Characteristics of a Teacher and Lesson Planning

Characteristics of a High-Quality Teacher

The Example of Ms. Ntuli (Case Study: Okeke pg. 114)

In a reflection on the qualities that define a great teacher, a student named Sibu discusses his high school Mathematics teacher, Ms. Ntuli. Her impact was significant enough to inspire Sibu to enroll in an Education degree.

Personality and Demeanor:
- Energetic and Passionate: She showed genuine enthusiasm for Mathematics.
- Sense of Humour: She was funny and frequently made the class laugh.
- Engaging Storyteller: She utilized jokes and stories to help learners memorize and understand complex mathematical concepts.
- Creative: Her lessons were described as interesting and fun, moving beyond standard rote learning.
Professional Conduct and Expectations:
- Highly Structured: Every lesson followed a clear structure. Learners always knew exactly what to expect from the lesson and what was expected of them.
- High Expectations: She required her students to work hard. This high standard motivated students like Sibu to work harder to maintain good marks and avoid disappointing her.
- Role Model: She provided a standard of excellence for her students to emulate.

Core Characteristics: Three Pillars of Teaching

1. Habits of the Heart (Personality Traits)

Enthusiastic: Bringing energy to the subject matter.
Caring and Compassionate: Showing genuine concern for learner well-being.
Sense of Humour: Using wit to build rapport and aid memory.
Creative: Finding novel ways to present information.

2. Skills (What a Teacher Does)

Plans and Prepares: Systematic organization of materials and timing.
Manages and Organizes the Classroom: Establishing order and productive environments.
Communicates Clearly: Ensuring instructions and concepts are easily understood.
Mediates Learning: Acting as a bridge between the learner and the content.

3. Knowledge and Awareness (How a Teacher Thinks)

Knowledge: Deep understanding of the subject matter.
Flexibility: The ability to adapt when lessons do not go according to plan.
High Expectations: Belief in the potential of students to achieve difficult goals.
Reflections: Constant self-evaluation to improve teaching practice.

Case Study: Viwe’s Teaching Dilemma (Okeke pg. 180-182)

The Context

Viwe is a newly-qualified teacher who initially felt well-prepared by her university training. She decorated her room with posters, researched management strategies, and arranged desks in groups for cooperative learning.

The Problem

Within her first week, Viwe felt overwhelmed. Her half-hour lessons felt impossible to sustain. She relied heavily on textbook tasks, which led to learner boredom, restlessness, and a dull/monotonous classroom atmosphere.

Comparison of Approaches

Viwe eventually sought advice from a senior teacher, Mrs. Soldaat. Their philosophies represent a significant pedagogical divide:

Mrs. Soldaat’s Traditional Approach:
- Seating: Arrange desks in rows to prevent disruption.
- Methodology: Avoid group work as it is a "waste of valuable lesson time." Focus on individual classwork.
- Resources: The chalkboard is the only necessary resource; discard extra posters and group activities.
- Perspective: Dismisses university theory as not applicable to the "real world."
Viwe’s Initial Pedagogical Training:
- Methodology: Cooperative learning and grouping learners.
- Active Learning: Belief that learners succeed through "experiencing" learning rather than being passively "taught."
- Planning: The need for varied methods to maintain interest and focus on new skills/knowledge.

Lesson Planning: Aims and Objectives

Defining Lesson Aims

Lesson aims are clear, concise statements describing the learning a teacher hopes students will attain. They are statements of intent expressed in a broad, generalized way (Petty, $2004$ ).

The Risk of Neglecting Aims: Student teachers often focus so much on "fun" resources that the learning purpose is lost. Lessons then become "time fillers" instead of productive experiences.
Curriculum Context: In content-driven curricula like the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), teachers must determine aims to ensure learners reach stated knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
Criteria for Lesson Aims:
- Written in the future tense.
- Begin with a verb.
- Achievable within a specific timeframe (e.g., the length of one lesson).
- Measurable/Assessable for the teacher.
- Written in simple language that learners and other staff can understand.

The Lesson Introduction: The "Hook"

An introduction must attract learners to the new material to prevent them from "switching off."

Analogy: Like the first few minutes of a movie on TV; if it isn't interesting, the viewer changes the channel.
Purpose: Pulls learners in, points toward the lesson aims, and creates an organizing framework.
Benefit: When learners see the teacher has a clear sense of direction, they are less likely to ask, "Why do we have to do this?"

Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Background

Benjamin Bloom ( $1913 \text{ -- } 1999$ ) viewed learning as a process of building on former knowledge to reach complex levels of understanding. He earned a PhD from the University of Chicago in $1942$ and published the taxonomy in $1956$ .

The Hierarchy of Thinking Processes

Bloom’s Taxonomy ( $1956$ ) provides a structure for writing learning outcomes, moving from simple recall to complex evaluation:

1. Knowledge

Definition: The ability to recall facts without necessarily understanding them.
Verbs: Arrange, define, identify, label, list, memorize, name, outline, recall, relate, reproduce, state, tabulate.
Examples:
- Recall genetics terminology: homozygous, heterozygous, phenotype, etc.
- List the criteria for caring for a patient with tuberculosis.
- Recall the axioms and laws of Boolean algebra.

2. Comprehension

Definition: The ability to understand and interpret information.
Verbs: Classify, contrast, convert, describe, differentiate, discuss, explain, generalize, illustrate, interpret, predict, summarize, translate.
Examples:
- Differentiate between civil and criminal law.
- Explain the social, economic, and political effects of World War I ( $WWI$ ).
- Classify reactions as exothermic or endothermic.

3. Application

Definition: The ability to use learned material in new, concrete situations to solve problems.
Verbs: Apply, calculate, construct, demonstrate, employ, examine, experiment, manipulate, operate, practice, select, solve, use.
Examples:
- Construct a timeline of significant events in $19^{th}$ century Australian history.
- Apply principles of evidence-based medicine to determine clinical diagnoses.
- Relate energy changes to bond breaking and formation.

4. Analysis

Definition: The ability to break down information into components to understand organizational structure and inter-relationships.
Verbs: Analyze, appraise, categorize, compare, connect, criticize, debate, deduce, determine, discriminate, investigate, question, separate.
Examples:
- Analyze why society criminalizes certain behaviors.
- Calculate gradient from maps in $m$ , $km$ , $\%$ and ratio.
- Compare the classroom practice of a new teacher vs. one with $20$ years of experience.

5. Synthesis

Definition: The ability to put parts together to form a new whole or original structure.
Verbs: Argue, assemble, collect, combine, compose, create, design, develop, formulate, generate, integrate, organize, plan, propose, rewrite.
Examples:
- Formulate problems amenable to energy management solutions.
- Integrate concepts of genetic processes in plants and animals.
- Organize a patient education programme.

6. Evaluation

Definition: The ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose based on specific criteria.
Verbs: Appraise, ascertain, assess, conclude, convince, decide, defend, judge, justify, measure, recommend, support, validate.
Examples:
- Evaluate marketing strategies for electronic business models.
- Appraise the role of sport in health promotion for young people.
- Predict the effect of temperature change on the position of equilibrium.

Academic Assignments and Requirements

Individual Homework

Download the CAPS document for your specific elective module.
Print the UFS lesson template.
Plan a lesson focusing on: Prior Learning, Introduction, and Aims/Objectives (distinguishing between the two).
Use only CAPS information for the lesson development.

Micro Teaching Preparation

In groups of $5$ , prepare a lesson focusing on the Introduction, Lesson Objectives, and Prior Knowledge. Topics may be chosen from:

Natural Sciences and Technology (NST)
Life Skills (LS)
Social Sciences (SS)

Group Assignment: Weather Chart Project

Group Size: Groups of $10$ members (must elect a leader and vice-leader).
Output: $8$ slides and a chart written in two languages (English and a Home Language).
Slide Structure:
- Slide 1: Weather chart.
- Slide 2: List of group members.
- Slide 3: Description of the weather chart.
- Slide 4: Application of the chart in teaching different subjects:
  - $4.1$ : English
  - $4.2$ : Life Skills
  - $4.3$ : Social Sciences
  - $4.4$ : Maths
  - $4.5$ : NST
- Slide 5: Conclusion.
- Mandatory: Table of contents must be included.

Questions & Discussion

The session concludes with an invitation for questions, comments, or suggestions. Standard gratitude is offered in multiple languages:

Dankie (Afrikaans)
Thank you (English)
Ngiyabonga (Zulu)

Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework for understanding different levels of learning. Here's a simplified breakdown:

Knowledge: Remember facts and information.
- Example: List the countries in Africa.
Comprehension: Understand and explain ideas.
- Example: Summarize a story you read.
Application: Use information in new situations.
- Example: Solve a math problem using learned formulas.
Analysis: Break down information into parts and examine them.
- Example: Compare two characters in a book.
Synthesis: Create something new from learned materials.
- Example: Write a poem using vocabulary words.
Evaluation: Make judgments based on criteria.
- Example: Judge the effectiveness of a marketing ad.