with Update Knowledge atleast in the Subject Concern: If a teacher is not knowledgeable with update knowledge in the subject concern, then it has a negative influence on the educational environment in the classroom. Because if a student in the classroom asks a question related to recent developments in the subject then in this case teacher is unable to give proper answer to the student. In this situation, the teaching become very boring and for that reason teacher’s honour, respect get minimized that in turn become less motivating for students, hence developing negative impact on the students’ motivation. On the other hand, if a teacher having knowledge with update knowledge in the subject concern, then he/she will give knowledge with recent developments, therefore, this way of teaching create an effective environment in the classroom and students will get updated knowledge in the subject concern.

Effective Qualities of Teachers

While discussing the above mentioned teacher’s quality, there are also some other qualities of a teacher which seems to be very important and even look to be pre-requisite for the enhancement of the students’ motivation. These are being given as under:

• Having Fun While Working: It is one of the important qualities of a teacher while teaching in the classroom. The teacher should create an atmosphere where students may also enjoy during studies. It is generally said that knowledge, teaching style, hard work and fun (humour) go together, and these combined together create beautiful classroom environment where students are likely to develop enthusiasm, enjoy teaching and teacher-taught relations.

“Enthusiasm releases the drive to Carry you over obstacles and adds Significance to all you do.”. Norman Vincent Peale.

Energetic: We all know that, teaching profession involves high energy. So, teacher should be energetic and active while teaching in the classroom. In this way if a teacher is more energetically active then he/she will be more able to attract the students and more successful in the enhancement of the students’ motivation.

1. • Not Boring: There are generally four frequent complaints by the students about the teachers, these are:
2. He/she has no control over the class.
3. I’m (student) not learning anything from her/him.
4. He/she is so mean, and
5. He/she is so boring.

Such types of complaints by the students have a negative influence on their (students) own motivation level. So, teacher should have control over the class, not so boring while in action in the classroom and he/she should teach in an expressive manner with clarity, and he/she should not be mean, conservative and dogmatic.

• High Standard: Teacher should consistently develop and maintain high standards in respect to _ establish a culture that is conducive to teaching and learning, build a mutual respect, and to build a high class conducive classroom/school environment.

• Imaginative: Sometime imagination is more important than intellect, though, intellect and imagination go together. Teacher should have a power of imagination for the sake of developing and creating the new and better means for achieving desired goals. It is a well known fact that teaching is an art that requires innovative imaginations.

• Always Prepared: Teacher should always be prepared with the subject concern and to do his work. Because if the teacher will have a full knowledge and is always prepared for teaching then he/she will teach in an effective way. Through such type quality, they (teachers) are able to make their student more motivated as well as more knowledgeable.

• Teacher Should Demonstrate a Caring Attitude: Each and every teacher knows that every student have their own personal life outside the school, they (teachers) should have a caring attitude towards their students by maintaining the balance in the relationship. Whereas, teacher always knows a limit of student-teacher relationship, they must have a skill to create good caring attitude without crossing the limit of their relationship with students.

• Teacher Should Think Outside The Box: A teacher should teach in a creative and in an effective way because it should be kept in mind that one method of teaching may be effective for one group of students and others may not get benefitted. Therefore, differential method of teaching be used by a teacher for students of different intellectual level. So, here it is necessary for the teacher that he/she should think outside the box, by making use of creative thoughts, ideas and strategies more compatible to the condition that may likely to be effective in order to enhance the students' motivation.

• Teacher Be a Good Communicator: Teacher should be a good communicator, if the teacher is a good communicator then, it has a great effect on the students for attracting their attention as well as enhancing motivation as active listener. Teacher's good communication skill has positive influence in influencing students' parents and colleagues as well [10, 11, 12, 13].

"It is important that teachers be able To communicate a sense of excitement About the subjects they teach." —David Ausubel, Educational Psychologist

• Teacher Should Have Technical Teaching Skill: We all are living in the 21st century, of "Technological era" where technologies are being used in the self study and teaching process. Net-surfing and power-point presentation are very common these days. Therefore, teachers must have update skills of learning-teaching processes.

• Teacher should be creative: teacher should be versatile, innovative and open to new ideas.

• Teacher should be flexible: it shows teachers willingness to alter plans and directions which assist people/students in moving toward their goals.

• Individually perspective: it sees each student as a unique and valuable individual.

• Value based: it focuses upon the worth and dignity of human beings.

• Teacher Should Have Skills to Introduce Challenging Task: This is one specific quality of a teacher for motivating students and pushes them harder for successful attainment of tasks/goals.

In addition, a teacher having good qualities may help their students to get motivated and subsequently attaining success. This may happen because good teachers are like good salespeople as they sell ideas to their students without cost. They also help their students to make them understand, why it is so important to pass on knowledge, ideas and thoughts along-with motivation provide an opportunity to improve the quality of teaching-taught process and, at length, it all are instrumental for attainment success in profession and life as well. There is a that...

"To stay motivated you must fight self doubt, poor discipline, fear and any other Ghost." —Dr. Zonnya.