Tuesday, February 12, 2008
What are the characteristics of a successful novice teacher?
A novice teacher must possess several characteristics to be successful during the first year. First, the teacher must be willing to learn. All teachers should be willing to learn and improve their strategies. A teacher who is new to the profession has a tremendous amount to learn. The only knowledge they have is background knowledge of information, but not much experience on what to do with it. During the first few years, there is so much to learn and take in. New educators must be willing to take advantage of resources given and the knowledgeable and experienced teachers they work with. By being a professional who is not only willing to learn new ideas no matter what stage of their career, they are also modeling for the students to be a life-long learner. A new teacher must be passionate about both teaching and working with children. They must value education and value each of their student’s education as well. Teachers also have to enjoy working with children and be willing to embrace the challenges that come with teaching them. Patience is an important characteristic for a new teacher. Patience not only with the children throughout their learning process but also the teachers learning process of first year issues, as well as, their professional development. A good teacher is dedicated to their profession. They are willing to do what it takes for what is of the best interest of the children and/or school. They are also enthusiastic about the content they are teaching in order to motivate students to take interest and further learn the information. Novice teachers are not expected to run a class like and experienced educator. Those skills eventually come with experience, but they must be knowledgeable in their subject areas and possess the talents and abilities to apply this knowledge affectively to successfully impact the learning of their students. Finally, the teacher must care about the students and their student’s success. The students know if their teacher cares about them. If students feel their teachers don’t care about them, they won’t care about the teacher or what they are teaching.
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3 comments:
What I think is really interesting about your post is the fact that the characteristics of a successful novice teacher you identify are steeped in dispositions, that is, attitudes and beliefs. Everything you point to goes back to how teachers view themselves and their roles. Interesting.
I agree with what you said about new teachers needing to be willing to take advantage of supplemental support. It seems like a strange idea at first, that teachers wouldn't actively seek or accept assistance when it is needed, but taking a moment to think about it I see that I have known some teachers like that myself. Sometimes it's not the teacher that avoids the help, it's the administration that presents a facade of support when in actuality there is only a skeletal framework with no consistency or true dedication to developing new teachers. I think that some administrators or mentors of traditional route teachers may feel that prior training is enough for first year teachers, or perhaps that they should just figure things out on their own.
I like that you talked about the teacher being a role model for students in terms of being life long learners. You are so right! I always tell my kids about my classes that I take and the homework I have to do and I explain what my goals are. I really feel like they understand that they are not just going through the motions but that there is actually a purpose and reward in wanting to learn.
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