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ies.v5n5p35 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v5n5p35 Abstract This paper attempts to explore and identify the character istics of an effective teacher who teaches English as a second language to 10 year old students from different ethnics, various social economic background and multi-level language ability, at a private primary school in Malaysia . However we would like to propose another six more notable characteristics of an effective teacher: (i) loving the profession; (ii) going beyond the lesson time; (iii) creating a suitable yet comf ortable physical classroom environment; (iv) practising the art of scaffolding (v) weaving values, leadership and thinking skills into the lesson and (vi) creating class rules and boundaries through repetition and humour. On the othe r hand, Hattie (2003) presented a different perspective on the characteris tics of an effective teacher as so meone who knows their subject matter well, is able to identify essential representations of their subject, can guide and motivate learning through classroom activities, can monitor learning and provide eff ective feedback, can attend to attentive attributes, and can influence student outcomes. Hattie (2003) further added that expert teachers can sponta neously relate what is happening to these deeper sets of principles; can quickly recognize sequences of events occurring in the classroom that in some way affect the learning and teaching of a topic; are more opportunistic and flexible in their teaching; are more adept at anticipating problems and then improvising; are skillful in keeping the lesson on track and accomplishing their objectives; and allow student questions and comments as springboards for discussion. She also used students as her topic of discussion or in bringing out a point related to the lesson, real objects such as fresh fruit fo r the reading class, teaching ai ds like the alphabet chart, handouts, the classroom plants, question and answer, drills , repetition, and the list continues. 1.1 Background The Malaysian National Education Philosophy states that: “ Education in Malaysia is an on-going effort towards furt her developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonic, based on a firm belief in and devotion to god...” National Education Blueprint 2006-2010: ix Thus, as educators, our main responsibility is to produce such students and to prepare them to face myriad world challenges upon graduation. Above all, effective teachers should be able to detect when students are learning or motivated to learn or are losing focus or interest in the topic presented on that day. We also noted that in all the classr oom teaching and learning observations, the tasks given were challenging and appropriately designed to suit the student age level and ability, so that each student can meet the objectives as listed in the lessons’ learning outcome. By focusing their instructional goals on the acquisition of mastery rather than competitive and comparative goals, superior teach ers prompt students’ intrinsic motiv ation to become the force behind learning (Heller & Sottile, 1996). For example, how to choose a ‘good’ durian, taking the students to the market to learn about local fruits, using the colloquial term ‘heaty’ to mean ‘feeling hot,’ discussing experiences on ‘ balik kampong’ or going back to your home town, using the Malay language to explain difficult terminology, using real plants to teach science, and many others. In recent years she has made a significant contribution in turning her class around, and the class has won the monthly cleanliness trophy for almost an entire year, missing only twice. From the interviews with her, her students and colleagues, we argued that the special ability in recognising helpful events is due to the fact that she loves teaching; she loves the children, the school and, most of all, she loves her profession as a teacher. We acknowle dged this teacher’s frequent us e of her skills and the art of scaffolding in her lessons and realized its impact on her students. Though the competitive spirit was invoked during her lessons as well as in the distribution of games, she used competitiveness as points for rewards. We realized that it is a unique ability that deserves deeper probing to understand how she manages to be conscious of such events while simultaneously managing the lessons as well. Thus, we believe that further research is inevitable to enable comparisons to be made, and such findings would be more conclusive in developing a complete list of the characteristic of an effective teacher, specifically on classroom management. New teachers and those at a crossroads in their career would also benefit if they could confirm that the interpersonal and intrapersonal beliefs they possess are those demanded by the field. This teacher makes such an impact that her students do not give the school administration difficult discipline issues and instead have such motivation that they excel in the process. Second, teachers also need to show and communicate their enthusiasm, fo r such displays will produce an immediate increase in www.ccsenet.org/ies International Edu cation Studies Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 37 student motivation. With these goals in mind, this article aims to share the finding s of an empirical study on the key ch aracteristics teachers need to excel in their job, focusing on classroom management. She is a great motivator as proven by Student B, who would continue to be the best even as she moved beyond this teacher; “Yes, because she tells us we must be the best even though she’s not there. It could also help policy makers and school administrators in deciding whether to make it into an important criterion for futu re teacher selection, thus solving the issue on the importance of loving your profession versus going into the profession because of economic circumstances. When ever she comes into the classroom, the students automatically remove the things on their desk and keep them inside their bags or inside their desk drawer. Though th ese findings are based on one teacher, they are justifiable by the rigorous data collection method used and deserve follow-up. Pizzas, squash racquets, ice-creams, and sweets, were some of the prizes mentioned; “She gives us lots of presents; sweets, Pizza Hut, Dominoes pizza. It fascinates us that this teacher knows when to make use of those events and turn those moments into a teaching po int. Such teachers combine new subject matter content knowledge with prior knowledge; can relate current lesson content to other subjects in the curriculum; and make lessons uniquely their own by changing, combining and adding to them according to their students’ need s and the teacher’s own goals. The author listed the themes as student centeredness, enthusiasm for teaching, et hical values, classroom and behaviour management, teaching met hodology and knowledge. Five full-day classroom observations were video recorded together with the field notes, and a total of 10 interview hours were transcribed. The findings concur with previous literature reviews on effec tive teacher models whilst providing in-depth details on what transpires during classroom activ ities, thus clarifying further the meaning of effective classroom management. By doing so, she instils confidence in the weaker ones, at the same time conveying a sense of sharing, patience and understanding to the whole class. Apart from parents, the teacher is the next cruc ial factor, who patiently, year in and year out, goes into the cl assroom to teach and mould th e children under his or her care. Having things on the desk can serve as a distra ction, so she repeats this teaching every time she sees students with cluttered desks. The study focused on classroom management using a case study methodology where data was collected using both interviews and classroom observations. When aske d to describe her character, her students’ quick response was mostly, ”She is the be st;” “She is wonderful;” “She is awesome;” ”She is great;” “I love her.” Her reputation as a good teacher has never left her since the day she started teaching in the school. This is known as vision setting, where a teacher gives her students a focus or a goal to ac hieve. In a different study, it was noted that effective teachers are also able to explain complicated material well an d do it creatively (Malikow, 2006). The teacher knows her lessons well, which we feel would have demanded some amount of time spent in preparation. This is noticed during the first observation, when she reminded the class about being the best and disciplined even when she is not with them. Points were also given for doing work on time, being honest, unusual answers and also group work rewards. Earlier studies on classroom management that focusing on students’ sense of belonging in school contexts have found that a strong sense of belonging can result in pos itive outcomes, including academic motivation, a sense of efficacy, a liking for school, and a se nse of emotional well-being (Goode now, 1993; Wentzel, 2003). It is noted that in awarding points she makes use of her students’ opinions, demonstrating the skill of allowing student autonomy. While aspi ring teachers can increase their knowledge and develop their skills, their intrapersonal and interpersonal character , in addition to their spiritual beliefs, are likely to remain the same (Cantor, 1990). So, while teachers can develop both knowledge and skills through experience and training, without the ability and the disposition to make use of them, very little will happen. Another prominent feature in all the observations is her spirit of encouragement, be it praises for answering, commendations for getting good marks, or passing simple words of encouragement. Instead of penalising her homework dodger, she would praise him when the student finally handed in his homework to her. There was not a dull moment in all of th e five observations; each le sson was creatively prepared. 3. Methodology Consistent with case study methodology, observation, interviews and document analysis were chosen as the best means of collecting the data required for an educati onal case-study research setting (Merriam, 1997). The educational community should direct its a ttention to higher quality teaching, and develop higher expectations that students can meet appropriate challenges that occur once the classroom door is closed (Hattie, 2003). The teachers’ variance is important, as it is what teachers know, do and care that make the difference in this learning equation. Observation data on the pr ocess of teaching and learning in the classroom was triangulated with semi-structured interv iews with the teacher herself, four school administrato rs, five colleagues and 21 (all) of the teacher’s 10 year old students. Her modesty and perseverance turned her into one of the best teach ers the school has ever encountered. Schackne (2007) also noted that prompt feedback contributes to increased motivation and retention, and that retention is increased when the material is made relevant to students’ lives. Mujis (2001) suggests that teaching strategies need to be varied acco rding to different learning needs of students. In search of the essence of a good teacher: towards a more holistic approach in teacher education . She combines prior knowledge of the students, linking this knowledge to the present moment and knowledge about other topics. She is able to recognize the weak, the quiet, and those who seem to dominate classroom discussion most of the time. After she retired in 1995, she decided to join a private primary school, and this move made a significant impact on her, as she had never taught, trained nor handled primary school children. This demonstrates her passion and her willingness to go beyond her ways in ensuring that tran sfer of knowledge has occurred. Thus, he concluded that it is very difficult to identify these effective teacher characteristics because personal traits are rooted in feelings and beliefs, which we can neither observe directly nor assess using simple questionnaires (Ostorga , 2003). In such a scenario, they are able to realign the focus of the www.ccsenet.org/ies International Edu cation Studies Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 38 students through participation or throu gh showing that the teacher cares and is aware of the students’ feelings. Teaching should also be interactive in that teachers should involve st udents by asking relevant questions and giving prompt feedback. The power of effec tive teachers cannot be underestimated, as proven in a study conducte d by Darling, Chung, and Freflow (2002). She constantly checks with her students as to whether they understand her lesson or not. International Education Studi es; Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 ISSN 1913-9020 E-ISSN 1913-9039 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 35 Effective Classroom Management Azlin Norhaini Mansor 1 , Wong Kim Eng 2 , Mohamad Sattar Rasul 1 , Mohd Izham Mohd Hamzah 1 & Aida Hanim A. Hamid 1 1 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia 2 Open University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Correspondence: Azlin Norhaini Mansor, Univers iti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia. E-mail: [email protected] Received: May 19, 2012 Accepted: This shows that the teacher has done a lot of preparation prior to the teaching time. Teachers are basically the pillars who are responsi ble for the success or failure of our educational system. Other studies have identified several characteristics of an effective teach er, which include enthusiastic, effective communicator, adaptable to change, lifelong learner, competent, accepting of others, One cannot be caring and yet be uninterested in their students because these two traits work hand in hand. 2.3 Classroom Management The discussion on classroom management includes behaviour management because both managerial traits cannot always be distinguished, especially when the lesson is being carried out. The implications of this study suggest the need to include six new classroom management behaviours of an effective teacher. 2.2 Subject Matter Goe (2007) suggested that the expert teacher possesses knowledge that is more integrated. Effective teaching as perceived by teachers and principals in selected Indiana school corporations. Her encour agements make the students feel valu ed and also make them feel that they belong to the class. All these show her creat ivity in lesson presentation and in using the situations that arise in class. Without this commitment or this pa ssion, teaching can easily become a mundane routine, performed solely to make a living. Effective teachers also recognize that students have ‘unique learning styles’ (Sadler-Smith, 1996). The reminders show th at she has laid down some rules from the very beginning www.ccsenet.org/ies International Edu cation Studies Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 41 of the year, and the class knew exactly what If the teacher is not intere sted in the material he/she is presenting, the outcome will be student boredom and dislike for the subject as we ll. Investigating change in epistemic beliefs: An evaluation of the impact of student teachers’ beliefs on instructional pref erence and teaching competence. To love one’s profes sion as a pre-requisite to being effective is seldom discussed in the literature. Third is her effort in enhancing the physical appearance of the class. She also uses her own money to buy stuff for the class. Recognizing helpful events requires a conscious effort to make those situations worthwhile. The purpose of this study is to discov er what transpires in the classroom and to identify the characteristics of a well-known teacher who teaches English as a second language to 10-yea r-old students from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and with va rying language abilities. On another note, effective teachers should set tasks that are challenging with reasonable expect ations (Malikow, 2006). The link between teacher quality and stud ent outcomes: A research synthesis. Paper presented at the Australian Association for Research in Ed ucation (AARE), Conference. patient , organized, hardworking, and caring (Glenn, 2001; Mujis, 2005: Malikow, 2006; Goe, 2007; Daniel, 2010; Korthagen, 2004, Vallance 2000); Hattie 2003) defines excellent teachers, effec tive teachers or expert teachers as teach ers who are able to teach and at the same time create a learning environment within the class to the point that the students enjoy learning and love to learn under that teacher. Second would be her helpfulness, which went beyond the classroom hours. Bringing humour and rep eating reminders about good behaviour are two criteria seldom discussed in the reviews. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/tip.2003.0054 Witcher, A.E., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Minor, L.C. (2001) Her effective teacher characters were also noted when she does immediate remedial, gives immediate feedback, and does correction during almost every lesson. Thus, we would strongly suggest that future research is needed to look deeper into this as pect. Using talk to scaffold referential qu estions for English language learners. Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: relationships to motivation and achievement. Vallance (2000) defines this as a personal commitment to students because they love them as individuals, and this commitment moves them to act for their students’ benefit. Retrieved from http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/link/Jul2009/li3.html Darling L., Chung, R., & Fr eflow, F. (2002). Even if she gets angry, she doesn’t (student shows an angry face). The role of values in the development of dispositions. A study by Johnson (1980) determined four key characteristics that correlated with teacher eff ectiveness: having sound knowle dge of subject matter; taking personal interest in each student; establishing a caring and warm atmosphere; and showing enthusiasm with students. The Development of Personality (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.17). How many times have we heard students say they excel because of this teacher or a stud ent likes a subject because of a teache r? She gives clues when the child gets stuck in providing answers and provides more cl ues until s/he gets the answer. This makes her job easier and the lesson flow continuously. She always gives extra information on her subject matter. There was storytelling using hers elf as the main topic and real-life www.ccsenet.org/ies International Edu cation Studies Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 39 scenarios relevant to the students. Apart from bringing humour into the classroom, she constantly reminds the students to be honest and helpful and to respect each other and be on time. Leveling your students: The common sens e approach in DevelopingTeachers. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ijer.2012.02.002 Forsyth, D. R., & McMillan, J. H. (1991). Another look at student motivation : A Qualitative Study. Sosu, E. M., & Gray, D. D. (2011). Retrieved from http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Adams#T he_Education_of_Henry_Adams_.281907.29 www.ccsenet.org/ies International Edu cation Studies Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 42 Jung, C. G. (1981). Paper presented at the Second Annual Symposium on Educator Dispositions, 20–21 , in Richmond, Kentucky, USA Schackne, S (2007). All these would lead to active learning as put forth by Hattie (2003), with expert teachers preferring to involve students in their learning rather than talking most of the time. There are definite reasons to why a teacher is effective. http://dx.doi.org/ -10.1016/ S0883-0355(03)00015-6 Heller, D., & Sottile, J. M. (1996). In the classroom, even ts cannot be predicted. Literature Review In a study conducted by Hattie (2003), besides students themselves (50%), t eachers account for 30 percent of the influencing factor in students’ achievement, followed by home environment (5-10%), schools (5-10%), and peer effects (5-10%). She also gives us things she doesn’t want.” National Forum of Education Journal – Electronics, 16 (3E), 2005-2006. Journal of European Industrial Training, 20 (7), [1996] 29–36. Furthermore, the effect appeared to be cumulative and additive, in that students taught by ineffective teachers for consecutive years do significantly worse in terms of both gains and achievement compared to peers who were assigned to effective teachers for consecutive years. As Hattie (2003) mentioned, expert teachers are able to deal with the multidimensionality of the classroom. As there are various and multiple factor s involving teacher effectiveness in this discussion, we categorized all the running themes into three broad categ ories. She calls them by name and she knows her students well. Her rewards we re abundant and generous . International Journal of Educational Research , 37 , 449–481 Hattie, J. (2002). In Menges, R. J., & Svinicki, M. D. , eds. College Teaching: From Theory to Practice. Some students even www.ccsenet.org/ies International Edu cation Studies Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 36 study under the same teacher for a number of years. This was mentioned by the first interviewee, that she spot chec ks her class on cleanliness. The windows were lined with pastel coloured butterflies so the students would not be distracted by the view outside. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 45 , 53-65 Glenn, R. E. (2001). A strong sense of belonging has been associated with a desire to learn and an increase in understanding, whereas a lack of belonging has been associated with negative academic outcomes such as truancy and withdrawal from school. National Education Blueprint 2006-2010 : Ministry of Education Malaysia. In the fifth observation, she encourages them not to admit defeat ev en though they lost the cleanliness trophy that w eek. School of Education, University of Auckland. Nevertheless, policy makers, administrators, teacher educ ators and aspiring teachers would benefit significantly from knowing the characteristics of ef fective teachers, as this knowledge would likely im prove the quality of the field. They claimed that only beliefs about ‘source of knowledge’ significantly predicted teaching competence, whilst entry qualifications, instructional pref erence and the other epistemic dimensions were not significant predictors of teaching competence. Classroom composition and peer effects . Educational Planning and Research Division. During the interview, she explained the power of encouragement. The Education of Henry Adams . It also shows her readiness and flexibility in adapting her teaching me thodologies to the student’s style of learning. Practical Proposals for Motivating Students. Retrieved from: http://highreliability.co.uk/Files/Downloads/Effectiveness/DM2002a.pdf Ostorga, A. N. (2003). Learning styles: a holistic approach. Retrieved from http://www.ncctq.org/publications/LinkB etweenTQandStudentsOutcomes.pdf Hattie, J. (2003). What is the research evidence? Retrieved from www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr387.shtml Goodenow, C. (1993). He concludes that learning outcomes are directly related to the learning environment within the classroom created by the teacher due to the fact that the proce sses of learning that they foster are by far the more powerful. Below we will further discuss other char acteristics and behaviour of this teacher that have not been or are seldom discussed in the literature on effective teachers. In this context, scaffolds means ‘to provide support.’ Teachers make a differ ence. Char acteristics of effective t eachers: “She doesn’t get angry. Retreived from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2003.10.002 Malikow, M. (2006). She’s kind and patient. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1961). Thus comes the famous quote “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops,” by Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918:Chp. 20). Journal of Teacher Education, 53 (4), 286-302. Variatio n in teacher preparation. Com. Retrieved from http://www.sch ackne.com/ Goodteacher.htm Sadler-Smith, E. (1996). Retrieved from http:// www.aare.edu.au/00pap/val00341.htm Wentzel, K. R. (2003). When they face any difficulty in understanding the text or a word, she is always willing to explain. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED398524.pdf Henry Adams. (Grounding is taking away the privilege of play time www.ccsenet.org/ies International Edu cation Studies Vol. 5, No. 5; 2012 40 during break and lunch time.) In research done by Malikow (2006), exhibiting a caring attitude is the third most frequently cited characteristic of an effective teacher, together with being interested in students.