No learner can be fully effective if he or she feels unhappy or troubled or insecure. It is the responsibility of the school community – school staff, pupils, parents and carers, professionals from partner agencies and others in the local community – to work together to ensure that each learner feels safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. Young people think that the teacher has a central role in this process, working with others in the school community to create the right conditions for effective learning.
Over the last sixty years, young people’s ideas about what makes a successful teacher have been surprisingly consistent. These focus on personal qualities – how the teacher (i.e. any person who provides a learning experience including auxiliary staff and youth workers) acts as a role model – building relationships with individuals and the class as a whole, fostering relationships amongst learners.
According to young people, successful teachers are:
- Aspirational - genuinely believe that all learners can succeed
- Assertive - decisive and confident, firm but fair
- Encouraging - positive, supportive, welcoming genuine error as an opportunity to learn
- Enthusiastic - believe in what they are teaching and enjoy the job
- Humorous - show humour naturally and put learners at ease#
- Open - prepared to challenge their own thinking and admit they may be wrong
- Respectful - genuinely like young people, care about them, listen to them, enjoy their company and do not disrespect them individually or collectively.
Before we engage with the key principles and characteristics of our policy, we should consider fully the crucial importance of establishing and maintaining good working relationships if successful learning is to take place.