Characteristics of a Good Teacher
"What do you think makes the difference between an outstanding teacher and an ordinary teacher?"
– Theresa Cronan (Curriculum & Instruction)
ASG and Student Alumni Teaching Award
A good teacher plans the course content and activities to teach LEARNERS, not only subject matter. Acknowledgement of the learner’s life experiences, knowledge, and contributions to the topic can be a starting point for connections to be made.
– Mark Boyer (Landscape Architecture)
School of Architecture Outstanding Teacher Award
This involves a great number of things including being very prepared yet flexible, having a sense of humor and being able to laugh at yourself, practice, approachableness, firmness and standards with compassion, and diversity of life experience and interests, but above all, I think the one thing that might set the difference is the desire to see those you teach become successful and being willing to invest my life for their return.
– Marcia Imbeau (Curriculum & Instruction)
College of Education and Health Professions Outstanding Teacher Award
I believe an outstanding teacher is someone who not only takes great care in his/her preparation but cares that the students “get it.” I also believe that a really great teacher is someone who know that there is more to learn and is seen as someone who actively pursues new knowledge regarding not only the content of what she teaches but how she might design her class so that students come to genuinely understand the content.
– Ronda Mains (Music)
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award
An outstanding teacher inspires students to go beyond their comfort levels in learning. These teachers are role models who help their students gather information, assess and evaluate, assimilate and synthesize. Outstanding teachers are not knowledge dispensers, rather they are facilitators in the learning process. Students of these teachers are self confident about their abilities to solve problems.
– Greg Herman (Architecture)
School of Architecture Outstanding Teacher Award
EMPATHY. Know what the student is “carrying,” but also believe that the student can always push themselves to be and do more.
– Neil Allison (Chemistry)
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award
For lecture style classes, be excited about the content! Enjoy interacting with your students.
– George Wardlow (Agricultural & Extension Education)
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award
Good teachers are more concerned that every student learns as much as they can than they are about putting grades in the grade book. Students in many of my courses can re-do assignments if they are not satisfied with their performance. I don’t try to maximize the variance in grade distributions; I think its great if I teach an academically rigorous course and everyone does well. That means I did a good job as a teacher.