"Good ESL Teacher Attributes"--from NTNU/EDAC Newsletter

The following is an article in an NTNU/EDC newsletter (June 5, 1985, No. 6) I discovered in an old file. Since it could not be found online, I typed it up to share in my blog. The words in the brackets were given by me because the originals were missing as you can see in a picture following the essay.

GOOD ESL TEACHER ATTRIBUTES

Chen-chin Li

During the weekly ESL (English as a Second/Foreign Language) seminar presentation, Prof. Ted Plaister proposed 68 “Good Teacher Attributes”, asserting that there are indeed recognizable features of good teaching. However, he is not convinced that all these attributes can be taught. Some, on the other hand, can be learned.

Prof. Plaister is not alone in his concern about the matter of good teaching among ESL professionals. The president of TESOL, Dr. Charles Blatchford in his “President’s Note to the members” (October 1984) says this, “When I asked in- as well as pre-service teachers, American and non-, to reflect on characteristics of their “best” teachers during their whole educational experience, the citation of personal qualities dominates the academic attributes by at least 20 to 1, I’d say conservatively.”

 

There is no doubt that the personal qualities of teachers are among the vital factors leading to the success of students’ learning. Out of the 68 good teacher attributes, I single out 46 for our readers to consider in their own teaching of English. Judge yourself, and if your scale tilts toward the left, then the chances are that you are or will be a successful and efficient English teacher.

1. kind ……………………………    cruel


2. relaxed ………………………    tense


3. aggressive …………………     passive


4. peaceful ……………………     belligerent


5. pleasant ……………………    unpleasant


6. clear ………………………….    hazy


7. pleasing …………………….     annoying


8. easy ………………………….     labored


9. colorful …………………….      colorless


10. deliberate …………………     careless


11. vibrant ……………………..      still


12. humble ……………………..     arrogant


13. objective …………………..     subjective


14. profound …………………..     superficial


15. humorous …………………      serious


16. dynamic ……………………     static


17. precise ………………………     vague


18. optimistic ………………….     pessimistic


19. sociable ……………………..    unsociable


20. friendly ………………………    unfriendly


21. calm …………………………..   [agitated]


22. stable …………………………    [unstable, changeable]


23. interesting …………………    [boring]


24. cheerful …………………….     [cheerless]


25. mild …………………………      [harsh]


26. flexible …………………….      [rigid]


27. reassuring ……………….       [discouraging]


28. composed ……………….       nervous


29. mature …………………….      immature


30. neat …………………………      sloppy


31. organized ………………..       disorganized


32. independent ……………       dependent


33. popular ……………………       unpopular


34. bold ………………………….      shy


35. creative ……………………      unimaginative


36. decisive ……………………      undecisive [indecisive]


37. open  ………………………..     reserved


38. free ………………………….      restrained


39. trusting …………………….      suspicious


40. creative ……………………      uncreative


41. innovative ……………….       conservative


42. practical ……………………     theoretical


43. consistent …………………      inconsistent


44. intense ……………………..     mild   (?) (There must be a mistake. Should be left-right reversed)


45. confident ………………….      insecure


46. soft……………………………     loud

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GOOD ESL TEACHER ATTRIBUTES