Mercado Jaiden Christopher M.

Skills and qualities of a 21st teacher who is teaching Speaking and Literature
Recent technological advances have affected many areas of our lives, including the way we communicate,
collaborate, learn, and, of course, teach. Those advances necessitate an expansion of our vocabulary, producing
definitions such as digital natives, digital immigrants, and the topic of this post—21st-century teacher.
Obviously, teaching in the 21st century is an altogether different phenomenon; never before could learning be
happening the way it is now—everywhere, all the time, on any possible topic, supporting any possible learning
style or preference. But what does being a 21st-century teacher really mean?
1. COMPETENCE AND PATIENCE
The requirement of any teacher is to know his or her subject well. However, in most cases, it is vital to
remember that, as a teacher, you are guiding a learner to new knowledge and helping them discover the subject
you are teaching. Doing is learning. This is especially important in language teaching as many students may
enter the course as complete beginners, false beginners, or have little knowledge of the language but lack
confidence. As a teacher, recognizing what the learner knows and doesn’t know is paramount. The learning
doesn’t always happen quickly. Give it space and time to happen. Patience with the learning process is one of
the greatest qualities of a good teacher. Patience inspires confidence in the learner. Vulnerability is a hindrance
to the learner. Having patience gives the learner the courage to learn.
2. PERSONALIZED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Every individual learns differently. Changing the classroom environment in a manner to customize learning can
be extremely beneficial to students and lead to increased motivation. Language learning can be a taxing task in
itself – imagine trying to learn when the activities used to learn are not exciting or not personalized. Connecting
with your students to figure out what manner of learning – whether it is visual, audio, or even kinesthetic –
works best for them will undoubtedly help.
3. HOPEFULNESS
The best way to accomplish this is to remain hopeful and encouraging yourself. Your level of hopefulness is
contagious and inspires students to learn and believe that they can pick up the language. In addition to using
appreciative or constructive cues in the classroom (“Nice job!”; “Great point, can you further clarify?”; “Stick
with it!”; “You’ll get it!”; “You learned that fast!”; “Well said!”), effective language teachers are sensitive to
the learners’ discouragement and readily appease and validate learners’ feelings. A learner noticing your
hopefulness is crucial as it propels further learning, even when they feel demotivated themselves.
4. BE PASSIONATE AND GENERATE PASSION
You are obviously passionate about learning the language and communicating in it – it is important however
that you bring this passion in full force when teaching it as well. If classes are drab and uninspiring they leave
students in the same state. Sparking an interest in the language is imperative and this can be done by
understanding motivations for learning the language in the first place or even communicating the benefits of
learning the language. Every language or culture is super exciting. Highlight this!
5. CONNECT
The division between your knowledge of the language and your teaching skills is the ability to connect and form
relationships with your students. Many of our least memorable teachers are usually those with whom we had no
personal connection or not felt understood or appreciated by them. As a good language teacher, your job is to
put aside the specialized language and learn to explain key language concepts, patterns, and ideas in ways that
students can relate to, enjoy, and apply in real-life situations. You can try using apps/websites that have learner-
friendly activities that connect personally. It’s important to take the time to understand why a student wants to
learn the language and try to cater to that purpose.
6. MISTAKES = LEARNING HAPPENING
Studies have shown that stimulating student participation directly leads to more successful language acquisition.
Passive, quiet students most likely aren’t learning as much as those who participate actively and regularly.
However, a more reserved student need not be a cause for concern – implementing a more collaborative
approach of asking, understanding, and encouraging can be enough. Again, the importance of being relatable
cannot be stressed enough, as students will participate more when they feel respected by you, and that it’s safe
to make mistakes. They will quickly realize that they learn the most from their own mistakes.
7. LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ DEVELOPMENT STAGES
Language learning environments are unique in that different learning stages will look very different from one
another. Younger students, for example, will need more visual tools and playful activities rather than written
ones. Language learning is challenging and can result in a lot of frustration during certain frustrating stages.
Understanding the language development stages of your learners, therefore, offers you a better idea to
customize teaching to suit the individual needs effectively.
8. EXPLORE DIFFERENT TEACHING METHODS
With technology permeating all aspects of life and the incorporation of eLearning in classrooms (blended
classrooms) methods of language teaching have changed considerably. As an effective teacher, including the
use of technology in your lesson plans, is invaluable to create an enhanced, more relatable, and a multimedia
classroom.

9. TEACHER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

To be the best teacher you can, you also need to be a learner. One cannot stress enough the importance of
teachers continuously improving their own teaching and language abilities. Ways to do so include analyzing
one’s own practices, learning from peers, staying current with the latest teaching methodologies. Teachers
ultimately also remain lifelong students, and effective tutors share what they are learning as well as show what
it looks like to be a learner.
10. HOLD STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE
Finally, it is essential to remember that everyone can learn anything. It is innate in all of us. The teacher’s
responsibility is to find all the ways to facilitate that learning. Also, a good teacher would make sure that all
learners take responsibility for their learning right from the start.
A learner can only learn so much through teaching. Bringing a positive attitude and having the motivation to
learn themselves is just as crucial to their learning process.