Creativity Module 3:
Characteristics of Teaching
Background Information:
The International Encyclopedia of Teaching and Teacher Education (Anderson,1995) classified the concept of teaching into three categories:
1.Teaching as success signifies that learning is implicated in teaching. Teaching entails learning and can be defined as an activity which necessarily affects learning.
2.Teaching as an intentional activity means that teaching may not logically imply learning, but it can be anticipated that will result in learning.
3.Teaching as normative behavior denotes action undertaken with the intention of bringing about learning in another. (Green, 1968).
Characteristics of teaching are described as follows (Rajagopalan, 2019):
1. Teaching is an effective interaction between teacher and students.
2. Teaching is both arts as well as science. Teaching is an art as it calls for the exercise of talent and creativity. Teaching as science involves a repertoire of techniques, procedures and skills, that can be systematically studied, described and improved. A good teacher is one who adds creativity and inspiration to the basic repertoire.
3. Teaching has various forms, like formal and informal raining, conditioning or indoctrination, etc.
4. Teaching is dominated by the skill of communication.
5. Teaching is a tripolar process; the three poles are, educational objectives, learning experiences and change in behavior.
6. Teaching should be well planned, and the teacher should decide the objectives, methods of teaching and evaluation techniques.
7. Teaching is suggesting and not dictating.
8. Good teaching is democratic, and teacher respects the students, encourages them to askquestions, answer questions and discuss things
9. Teaching provides guidance, direction and encouragement to the students.
10. Teaching is a cooperative activity and teacher should involve students in different classroom activities, such as organization, management, discussion, recitation and evaluation of results.
11. Teaching is kind and sympathetic, and a good teacher develops emotional stability among children.
12. Teaching is remedial, and the teacher must solve the learning problems of students.
13. Teaching helps children to make adjustments in life.
14. Teaching is a professional activity that helps to bring about harmonious development of children.
15. Teaching stimulates students’ power of thinking and directs them towards self-learning.
16. Teaching can be observed, analyzed and evaluated.
17. Teaching is a specialized task and may be taken as a set of component skills for the realization of a specified set of instructional objectives.
Activities
Teaching methods historically have fallen within a range of activities that include explaining, describing, demonstration,exemplifying, guiding, etc. Use these various instructional methods to provide an environment that supports student interest and motivation.
Discuss the concept of teaching with colleagues.
List conclusions resulting from your collaborative discussions with colleaguesand reflect upon and record new insights in a journal on instruction ideas
Discuss characteristics of teaching with colleagues
Assessment
Based upon the xvii characteristics of creative teaching in this module background information and conclusions resulting from your collaborative discussions with colleagues, create a plan of action to enhance being a creative instructor e.g., what creative strategies will you use, what characteristics will define a creative student, what instructional changes will you make to enhance teaching creatively?