TEACHER ATTITUDE AND SKILLS

Teaching is an art and the quality of teaching depends on the love, dedication and devotion of the teacher towards the subject of the knowledge. The quality of any teaching programme cannot rise above the quality of its teachers. ATTITUDE: The attitude of teachers, is a teacher characteristic and component of teacher personality. These attitudes, particularly as they impact on teacher expectations, can have important implications for teacher student interaction and parent school relationship and educational aspirations and academic achievement of students. Attitude could be defined as a consistent tendency to react in a particular way-often positively or negatively toward any matter. Attitudes, according to psychology, is a three component construct which is known as the ABC (Van Den Berg et al., 2006;Eagly and Chaiken, 1998) A-is the affective, or emotional component that will influence our behavior, whether we feel good or bad or ambivalent.B-is the typical behavioral tendency of a person C-is the cognitive evaluation or belief of a person, based on what that person learnt from experience or observations. Jungs definition of attitude is: a readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way(Jung, [1921]1971:par687) According to him, attitudes come in pairs. one conscious and the other unconscious. Attitude possesses both cognitive and emotional components. Fazio and Roskes (1994), said, attitudes are important to educational psychology because they strongly influence social thought, the way an individual thinks about and process social information. According to Eggen and Kauchak (2001), positive teachers attitudes are fundamental to effective teaching. A teacher must be interesting. That is the teacher must work his students into such a state of interest in what the teacher is going to teach him that every other object of attention is banished from his mind. The teacher should also fill the 1

students with devouring curiosity to know what the next steps in connection with the subject are. Eggen and Kauchak (2001) identified a number of teachers attitudes that will facilitate a caring and supportive classroom environment. They are: enthusiasm, caring, firm, democratic practices to promote students responsibility, use time for lesson effectively, have established efficient routines, and interact freely with students and providing motivation for

them.

Research findings on teachers attitudes (Brunning et al., 1999), established the following facts: Teachers characteristics such as personal teaching efficacy, modeling and enthusiasm, caring and high expectation promote learners motivation. These same characteristics are also associated with increase in students achievement (academic performance).

Teachers have the opportunity to leave an indelible impression on their students lives. School experiences mold, shape, and, can influence how children view themselves inside and outside of school. These school memories have the potential to last a lifetime in students minds and can play a consequential role with present and future decisions. It does not take long for students to realize that teachers make the difference between a long and boring school year and an exciting and challenging year. The effective attitudes and actions employed by teachers ultimately can make a positive difference on the lives of their students . 2

The five frequently discussed attitudes and actions include: a genuine caring and kindness of the teacher, a willingness to share the responsibility involved in a classroom, a sincere sensitivity to the students diversity, a motivation to provide meaningful learning experiences for all students, and an enthusiasm for stimulating the students creativity.

First Attitude: Demonstrating Caring and Kindness

This attitude pertains to the persona of the teachers. Statements were written in the essays that discussed a realness and genuineness about their teachers attitudes toward caring and kindness. The effective teachers willingly shared emotions and feelings (i.e., enthusiasm, affection, patience, sadness, disapproval) as well as a sincere interest and care about their students. Communication was also valued in their past classrooms and feelings were openly expressed by both the children and teachers.

Second Attitude: Sharing Responsibility

This attitude focuses on the ability of the teacher to establish a shared environment. The teacher candidates emphasized that an effective teacher must not be overly possessive or need complete control of the children and environment. It is important to allow students both responsibility and freedom within the classroom community. Comments were also shared that both the teachers and students need to contribute to the learning environment for a relationship of closeness and acceptance to develop.

Third Attitude: Sensitively Accepting Diversity

This attitude deals with empathy and the importance of understanding your students. The

teacher candidates identified sensitivity, acceptance, and encouragement as critical when approaching the issues associated with the diversity of the children. The candidates found effective teachers understood their students without analyzing or judging. One group shared the comment that teachers have the ability to make each child feel special by verbally sharing individual compliments in front of the class. Another group discussed a teacher who kept a written record of how many times she talked and listened to each child and how that made students feel valued and important.

Fourth Attitude: Fostering Individualized Instruction

This attitude discusses the ability to provide meaningful learning opportunities for all students. The teacher candidates appreciated teachers who helped them succeed with their learning experiences. They also stated that other teachers used intimidation in front of the class which resulted in a reluctance to volunteer. Particular groups felt strongly that effective teachers believe every child can and will learn. Their teachers did not point out weakness, but instead stressed individual strengths and talents. The preservice teachers credited their teachers for encouraging positive self-confidence and self- esteem.

Fifth Attitude: Encouraging Creativity

This attitude stresses the importance of stimulating the students creativity. Teacher candidates talked about teachers who listened to their ideas and suggestions for lessons and activities. The effective teachers were open to students ways of being imaginative and also utilized many approaches to learning. The students appreciated and were personally motivated when teachers designed lessons that considered their interests, skills, and needs.

SKILL: Skill is an ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills). To promote order and learning in the classroom every teacher should possess essential teaching skills. No one can teach something to someone without doing it in some particular way, and that way of teaching has significant effects on the entire teaching and learning situation. Ehindero and Ajibade (2000) posit that: teaching is a process of continuous personal development and profess-

sional self-discovery along side an emerging understanding of the teaching and learning process.

If there is an art essential to good teaching, it is that of communication. It is very important because teaching cannot occur without the use of oral or sign language communication. It implies that teachers should monitor heir own speech to ensure that their presentation is as clear and logical as possible. Eggen and Kauchack (2001) highlighted four aspects of effective communication that are highly essential for learning and motivation. They are; precise terminology, connected discourse, transition signals and emphasis.

Skillful teachers summarize and link ideas together at the end of his lesson. Review summaries of previous work and help students link what has been learnt to what

is coming. Closure is a form of review occurring at the end of a lesson; in it topics are summarized and interpreted. Essential teaching skills and teaching methods are like two sides of the same coin. Skills are the required

characteristics or ingredients for effective teaching while methods can be compared to pattern to be followed in teaching. There are many teaching methods as there are teachers in the world. In teaching seven steps and the required skills may be suggested for effective teaching as follows: 1. Planning and preparation: the skills lnvoived in selecting the educational aims and learning outcomes intended for a lesson and how best to achieve these. 2. Lesson presentation: the skills involved in successfully engaging pupils in the leaming experience, particularly in relation to the quality of instruction. 3. Lesson management: die skills involved in managing and organising the learning activities taking place during the lesson to maintain pupils attention. interest and involvement. 4. Classroom climate: the skills involved in establishing and maintaining positive attitudes and motivation by pupils towards the lesson. 5. Discipline: the skills involved in maintaining good order and dealing with any pupil misbehaviour which occurs. 6. Assessing pupils progress: the skills involved in assessing pupils progress, covering both formative (i.e. intended to aid pupils further development) and summative (i.e. providing a record of attainment) purposes of assessment. 7. Reection and evaluation: the skills involved in evaluating one: own current teaching practice in order to improve future practice. These seven sets ofcssenlial leaching skills are further explained as follows. 1. Planning and preparation:

1. The lesson plan has clear and suitable aims and objectives. 2. The content, methods and structure of the lesson selected are appropriate for the pupil Ieaming intended. 3. The lesson is planned to link up appropriately with past and future lessons. 4. Materials, resources and aids are well prepared and checked in good time. 5. All planning decisions take account of the pupils and the context. 6. The lesson is designed to elicit and sustain pupils attentions. interest and involvement. 2. Lesson presentation: 1. The teacher's manner is confident, relaxed, self-assured and purposeful. and generates interest in the lesson. 2. The teacher's instructions and explanations are clear and matched to pupils needs. 3. The teacher's questions include a variety of types and range and are distributed widely. 4. A variety of appropriate ieaming activities are used to foster pupil learning. 5. Pupils are actively involved in the lesson and are given opportunities to organise their own work. 6. The teacher shows respect and encouragement for pupils ideas and contributions and fosters their development. 7. The work undertaken by pupils is well matched to their needs. 8. Materials. resources and aids are used to good effect. 3. Lesson management: 1. The beginning of the lesson is smooth and prompt. and sets up a positive mental set for what is to follow. 2. 3. 4. Pupils attention, interest and involvement in the lesson are maintained. Pupils progress during the lesson is carefully monitored. Constructive and helpful feedback is given to pupils to encourage further progress.

5. Transitions between activities are smooth. 6. The time spent on different activities is well managed. 7. The pace and llow of the lesson is adjusted and maintained at an appropriate level throughout the lason. 8. Adjustments to the lesson plan are made whenever appropriate. 9. The ending of the lesson is used to good effect 4. Classroom climate: 1. The clirmte is purposeful, task-oriented, relaxed, and with an established sense of order. 2. Pupils are supported and encouraged to learn, with high positive expectations conveyed by 7

the teacher. 3. Teacherpupil relationships are largely bmed on mutual respect and rapport. 4. Feedback from the teacher contributes to fostering pupil selfconfidence and selfesteem. lesson and fadlitate the activities taking place. 5. Discipline: 1. Good order is largely based on the positive classroom climate established and on good lesson presentation and management. 2. The teacher's authority is established and accepted by pupils. 3. 4. 5. 6. Clear rules and expectations regarding pupil behaviour are conveyed by the teacher at appropriate time. Pupil behaviour is carefully monitored and appropriate actions by the teacher are taken to prevent misbehaviour. Pupils misbehaviour is dealt with by an appropriate use of investigation, counselling. academic help, reprimands and punishments. Confrontations are avoided. and skilfully defused. 6. Assessing pupils progress: 1. The marking of pupils work during and after lessons is thorough and constructive and work is returned in good time. 2. Feedback on assessments aims not only to be diagnostic and corrective, but also to encourage further effort and maintain self-confidence, which involves follow-up comments. help or work with particular pupils as appropriate. 3. A variety of assessment tasks are used. covering both formative and summative purposes. 4. A variety of records of progress are kept. 5. Some opportunities are given to foster pupils own assessments of their work and proress. effectiveness of the teaching. and whether a rm basis for further progress has been established. 7. Assessment is made of the study skills and learning strategies employed by pupils in order to foster their further development. 7. Reection and evaluation: 1. Lessons are evaluated to inform future planning and practice. 2. Current practice is regularly considered with a view to identifying aspecs for useful 8 6. Assessment of pupils work is used to identify areas of common difficulties. The 5. The appearance and layout of the class are conducive to positive pupil attitudes towards the

development. 3. Use is made of a variety of ways to reect upon and evaluate current practice. effect. 5. The teacher regularly reviews the strategies and techniques he or she use to deal with sources of stress. 4. The teacher regularly reviews whether his or her time and effort can be organised to better