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The qualities of a good teacher: How can they be acquired and sustained?

Article  in  Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine · March 2005

DOI: 10.1258/jrsm.98.2.67 · Source: PubMed

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 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE Volume 98 February 2005

The qualities of a good teacher: how can they be acquired

EDUCATION
and sustained?
Samy A Azer MB PhD

J R Soc Med 2005;98:67–69

The introduction of problem-based learning (PBL) in Students learn from continuous observation of the ways
undergraduate medical courses necessitates the special their teachers handle difficult and stressful situations, how
training of teachers and monitoring of their performance.1 they relate to their patients, and how they deal with ethical
In traditional courses the emphasis is on transmission of and moral issues.
factual knowledge; teachers are the main source of In one recent study, the most highly regarded teachers
information and students are offered few opportunities to in a large department of medicine were asked to specify the
identify their own learning needs or reflect collectively on personal qualities, teaching skills and clinical competencies
their learning experience.2 Then, if the outcomes are they considered most critical for effective role modelling in
unfavourable, the blame lies with the student, for lack of medicine.6 The findings indicated that good teachers are
skills or motivation. By contrast, in PBL courses the enthusiastic, friendly, easy-going, able to develop rapport
responsibilities of teachers include: encouraging critical with learners, committed to the growth of their students,
thinking; fostering self-directed learning and curiosity; approachable, interested in learners as people, and always
monitoring group progress; and creating a learning conscious of their status as role models. The participants
environment that stimulates all members in the group, were then asked to list barriers to effective modelling and
generates deep understanding, and promotes teamwork.1,3 these included being quiet, being overextended, having
These activities demand special attributes. Over the past difficulty remembering names and being impatient and
five years I have run over forty workshops for would-be impulsive.
PBL tutors as well as refresher workshops for existing Is ethnic background or culture relevant to the choice of
tutors who wish to enhance their skills as PBL facilitators. role models in medical schools? The answer is yes,7,8 and
These workshops usually begin with a session titled What this needs to be borne in mind in selection of faculty
makes good teachers? and I ask participants to write down teaching staff and appointment of teaching and assessment
the name of the best teacher they have ever had and list his committees.9 All medical educators should be aware of the
or her good qualities: ‘In what way did your best teacher impact of cultural differences on learning.
help you to grow?’ Certain qualities are common to many A search of the Medline and HighWire databases under
of these teachers—for example, ‘He treated me with ‘good teachers’ and ‘mentors’ indicates that the subject
respect and was interested in helping and supporting me’; attracts growing attention. From January 1978 to
‘She motivated me to love the subject she was teaching’; December 2003 the number of publications was 1061, of
‘She created a positive impact on my life that reshaped my which just over half appeared in the last 4 years. Box 1 lists
vision and purpose’; ‘He was able to keep us engaged in his the qualities of a good teacher highlighted in this published
lessons, think, and ask good questions’; ‘I realized that work, under categories derived from my own experience.
learning can be fun and a life-long experience’. These
responses stimulated me to examine the qualities of a good
teacher in a more systematic way. PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
In PBL courses, the usual rewards for excellent teaching are
ROLE MODELS personal prizes, grants for research in education, or funding
to attend professional development courses. Among the
Role modelling is thought to be an integral component of
benefits are the encouragement of young tutors to develop
medical education. We identify people as role models when
careers in medical education and establishment of links with
they inspire imitation and influence people working with
local and international educators and researchers in medical
them to develop new skills and achieve their potential.4,5
education. A good tutor training programme fosters the arts
of facilitation, group dynamics, and feedback.10–13 Faculty
Faculty Education Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences,
training and mentoring programmes should be part of
Medical Building, Level 7, North Wing, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010,
Victoria, Australia university policies for the promotion of academic
E-mail: [email protected] excellence.14 One initial training session for faculty 67
 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE Volume 98 February 2005

Box 1 Twelve qualities of a good teacher or mentor

1 Committed to the work 7 Encourages an open and trusting learning environment

Focuses on educational needs of the students Creates a climate of trust
Works with passion Encourages students to learn from mistakes
Keen to uphold the university’s values Helps students redefine failure as a learning experience
Enthusiastic about work and about teaching Encourages student questions and engagement in the
learning process
2 Encourages and appreciates diversity Encourages student growth with appropriate behaviour-
Does not stereotype or speak negatively of others based feedback
Nurtures and encourages diversity
Seeks and encourages understanding of, and respect for, 8 Fosters critical thinking
people of diverse backgrounds Teaches students how to think, not what to think
Encourages students to organize, analyse and evaluate
3 Interacts and communicates respect Explores with probing questions
Communicates effectively with others Discusses ideas in an organized way
Encourages input from others, listening deeply and giving Helps students to focus on key issues
credit for their contributions Trains students in strategic thinking
Acts with integrity
Provides a model of high ethical standards 9 Encourages creative work
Shows a caring attitude Motivates students to create new ideas
Fosters innovation and new approaches
4 Motivates students and co-workers
Encourages students to achieve their goals 10 Emphasizes teamwork
Provides constructive feedback Builds links at national and international levels in education
Monitors progress of students and fosters their success Encourages students to work in teams
Encourages collaborative learning
5 Brings a wide range of skills and talents to teaching
Teaching is clearly presented and stimulates high-order 11 Seeks continually to improve teaching skills
thinking skills Seeks to learn and incorporate new skills, and information
Presents difficult concepts comprehensibly teaching
Brings appropriate evidence to the critique Seeks feedback and criticism
Teaches memorably Keeps up to date in specialty

6 Demonstrates leadership in teaching 12 Provides positive feedback

Contributes to course design and structure Listens to students and discovers their educational needs
Contributes to publications on education Values students, never belittles
Evidence of self-development in an educational context Provides constructive feedback
Demonstrates creativity in teaching strategies Helps and supports people to grow
Committed to professional development in education Teaches students how to monitor their own progress.

development at the beginning of a project (e.g., of students’ cognitive skills is a much neglected area in
introduction of PBL) is not enough. Follow-up mentoring, curriculum change.18
coupled with opportunities to share ideas with other tutors
as new skills are developed, is crucial to successful
implementation of a new curriculum.14,15 The academies CHALLENGES
of medical educators at Harvard Medical School and the The emerging changes in medical curricula and the role of
University of California San Francisco (UCSF) are two medical teachers necessitates the development of standards
examples of current trends in medical and health education. for medical education at international as well as national
At Harvard, the academy aims to reward excellence in levels.19–21 As research becomes the main criterion for
teaching and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas promotion in academia, faculty time for education is at
across departmental and institutional lines.16 The academy risk.22 This is one of the main challenges facing educators in
at UCSF likewise rewards talent and has also initiated a universities worldwide. Vice-chancellors and deans need to
mentoring programme to help junior faculty members reassess the criteria for academic promotion and allocate
enhance their teaching skills.17 One aim of faculty more credit for education. A second challenge is the lack of
development programmes is to improve teachers’ abilities training and mentoring programmes in medical and health
68 to write high-quality and reliable test questions. Assessment professional schools. Although the introduction of PBL has
 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE Volume 98 February 2005

necessitated the development of training programmes in 7 McLean M. Is culture important in the choice of role models?
Experience from a culturally diverse medical school. Med Teacher
most schools, these need to be backed by mentoring and 2004;26:142–9
continuous support for new tutors. A third challenge is the 8 Prideaux D. Is valuing ethnic diversity enough? Should we expect
separation of research from education, and the consequent ethnically and culturally safe practice? Med Teacher 1999;33:555–6
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groups: does culture influence the outcomes? Teach Learn Med
fourth challenge is the lack of resources for training teachers 2003;15:59–64
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CONCLUSIONS 11 Farmer EA. Faculty development for problem-based learning. Europ J
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The advent of PBL has cast a spotlight on the qualities of a 12 Grand’ Maison P, Desmarchais JE. Preparing faculty to teach in a
good teacher. Excellent teachers serve as role models, problem-based learning curriculum: The Sherbrooke experience. Can
influence career choices and enable students to reach their Med Assoc J 1991;144:557–62
potential. Some of the necessary qualities are inherent, 13 Azer SA. Becoming a PBL Tutor. Material Used in a Two-day Training
Workshop. Melbourne: Faculty Education Unit, University of
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must be nurtured and rewarded. 14 Wilkerson L, Irby DM. Strategies for improving teaching practices: a
comprehensive approach to faculty development. Acad Med
Note The author chaired the Subcommittee of Excellence 1998;73:387–96
in Teaching Awards, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and 15 Guskey TR. Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and
Health Sciences, the University of Melbourne, 2003–2004. Teaching: Theory and Practice 2002;8:381–91
16 Thibault GE, Neill JM, Lowenstein DH. The academy at Harvard
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