Part I. What makes a good teacher? Topical vocabulary

1. Qualities of a perfect teacher: a problem solver (comes up with a solution for all students problems), to understand student psychology (to comprehend the needs of students and tries his/her best to fulfill them), a good guide (shows students the right path under all circumstances and never shies away from his/her duties, is always there by the student’s side, at the time of need), a motivator (never lets the limitations of his/her students restrict their vision, constantly motivates students to reach ahead and broaden their horizon, helps students realize their talents as well as the need to pursue them with diligence)

2. Image of a perfect teacher: well-dressed, well rested, calm and quiet, to arrive before the students, to greet the students as they arrive, enthusiastic about teaching in relevant field, to identify and help the less able students, to remain alert and concentrated on how his/her students behave, to be an attentive listener, to think before he\she speaks.

3. Classroom management: academic work / achievements / assessments, to assess academic achievements, to be assessed by the students, authority, authoritarian basis / approach / posture, to be available for personal contact, to be available to children, to be available in a private capacity, child's / social / family / home background,

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care and concern, caring attitude, supportive climate, climate of trust and support, to create climate, academic / social / personal development of a pupil, social distance, encouragement (syn. motivation), to function happily / effectively (syn. operate), guide (syn. counsel, advise), to impart one's knowledge,

fj

individual approach, individualize, to approach each student individually, interchange, interview with parents / career advisers, out-of-class activities, endless / eternal patience, peer group, to operate under pressure, pressure on teachers, child, to anticipate a pressure, to respond to pupils' pressures, to work on / to maintain / to build up pressure, social pressure,to present a problem, teacher-student relationship, trade / social / study skill, high / low status, to teach effectively, sympathetic / exacting / friendly / open / approachable / conscicntious/ confident/ knowledgeable / strict / efficient / tactful teacher, evaluate effectiveness, systems of teacher appraisal and evaluation, monitor and assess teacher performance, give a fair evaluation, methods of measuring, attuned to the real contexts, propose a model, teacher effectiveness, take into account, be more effective with some subjects / components, open up possible new debates, be of interest to, work in this area.

1. Read the text and make a list of qualities of a good foreign language teacher. Be ready to present them in class. What makes a good foreign language teacher?

Modern methods of language teaching, with their emphasis on the teacher as model and the constant interchange between teacher and student, require a more sympathetic relationship between student and teacher than did earlier, more impersonal methods.

It seemed to me appropriate to question the students themselves regarding that topic of such vital concern all of us: What makes a good teacher of English as a foreign language? In tallying up the student responses, one salient and somewhat heartening factor became apparent. The students, speaking from sheer experience on the receiving end of the classroom situation, tended to put forth advice strikingly similar to that which most methodology and educational psychology textbooks and courses offer... The students had had a variety of teachers. They were not required to sign the questionnaire and they responded at length with a complete lack of diffidence. Despite the diversity of the students themselves, the responses were revealingly uniform.

First on the list mentioned by an overwhelming 78 per cent of the students was the teacher’s thorough knowledge of his subject. As one student wrote: "It doesn't matter how nice a teacher is if he doesn't know what he’s talking about."

Logically, the next important concern was how the teacher goes about imparting that knowledge – in other words, methodology. What the students requested most often was variety within the lesson hour.

"If we just do drills forever, I fall asleep. Why do we have to do idioms for a whole hour?"

"It's nice when vou have a little grammar, and then a dictation, and then soma reading or a discussion."

The students also frequently mentioned the need for activity in the classroom. Many of them referred to language games as being useful and enjoyable. They also seemed to feel that they should be constant participants:

"The teacher shouldn't do all the talking."

"I like it when the students go up to the board."

“Discussions and debates are my favourite ways of learning."

Students complained vehemently about teachers who use up precious class time telling personal anecdotes. On the other hand, the importance of a teacher’s sense of humor and his ability to take the tension out of language learning was mentioned repeatedly:

"If he can laugh once in a while, you don’t get so nervous about making mistakes."

"When the teacher is smiling at you, you want to try."

Also stressed was the teacher's preparation of the lesson and a conscientious attitude toward student papers: "You can tell if he runs out of things to do before the bell rings."

"Why should I turn in my homework? He doesn’t grade it for about a week, anyway."

Discipline, although mentioned specifically by only a few, was hinted at by many.

"There are some teachers who just let a class talk all the lime. Then you never learn anything."

"He says your homework is due on a certain day and then he lets people turn it in later. Or he forgets."

"1 don't think she cares if we're absent or not. I wish she did."

Getting away from actual teaching methods, over half of the students had something to say about the student-teacher relationship. Most often, they expressed a desire for a sympathetic teacher who "remembers what it was like to be a student." "He should," as one student with an obvious command of the colloquial idiom put it, "be on our wavelength." They felt that the teacher should "know each student as an individual," and there was a frequent demand for justice:

"She only talks to the best students. Doesn't she know I'm trying?"

A significant number of students expressed a fear of being embarrassed by a teacher's caustic wisdom, "They ought to be polite to us. We're people, too."

"She only became a teacher so she could be powerful and hear her own voice."

Lastly, just short of half of the students had something to say about the character of the teacher himself, a majority of the responses praised a teacher who is confident and who obviously enjoys his profession and specialization:

"I liked him right away. He walked in, wrote his name on the board, and started right in. You could tell he wasn't new at it."

"If he doesn't know the answer, he's not afraid to say so. So you know you can trust him."

"I used to hate compositions, but my teachcr likes writing and she just makes you like it. She has a lot of fun."

"He could probably have done a lot of things, but he wanted to be a teacher. It wasn't for money either."

The students also referred to teachers with endless patience and amiable disposition that could be provoked to anger only in extreme cases. The teacher’s voice was mentioned, too:

"It shouldn't be monotonous."

"You have to hear him in the back row."

Finally, a surprising number were concerned about the appearance of their teachers:

"He’s always neatly dressed. It makes things business-like."

"She’s not really pretty, but I don't mind looking at her all hour. Anyway, she tries to look nice."

The composite ideal teacher, then, with infinite knowledge and energy, impeccable teaching techniques, a sense of humour and a talent for discipline, along with personal charm and eternal patience, may seem rather hard to live up to on some Monday mornings. But as one understanding student wrote:

"What makes a good teacher is someone who tries to do everything I have listed above. But I understand that teachers are also people like me."