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Ellen Atwood: October, 2017

A Reflection on Teacher Effectiveness

Based on: Dr. Paul Mayhews:

THE EFFECT OF INITIAL IMPRESSIONS ON THE


PERCEPTION OF TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS IN
CHORAL MUSIC STUDENT TEACHERS

After reading about the attributes contributing to effective teaching, I started to

think back to my own music education growing up. Ive had many different music

teachers, some of which have shown these attributes in their teaching, and some who

havent. From experience, these skillsets as a teacher do make a difference in the

classroom and have an impact on the education and experience of students.

One of the attributes this article highlighted was level of intensity. The most

effective teachers I have had in the past have had a high level of intensity. They are

passionate, energetic, and command the attention and focus of students. Intensity, to me,

means doing everything with great purpose and energy in a way that is infectious to the

students learning. The article listed characteristics of high intensity level teachers as

having good eye contact, varying proximity, expressive gestures, rapid paced lessons,

varied speed and pitch of their peaking voice, and showing approving/disapproving facial

expressions. These are all wonderful traits to have as a teacher. However, I also feel that

finding a good intensity level as a teacher can be a balancing act. It might become

overwhelming for students if a teacher is too intense or too energetic, especially

depending on the mood of the class. It is important to be aware that too much intensity

can turn a student off to wanting to learn if they are feeling upset. As teachers, we must
be sensitive to these emotions and handle them with care, while still being a good leader.

Being able to recognize what intensity levels are appropriate based on observing the

overall mood of the class is another skillset the article mentioned.

Other traits of effective teaching that the article mentioned included competent

verbal and nonverbal communication, eye contact, facial expression, and physical

gestures. These traits are particularly important when making first impressions.

Characteristics such as good posture, meaningful eye contact, and a positive and honest

facial expression will demonstrate to students your level of professionalism but also

allow you to be personal with them. Our physical expressions allow us to communicate

without words and they can reinforce and relay information without having to say

anything, so its important to consider these traits before entering the classroom.

One thing I found particularly interesting in this article were the highest and

lowest rated skills to have based on the insights of middle and high school music

students. Their conclusion was that it was more important to display characteristics of

competency, positivity, respect, clarity, and confidence in teaching than possessing

musical skill. Kellys findings reflect previous investigations indicating that social and

teaching behaviors influence perceptions of teaching effectiveness more than musical

knowledge and musical skills (25). This was surprising to me, but it makes sense when

I think back to my favorite teachers. It is more important and effective for a teacher to be

a socially well-rounded and competent individual than to be simply talented. It is more

about how effectively the information is conveyed to the student.

Overall, this article made me more aware of the qualities that I have found helpful

and effective in past teachers. Most of the positive qualities these studies found were
related to the personableness and energy of the teacher. I am excited to implement

some of these habits in my own teaching in the future.

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