As we all know, teachers play the most crucial role in student learning and achievement as they are the ones who make students learn effectively and efficiently. A teacher can perform various activities inside and outside the classroom, like planning properly, providing instructions, and evaluating the learning using appropriate teaching competencies and techniques. The effectiveness and ineffectiveness of a teacher closely depend on the teaching competencies of the teacher. Indeed, we all have experienced the transformational power of teachers in our lives.
In this article, we will cover the teaching competencies which serve as the base for evaluation, growth, and hiring of teachers.
What are Teaching Competencies?
Competencies are the knowledge and skills that enable a teacher to be successful. To make student learning more efficient, teachers need to have expertise in wide-ranging fields to allow students to make critical decisions required each day.
Types of Teaching Competencies
Let us now discuss the teaching competencies they must possess to have a powerful influence on students' success.
- Interpersonal Skills
- Classroom Management
- Coaching and Assessment
- Facilitate Teamwork
- Instructional Delivery
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Engagement and Facilitation
- Inclusiveness and Caring
Now, we will discuss each of these in detail.
Interpersonal Skills
Being a teacher, you must understand and respond to your students' needs, feelings, and capabilities.
- Seek to understand other people’s opinions.
- Do not hesitate to ask questions to clarify and understand others.
- As a role model for students, exhibit professionalism while communicating.
- Ask critical questions to develop critical thinking.
- Effectively communicate complex and sensitive matters.
- Talk in a non-threatening tone.
- Have positive regard for students.
Classroom Management
It is one of the most persistent areas of concern voiced by school administrators and teachers. John Hattie's theory states that a 20% increase in student achievement can occur when classroom rules and procedures are applied systematically.
- Treat mistakes as a part of learning.
- Along with clear routines, behaviour, and expectations, ensure a supportive and safe place to learn.
- Redirect the student’s behaviour with empathy, warmth, and sensitivity to the student's status as a learner.
- Assist problem-solving issues between the students.
- Frame effective rules and procedures along with identifying appropriate behaviour.
- Observe and interact with students regularly.
- Make sure students display empathy and support for others.
- Minimise reinforcement of a student’s unacceptable behaviour.
- Encourage a love for learning.
Coaching Assessment
Formative and summative assessment strategies and progress monitoring are indispensable in promoting student-teacher success. The core components of coaching assessment include feedback, which helps students improve their performance in sports, business, and education.
- Formative assessment comprises a range of formal and informal diagnostic testing procedures which are to be conducted throughout the learning process, adoption of activities to improve student attention.
- Make sure feedback and assessment are provided on time.
- Report progress and achievement in a timely manner.
- Develop a system where students can self-assess and give feedback to their peers.
- Give plenty of options to students to demonstrate themselves.
- Set and communicate targets and goals that students can understand effectively.
- Enlist a variety of assessment methods that are in line with instructions.
- Based on individual student needs, differentiate assignments to engage more in the project.
Facilitate Teamwork
One of the most commonly used teaching competencies is collaboration and teamwork. Produce team-based results to achieve group goals and objectives.
- Deal with conflicting situations constructively and positively.
- Respect the value and opinions of others.
- Participate in team decision-making.
- Share appropriate information appropriately and willingly.
Instructional Delivery
Is there a multiple set of practices that teachers can use to increase mastery of a variety of curricula effectively? Yes, this is where the structured approach of instructional delivery comes in! This approach emphasizes the knowledge of lessons to ensure that students have understood the concept that has been taught and can apply that to novel situations that they might encounter in the future.
Effective instructional delivery includes the following features:
- Planned and well-designed instructions: It refers to the instructions that are well planned and arouse students to move towards success.
- Mastery level teaching: make criteria that assist students in learning the skill.
- Clear objectives: the instructional design should come with clear goals.
- Report achievements: finally, do not forget to report students' achievements to their parents and guardians on time.
Adaptability and Flexibility
A teacher should adjust and adapt to dynamic situations to handle unforeseen problems efficiently.
- Learn to prioritize multiple demands effectively.
- To best meet, the needs of learners, differentiate teaching practices.
- Take the first move in new initiatives.
- Plan through unexpected difficulties.
Engagement and Facilitation
Being a teacher, you must capture and maintain students' interest and participation in both the content and the learning process.
- Create and maintain an environment where students can actively participate cooperatively and independently.
- Align students’ interests and abilities with the content.
- Deliberately use multiple strategies to engage students.
Inclusiveness and Caring
Teaching competencies also include maintaining an environment that is both caring and supportive.
- Demonstrate equal dedication towards each student and their unique needs.
- Facilitate safe, caring, and ethical behaviour in your actions.
- Understand the diversity of culture and plant that knowledge into practice.
Conclusion
Abundant research supports the notion that teachers play the most crucial role in improving student achievements in school. The finest teachers exhibit enthusiasm and excitement only for the subject they teach and give students a road map to reach the set goals. The best teachers are skilled in teaching competencies like coaching assessment, classroom management, instructional delivery, inclusiveness, and caring. Equally important, they are proficient in a multilayered social skill set, leading to improved learning. Better teacher-student relations encourage increased academic performance and improve classroom climate by minimizing disruptive student behaviour.
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