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One teacher immediately came to mind when I thought about an educator who
demonstrated effective teaching. Mr. OKeefe was my honors chemistry teacher in high school. I
never seemed to be able to easily grasp chemistry and it took many after schoolwork sessions
with Mr. OKeefe, extra practice, and lots of studying for me to excel in the course, but through
my struggles, Mr. OKeefe was always there to support me. Mr. OKeefe would always take the
time to answer all my questions, but would also get me thinking by asking probing questions
that made me think. He would make sure to explicitly model what he expected of me so I would
always know his expectations for success. For example, I can remember during one of our after
school sessions he said that he knew that a particular paper was not my best work and he then
Additionally, Mr. OKeefe was a great motivator and would always push me to think
critically and analytically. He empowered me to work hard and to always seek out the truth for
myself. Mr. OKeefe took the time to listen to my concerns, what I was having difficulty with,
what went well, and listened to my problems that existed outside of his chemistry class that
seemed to be so pressing. Mr. OKeefe was also extremely knowledgeable on all of the subjects
that he taught. Since he had come into the academic field after having owned a medical business,
he was able to always show me how what we were learning mattered and was applicable in the
real world. Even though he was clearly more knowledgeable on the subject then me he always
made me feel like an equal and as though I was his partner in the learning process. He would
always tell me that he had just as much to learn from me, as I had to learn from him. Mr.
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OKeefe created a safe learning environment where mistakes could be made. But most
importantly, Mr. OKeefe and I had a close, positive, and supportive relationship that allowed
Part II
outcomes such as greater competence, higher mastery motivation, enhanced creativity, well-
being, greater engagement, better academic performance, and academic persistence rather than
Asking Probing Questions- Effective questioning is one of the most powerful strategies
teachers can use to promote critical thinking. Good questions are those that guide thinking and
encourage students to interpret, analyze, synthesize, critique, and reflect. Thus, it is important
that teachers develop skills to raise and respond to good questions since they are likely to nourish
Motivation: Students are motivated by their teachers to learn and be successful in school.
Additionally, students engage in learning through behavior and motivation, and those learners
who are highly motivated remain engaged, enthusiastic, and are more likely to participate in
learning and academic activities. Teachers are a major influencing agent for student motivation
and encourage students in their pursuit for excellence in learning, provide positive feedback,
remain enthusiastic about educational growth, and cultivate a positive classroom environment
Listen: Students want to be heard and they want to express their opinions. When teachers
validate their thoughts, students become more proactive about their learning. Students who feel
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listened too also feel as though they are members of a learning community, that they matter, and
Safe Learning Environment: Many students can often have contempt for school, thus it is
important for students to feel that they can learn in a safe classroom environment where both the
educator and students are emotionally honest with themselves and one another. By providing an
environment where trust is established, desired behavior is modeled by the teacher, humor is
used as a motivator, and being honest with students about your own shortfalls as an educator,
will create an environment where students feel safe to make mistakes and learn (Hanna, J.,
2014).
within the learning environment. A major factor affecting students development, school
engagement and academic motivation, is tied to how strong the teacherstudent relationship is.
Moreover, supportive and positive relationships between teachers and students ultimately
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Resources
Hanna, J. (2014). Connecting with Sullen Students: Using an Emotionally Honest Classroom to
Reach Out to Disengaged Students. Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues, and Ideas,
87 (5), 224-228.
Huges, J.N. & Chen, O. (2011). Reciprocal effects of student-teacher and student peer
relatedness: Effects on academic self-efficacy. Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, 32 (5), 278-287.
Rugett, J. & Chemosit, C. (2009). What motivates Students to Learn? Contribution of Student
To-Student Relations, Student faculty Interaction and Critical Thinking Skills. Education
Research Quarterly 32 (3), 16-28.
Sather, A. (2009). I am Not Afraid to Listen: Prospective Teachers Learning From Students.
Theory Into Practice 48 (3), 176-183.
Thompson, C. (2011). Critical Thinking across the Curriculum: Process over Output.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 1 (9), 1-7.