EDU 276 S.T.E.A.M. Teacher Qualities

What qualities do you think a natural teacher has?

The best teachers intrinsically and deliberately work at maintaining some of the following qualities.

• A deep, genuine passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter being taught
• An equally deep and genuine awareness and interest in the students being taught
• The ability to engage students in critical thinking skills such as deep noticing, posing independent questions, and making original connections
• The desire to teach through questioning, the Socratic method and inquiry based learning
• The ability to differentiate between students' competencies and levels of academic and behavioral maturity (meeting students where they are at)
• The skills to help students create independent thought and meaning, to help students empathize, and live with ambiguity and to help students identify patterns, take action, reflect and assess 

What do these qualities contribute to his/her success in the S.T.E.A.M. CLASSROOM?

In an Elementary Classroom, before higher learning can begin to grow, teachers must first have a strong foundation of effective classroom management skills and procedures. They integrate and intertwine discipline, instruction and motivation. 

• First, limits must be set in a non-adversarial fashion through mobility throughout the classroom, proximity to students and body language that says, "I mean business." 
• Next, expectations must be set that says student cooperation, conscientious hard work and responsible behavior is a matter of routine. 
• Finally, the incentives for productivity should reflect enjoyment and accountability. While the preferred activity for motivation may or may not be another learning activity, the criterion of mastery should continue to require a standard of high-quality work. 

Through positive discipline, expectations and follow-up, the approach is proactive and the focus is on prevention. When early intervention takes place, it opens up the days, the weeks and months to invaluable teaching and learning time.