Good Teachers

[HigherEd7]

What is your opinion of a good professor?

[Parasaurolophus]

Generally speaking, that they're pretty good!

[Vkw10]

Please clarify your question. Are you looking for answers to one of these questions:

What are the characteristics of a good professor, considering the traditional aspects of teaching, research/creativity, and service?

What makes a good teacher? What are the characteristics of a good teacher? What do good teachers have in common?

How do you feel about professors who seem content to be good, rather than striving for excellence?

[spork]

What is your opinion of a good professor?

Pro. Or sometimes con. I'm on the fence.

[downer]

"A Good Professor? My Checkered Past in Higher Education" is coincidentally the title of my forthcoming memoir.

[Juvenal]

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good (enough).

[polly_mer]

I approve of good professors who know their worth and insist on a solid job.

I pity those who lost out on the job at which they'd be good through sheer numbers of too many good people and too few jobs.

I am angry at people who take academic jobs for a pittance and then insist that those jobs shouldn't pay a pittance, but won't take the relevant personal actions to get a better job.

[HigherEd7]

What makes a good teacher? What are the characteristics of a good teacher? What do good teachers have in common?

[marshwiggle]

What makes a good teacher? What are the characteristics of a good teacher? What do good teachers have in common?

Good teachers tailor their content and delivery to the level and background of their students. The "professor" who basically reads out the textbook isn't teaching.

[Ruralguy]

In terms of content: clear, thorough, competent, adjusted to proper level
In terms of demeanor: fair, not temperamental, sense of humor
Other: care about students, their welfare and their future

Think of the opposite: muddled, filled with mistakes, way over the head of the students, impetuous and frivolous, no sense of humor, doesn't seem to care. Would you want that professor?

[Ruralguy]

By the way, there are a number of books on this topic, and some make for a good read. If this thread lasts a day or more, I'll look 'em up and re-post.

[spork]

Daniel Willingham is a good place to start.

[downer]

A necessary condition of being a good teacher is having the capacity to formulate a question clearly.

[mahagonny]

Drinks nothing stronger than coffee while doing the zoom lecture. In other words, can handle the honor system.

I realize that's a low bar, but we are in a weird place right now.

I try to do a lot better than just that requirement. Sometimes I am
pretty darn good.

With strong students I am good to great.

With slacker students, I struggle and can get frustrated.

[Vkw10]

What makes a good teacher? What are the characteristics of a good teacher? What do good teachers have in common?

Identifies the critical content/skills that students need to learn, then plans instruction to help students master that content and those skills. Develops assessments that measure whether students have mastered that content and those skills. Monitors how students are progressing (Formative assessment) and adapts lessons to help students learn critical content/skills.