Basically, research is the process of discovering new knowledge. This knowledge can be either the development of new concepts or the advancement of existing knowledge and theories, leading to a new understanding that was not previously known.

While research can be carried out by anyone and in any field, most research is usually done to broaden knowledge in the physical, biological, and social worlds. This can range from learning why certain materials behave the way they do to asking why certain people are more resilient than others when faced with the same challenges. The use of ‘systematic investigation’ in the formal definition represents how research is normally conducted – a hypothesis is formed, appropriate research methods are designed, data is collected and analyzed, and research results are summarized into one or more ‘research conclusions’. These research conclusions are then shared with the rest of the scientific community to add to the existing knowledge and serve as evidence to form additional questions that can be investigated. It is this cyclical process that enables scientific research to make continuous progress over the years; this is the true purpose of research

Purpose of Research

The purpose of research is to enhance society by advancing knowledge through the development of scientific theories, concepts, and ideas. A research purpose is met by forming hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing results, forming conclusions, implementing findings into real-life applications, and forming new research questions.

The purpose of research is therefore to find out what is known, what is not, and what we can develop further. In this way, scientists can develop new theories, ideas, and products that shape our society and our everyday lives.

Read: The process of course design and planning

The purpose of research is to further understand the world and learn how this knowledge can be applied to better everyday life. It is an integral part of problem-solving.

Although research can take many forms, there are three main purposes:

Exploratory: Exploratory research is the first research to be conducted around a problem that has not yet been clearly defined. Exploration research therefore aims to gain a better understanding of the exact nature of the problem and not to provide a conclusive answer to the problem itself. This enables us to conduct more in-depth research later on.

Descriptive: Descriptive research expands knowledge of a research problem or phenomenon by describing it according to its characteristics and population. Descriptive research focuses on the ‘how’ and ‘what’, but not on the ‘why’.

Explanatory: Explanatory research, also referred to as casual research, is conducted to determine how variables interact, i.e., to identify cause-and-effect relationships. Explanatory research deals with the ‘why’ of research questions and is therefore often based on experiments.

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Inductive Reasoning

Inductive reasoning can be applied in a classroom setting. In any class, students come from different backgrounds and contexts, they have different capabilities and different styles of learning. This situation demands different teaching techniques, strategies, and methodologies, which the teacher adjusts according to the situation and requirements. There are a variety of techniques and methods that teachers use under the umbrella term inquiry approach. Inquiry is an approach that is rooted in Socrates’s logical thinking. Teachers often use logic to foster the thinking of their students. During this process, the teachers impose questions on their students after judging their level and ability. If the student answers the question correctly, a question of higher order is asked. On the other hand, if he/she cannot, follow-up questions are imposed to create the link between the known and the unknown. There are a variety of techniques, but many teachers prefer the inductive method, according to Prince and Felder (2006), in the inductive teaching-learning process. The instruction begins with specifics, for example, a set of observations or experimental data to interpret, a case study to analyze, or a complex real-world problem to solve. As the students attempt to analyze the data or scenario or solve the problem, they generate a need for facts, rules, procedures, and guiding principles, at which point they are either presented with the needed information or helped to discover it for themselves.

Read: Strategies to motivate students in the classroom.

The inductive reasoning method moves from specific to general. These examples will help us understand the concept of inductive reasoning. Consider this: “Previous car accidents of this sort were caused by brake failure, and therefore, this accident was also caused by brake failure.” Similarly, while doing exercises in mathematics, children use the induction method: “As the previous question was solved by adding the numbers, therefore, this question may also be solved by the same method”, and most of the time it comes true.

Read this: Top qualities and skills of a good teacher.

Aspects of inductive teaching

Some important aspects of the inductive teaching method are given below.

1. It gives new knowledge, as students are supposed to be involved in the process of knowledge construction.
2. It is a method of discovery, where students discover the facts through their own involvement.
3. It is a method of teaching; teachers use it by starting from the known facts and using different inquiry techniques to discover the hidden ones.
4. A child acquires firsthand knowledge and information by actual observation.
5. It is a slow process, as all the steps are interlinked and the students cannot move forward without mastering the previous one.
6. It trains the mind and gives self-confidence and initiative to the students. After being exposed to the inductive method, the students have a more positive attitude towards taking initiative in their studies.
7. It is full of activities, and many activities lead to the generation of new knowledge.
8. It is an upward process of thought that leads to principles, and the students understand the philosophy behind those principles.

In order to foster intrinsic motivation in students, try to create learning activities that are based on topics that are relevant to their lives. Strategies include using local examples, teaching with events in the news, using pop culture technology (iPods, cell phones, YouTube videos) to teach, or connecting the subject with your students’ culture, outside interests, or social lives.

Provide Choices

Students can have increased motivation when they feel some sense of autonomy in the learning process, and that motivation declines when students have no voice in the class structure. Giving your students options can be as simple as letting them pick their lab partners or select from alternative assignments, or as complex as “contract teaching,” wherein students can determine their own grading scale, due dates, and assignments.

Balance the Challenge

Students perform best when the level of difficulty is slightly above their current level. If the task is too easy, it promotes boredom and may communicate a message of low expectations or a sense that the teacher believes the student is not capable of better work. A task that is too difficult may be seen as unattainable, undermine self-efficacy, and create anxiety. Scaffolding is one instructional technique where the challenge level is gradually raised as students are capable of more complex tasks.

Seek Role Models

If students can identify with role models, they may be more likely to see the relevance of the subject matter. For example, Weins et al. (2003) found that female students were more likely to cite a positive influence from a teacher as a factor in becoming interested in science. In some cases, you can be a role model, but it’s unlikely that you will connect on that level with everyone in the class due to differences in gender, age, and social circles. However, there can be many sources of role models, such as invited guest speakers, fellow students, or other peers.

Use Peer Models

Students can learn by watching a peer succeed at a task. In this context, a peer means someone who the student identities with, not necessarily any other student. Peers may be drawn from groups as defined by gender, ethnicity, social circles, interests, achievement level, clothing, or age.

Establish a Sense of Belonging

People have a fundamental need to feel connected or related to other people. In an academic environment, research shows that students who feel they ‘belong’ have a higher degree of intrinsic motivation and academic confidence. According to students, their sense of belonging is fostered by an instructor that demonstrates warmth and openness, encourages student participation, is enthusiastic, friendly and helpful, and is organized and prepared for class.

Read: The process of course design and planning

Adopt a Supportive Style

A supportive teaching style that allows for student autonomy can foster increased student interest, enjoyment, engagement and performance. Supportive teacher behaviors include listening, giving hints and encouragement, being responsive to student questions and showing empathy for students.

Example of supportive-style teacher behaviors

•Listening- carefully and fully attended to the student’s speech, as evidenced by verbal or non-verbal signals of active, contingent, and responsive information processing.

•Asking what students want; such as, “which problem do you want to start with?”

•Allowing students to work in their own way

•Allowing students to talk

•Using explanatory statements as to why a particular course of action might be useful, such as “How about we try the cube, because it is the easiest one.”

•Using praise as informational feedback, such as “Good Job” and “That’s great.”

•Offering encouragements to boost or sustain the student’s engagement, such as  “almost” “you’re close,” and “you can do it.”

•Offering hints, such as “Laying the map on the table seems to work better than holding it in your lap” and “It might be easier to work on the bottom of the map first.”

•Being responsive to student-generated questions, such as “yes, you have a good point” and “yes, right, that was the second one.”

•Communicating with empathic statements to acknowledge the student’s perspective or experience, such as “yes, this one is difficult” and” I know its sort hard to tell.”

•Talking

•Holding or monopolizing learning materials

Read this: Top qualities and skills of a good teacher.

•Giving the solutions or answers before the students had the opportunity to discover the solution themselves.

•Uttering directive or commands, such as “Do it like this,” “Start this way,” or “Use pencil.”

•Making statements that the student should, must, has to, got to, or ought to do something, such as “you should keep doing that” and “you ought to….”

•Asking controlling questions, such as “can you move it like I showed you?” and “Why don’t you go ahead and show me?”

•Making statements communicating a shortage of time, such as “We only have a few minutes left.”

•Using praise as contingent reward to show approval of the student or the student’s compliance with the teacher’s directions, such as “you’re smart” or” you are really good at playing with blocks.”

•Criticizing the students or the student’s lack of Compliance with the teacher’s directions, such as “No, no, no, you shouldn’t do that.”

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Process of course planning

First of all, a teacher needs to identify the learning objectives of the course for the class, then design appropriate learning activities and develop strategies to obtain feedback on student learning. A successful course plan addresses and integrates these three key components:

• Objectives for student learning

• Teaching/learning activities

• Strategies to check students understanding Objectives specified for student learning help in determining the kinds of teaching and learning activities to be used in class. These activities will define the achievements of learning objectives.

The detailed planning of a course is emphasized through the following stages:

Pre-Planning Stage

Before teaching, the teacher has to think about the lesson plan for a particular class. The Center of Excellence in Teaching (1999) recommends that the answers to the following questions may help the teachers proceed with effective planning:

What are my objectives for this class?

Objectives are statements of what the teacher wants students to learn. The objectives are most likely to be the same as, or close to, the goals outlined during course planning. These are specific to a particular class.

What are the objectives for this class?

Objectives are specific goal statements written in behavioral terms. They state exactly what the students should be able to do in a class, on a paper, in an exam, etc. Objectives also specify the conditions under which the students should learn the material.

Why is this material important?

The teacher thinks about the importance of the skills or knowledge being taught to the students.

What content will be covered in this particular class?

A statement of the rationale (logical reasoning) will help the teachers decide what content needs to be conveyed. Or

What will students need to know to meet the goals and objectives laid down in the course? Or

What content is most essential for them to understand?

What will the students already know?

Each learner has different knowledge, the teacher must try to assess, what it is the students already understand or are able to do. Having the knowledge of the students’ previous learning the teachers are in a better position to decide where to begin the class and how to help students learn.

What materials will be needed?

These are the items needed to accomplish the goals. The teacher decides if he/she needs equipment or overheads. Planning in advance will allow the teachers to be prepared.

The Post-Planning Stage

The teacher’s course planning process should take into consideration the need to assess whether students have learned. How effective was the course? This assessment is not a complicated or difficult task. It is very simple and informal. For instance, using part of the class to let students work on problems you have given them, or discuss issues and apply concepts, can give you a good sense of what and how much they have learned. The one-minute writing about the lesson or homework problems can be similarly helpful.

Read: A teacher’s personality traits are important to create and maintain a classroom/learning environment.

Steps in Course Planning

The plans for classroom activities to happen each day make the teaching effective. The teachers go through many steps when planning a lesson. Six steps are given below to guide the teachers in creating their first lesson plans. Each step is comprised of a set of questions:

1. Outline learning objectives

The lesson objectives are usefully stated in terms of what students will achieve at the end of the lesson. The first step is to determine, as a teacher, what you want students to learn and be able to do at the end of class. To help you specify your objectives for student learning, answer the following questions:

• What is the topic of the lesson?

• What do I want students to learn?

• What do I want them to understand and be able to do at the end of class?

• What do I want them to take away from this particular lesson?

Once you outline the learning objectives for the class meeting, rank them in terms of their importance. This step will prepare you for managing class time and completing the learning objectives. Consider the following questions:

• What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills I want students to be able to grasp and apply?

• Why are they important?

• If I ran out of time, which ones could not be omitted?

• Which ones could be skipped?

2. Develop the introduction

After determining learning objectives and specifying them in order of importance, the teacher has to design specific activities for the students. They may already be familiar with the topic; therefore, it is necessary to gather background information from the students prior to the lesson. You may start with a question or activity to assess students’ knowledge of the topic. For example, you can ask a question or take a simple poll: “How many of you have heard about this?

Raise your hand if you have,” or ask them to write comments on the paper. This additional information can help you shape the introduction and learning activities of the new concept. Develop a creative introduction to the topic to encourage thinking. You can use a variety of approaches to engage students, for example, personal anecdotes, historical events, real examples, short video clips, practical applications, probing questions, etc. The following questions may help you plan your introduction:

• How will I check whether students know anything about the topic?

• What are some commonly held ideas (or misconceptions) about this topic that students might be familiar with?

• What will I do to introduce the topic?

 3. Plan the specific learning activities (the main body of the lesson)

Prepare several different examples (ways) to explain the topic/concept (real-life examples, similarities, visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of all students. After planning examples and activities for the lesson, estimate how much time you will spend on each. Manage the time for different applications or problems and the check learning and understanding of the students. The following questions would help you design the learning activities you will use in the class:

• What will I do to explain the topic?

• What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way?

• How can I engage students in the topic?

• What are some relevant real-life examples, similarities, or situations that can help students understand the topic?

• What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?

4. Plan to check for understanding

Up until now, the topic has been explained with different examples. At this stage, you need to check for student understanding. Therefore, you are required to plan for how will you know that students are learning. Think about specific questions you can ask students in order to check for understanding and write them down. Try to predict the answers to your questions. Decide whether you want students to respond orally or in writing. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What questions will I ask students to check for understanding?

• How will students demonstrate that they are following?

• Going back to the list of learning objectives, what activity students can do to check whether each of those has been completed? Decide what kinds of questions will be productive for discussion and what questions might sidetrack the class. Think about the balance between achieving learning objectives and ensuring that students understand.

5. Develop a conclusion and a preview

Repeat the material covered in class by summarizing the main points of the lesson. You can do this in a number of ways: you can state the main points yourself (“Today we talked about…”), you can ask a student to help you summarize them, or you can even ask all students to write down on a piece of paper what they think were the main points of the lesson. You can review the students’ answers to estimate their understanding of the topic and then explain anything unclear in the following class.

Conclude the lesson not only by summarizing the main points but also by making its link to the next lesson. How does the topic relate to the one that’s coming up next? This opportunity will increase students’ interest and help them connect the different ideas within a larger context.

6. Create a realistic timeline

A realistic timeline will reflect your flexibility and readiness to adapt to the specific classroom environment. Here are some strategies for creating a realistic timeline:

• Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some extra time for each

• When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how much time you expect it will take

• Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions and sum up the key points

• Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left

• Be flexible – be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students’ needs and focus on what seems to be more productive rather than sticking to your original plan.

Read this: Top qualities and skills of a good teacher.

Designing a Course Plan

There are three main elements to a course plan that most of the teachers use. There is variation among these components. All of these may not be used in every class, because some plans may spread out over two or more classes. The elements are as follows:

i) Introduction

The introduction is a way to warm up students, ease them into the class, and give them a context for what they are about to learn. Any of the following will be helpful to take a good start:

• Provide an outline of what will be done in the class. Giving a structure helps the students to organize their thoughts and integrate new ideas.

• Summarize the previous lesson if the ideas are similar to this class. Recall of previous knowledge helps the students to relate new ideas too.

• Present an issue related to the topic and ask students to generate a list of questions. Connecting the lesson with these questions will give a picture of students’ experiences, they are familiar with and be able to relate the topic to their lives. This shows that what you are teaching is relevant and draws their attention.

ii) Development

Development is an important part as it describes teaching, or “instructional methods” such as lectures, discussions, labs, collaborative learning, etc.

• Try to engage students as much as possible in the learning process. Active learning is one of the ways to engage students. It not only retains students’ attention but also helps them to develop higher-level thinking skills.

• Attempt to use a variety of teaching methods in a class. Any single method may not work for all students. A variety of methods keeps their attention and enhances learning.

• Give students the chance to apply the taught skills by using the concepts. This will help them learn and give them a chance for the teacher to assess them informally. This assessment will provide clarification of learning and the need for further practice.

iii) Conclusion

Planning of how to tie it all together for the students is also important. Tell them once again what they would learn and why it is important to them. Consider the following activities in conclusion:

iv) Ask for questions:

The last few minutes of class are an excellent time to have students raise questions and explore ideas on their own.

v) Summarize the main points and explain how they relate to the course:

Students do not always see how everything fits together. The teacher makes the link between the activities of one class to the larger course. In this way, a teacher best helps the students develop a conceptual understanding.

vi) Next lesson:

Again, this shows relevance to the lessons linked to one another and helps students develop a conceptual understanding.

vii) Recapitalize or one-minute writing about the taught lesson:

With one or two minutes remaining in class, ask students to take out a sheet of paper and, without putting their name on it, write what they believe was the main idea of the class and one question they have about the lesson content.

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Characteristics of an Effective Teacher

Knowledge and skills are taught and learned in the classroom. School is a little community in itself where teachers and students interact with each other. During this interaction, teachers influence their learner’s behavior, and learners influence their teacher’s behavior. The nature of this interaction is an important factor in determining the learner’s perceptions of school and his/her attitudes toward school-related people and activities. This factor involves the relationship between the personality of the teacher and that of the learner.

A teacher’s personality traits are important, as Callahan, (1966) says that the teacher whose personality helps create and maintain a classroom or learning environment in which students feel comfortable and in which they are motivated to learn is said to have a desirable teaching personality.

Research says that teachers are cognitively oriented toward pupils, while pupils are affectively oriented toward teachers. A teacher’s personality is, therefore, directly and indirectly, related to learning and teaching in the affective domain as well as to the cognitive and psychomotor domains, (LEW, 1977).

Teachers have the right and responsibility to develop a climate in the classroom that supports effective learning. Aristotle, quoted in Stephen Covey, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, says we are what we repeatedly do.

The climate in their classroom is based on the teachers’ personalities and styles of teaching, the tone of their voice, and the little things they continually say and do on a daily basis. In the classroom, the learners’ behavior could be determined by the way their teachers behave with them.

Best, (1991, p. 275) says that teaching is “primarily concerned with developing qualities such as curiosity, originality, initiative, cooperation, perseverance, open-mindedness, self-criticism, responsibility, self-confidence, and independence”. Marchbanks, (2000), in a study, examined the personalities of sixty students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill through a 110-question questionnaire. The traits of passion, patience, cooperation, authoritativeness, and creativity were studied in particular because these are the essential personality traits of an effective elementary school teacher. He says teachers in the twenty-first century are responsible for the overall well-being of their students, as well as educating, disciplining, and stimulating their developing minds. Because teachers have these additional duties, many more requirements are needed to be effective teachers. Let us read about the personality traits necessary to be able to accomplish all of the above-stated tasks and duties.

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Personal qualities

Elementary school teachers need the following characteristics:

• strong interpersonal and communication skills

• a genuine interest in children and respect for their individuality

• the ability to sense children’s individual needs

• the ability to be creative, imaginative, patient, energetic, organized, and resourceful

• the ability to establish rapport between children and parents

• strong leadership and teamwork skills and a good sense of humor

• a high level of dedication to work, which often impacts personal lifestyle choices

• a clear, pleasant speaking voice and the ability to convey confidence

• positive conflict resolution skills and the ability to handle stress well.

They can enjoy finding different ways to solve problems, presenting information, and organizing and coordinating the work of others.

One must be passionate, patient, cooperative, authoritative, and creative in order to be an effective teacher, besides having basic and extended knowledge of the subject he/she is teaching. A true passion for both the profession and the children is indispensable; a teacher must look forward to his or her job every single day, having the desire to instill in the students all the knowledge and skills needed to lead a happy, healthy life in today’s world. Patience is needed to maintain that passion and desire for teaching. In order to interact with the children and other teachers most effectively, an overall cooperative personality is needed. A degree of authoritativeness is necessary to preserve order and discipline in the classroom. Finally, teachers have to be creative in their approaches to instruction to earn the most successful results in educating their students (Marchbanks, 2000).

Thompson, Greer, and Greer (n.d.) say that “every teacher should possess twelve characteristics such as displaying fairness, having a positive outlook, being prepared, using a personal touch, possessing a sense of humor, possessing creativity, admitting mistakes, being forgiving, respecting students, maintaining high expectations, showing compassion, and developing a sense of belonging for students”.

Read this: Top qualities and skills of a good teacher.

Let us read these characteristics, as given below:

1) Fairness

Fairness is one of the characteristics of the student’s favorite teachers. Humans possess an inbuilt sense of fair play. Whenever a person violates, the other person in this situation is likely to react negatively. Any impression of favoritism, or lack of fairness, leaves scars on people’s lives that last forever. The students report in great detail, the unfair actions of their teachers when they had negative experiences of competition between classmates, even after many years have passed.

2) Positive Attitude

Another characteristic that students like most is the positive attitude and approach of the teachers they use in the classroom. Scholars suggest that effective teachers are those who use meaningful verbal praise to get and keep students actively participating in the learning process. Effective teachers are generally positive-minded individuals who believe in the success of their students as well as their own ability to help them achieve their goals. If the teachers have a positive attitude, they “catch students doing things right” rather than “catching them doing something wrong.” The students often recall praise and recognition that was given by their teachers at school, and they point to the confidence and direction that often resulted in their lives.

3) Preparedness

Competence and knowledge of the content area being taught are things that our college students have always mentioned about their favorite teachers. In their research, the students pointed out that in classrooms where teachers were well prepared, behavior problems were less prevalent. A well-prepared teacher is more likely to be able to take time during lessons to notice and attend to behavioral matters and is less likely to miss the beginnings of potentially disruptive activity. If, on the other hand, teachers have not spent sufficient time in planning and preparation, they tend to be so focused on what they are doing that they miss the early signs of misbehavior. This ultimately results in frequent disruption, a waste of valuable instructional time, and student frustration.

4) Personal Touch

Teachers who are connected personally with their students; call them by name, smile often, ask about students’ feelings and opinions, and accept students for who they are. As well as the teachers who tell stories of their own lives and events that relate to the subject matter currently being taught, motivate students’ interest, and endorse bonding with the students. Teachers who show interest in their students have interested students.

5) Sense of Humor

If a teacher has the ability to break the ice in difficult situations with the use of humor, this is an extremely valuable asset for teaching. According to McDermott & Rothenberg (2000), students enjoy teachers with a sense of humor and remember those teachers who made learning fun. Good teachers enjoy a laugh with the class occasionally.

6) Creativity

Students always like the unusual things that their teachers do in creative ways. The construction of models or things from waste like plastic bottles provides a field into which children could go and work quietly by themselves on academic activities like puzzles and word finds. Fun activities arranged by teachers in the classroom encourage the students to learn. Teachers can use unique ways to motivate their classes. Teachers can set a reward for the class for reaching a particular academic goal. For example, a teacher can give extra marks for work done by the students in a creative way.

7) Willingness to Admit Mistakes

Like everyone else, teachers may make mistakes. Sometimes students may know when their teachers make mistakes. Unfortunately, some teachers try to let the mistakes go unnoticed or cover them quickly. Teachers who recognize their mistakes in a very humble and pleasant way and apologize to them. This teacher provides an excellent model for the students, and they may be remembered as a good teacher.

8) Forgiving

Effective teachers reflect a willingness to forgive students for misbehavior. For example, if a student repeatedly asks irrelevant questions and distracts others from the lesson. The teacher can simply say the question is irrelevant and direct the student to further study.

9) Respect

The teachers desire to be respected by their students. The teachers who show respect to their students are always respected by them. Effective teachers can train their students to be respectful in many ways, such as keeping individual grades on papers confidential or speaking to students privately after misbehavior, not in front of others. Good teachers show sensitivity to feelings and consistently avoid situations that unnecessarily make students uncomfortable.

10) High expectations

Teachers with positive attitudes also possess high expectations for success. Teachers’ expectations affect the ways in which teachers teach and interact with students. Generally, students either rise to their teachers’ expectations or do not perform well when expectations are low or nonexistent. The best teachers have the highest standards. They consistently challenge their students to do their best.

11) Compassion

Hopefully, school is a place where children can learn and be nurtured in an emotionally safe environment. Sometimes in youngsters’ classrooms, there may be a significant amount of cruelty and hurt feelings. In these situations, a caring teacher tries to reduce the impact of hurt feelings on learning.

12) Sense of Belonging

Teachers developed a sense of family in their classrooms. A variety of strategies, such as random acts of kindness awards, class picture albums, and cooperative class goals, build a sense of unity and belonging and maintain an emotionally safe classroom. Good teachers also took strong measures to prevent mean and hurtful behavior like teasing and bullying. Effective teachers know well that when children feel emotionally and physically safe, they learn far better. Teacher quality is the most important factor in determining school quality.

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