In my opinion, five of the most crucial virtues of teaching are:

• Patience
• Fairness
• Kindness
• Respect
• Integrity

Patience 

When working with children, patience is absolutely vital. Each pupil will have their strengths and weaknesses and it is up to the teacher to help them in any way possible. Therefore, it is very important to give the pupil all the time that they require in order to allow them to overcome this area where improvement is needed.

Fairness

Fairness is also a crucial characteristic to possess as a teacher. No pupil should be put at a disadvantage and singled out. This can ultimately damage their learning experience and knock their confidence. It is important, as the teacher, to ensure that the classroom is totally equal.

Kindness

In order to welcome children into the classroom and ensure that their learning experience is enjoyable, a teacher should be kind. School can often be a daunting experience for many young children, therefore it is the job of the teacher to be kind in order to allow children to be able to approach them and feel at ease during their time inside the classroom.

Respect

If a teacher is to uphold their authority in the classroom, it is important that they be respected by their pupils. However, the only way to be respected by the children you teach is to respect them in turn. It is also vital to respect every member of staff within the school you work in. Every staff member is part of a team and each member of that team must respect one another. This ensures that everyone can work effectively, essentially bettering the learning experience for every child.

Integrity

Integrity is also a key virtue to have as a teacher. It is important to be honest as a teacher and possess a good set of moral principles as this can effect the teacher’s decision-making in the classroom and ultimately effect the learning experience of pupils. Possessing integrity as a teacher may also suggest a certain level of commitment to the profession which, in my opinion, is vital to being a successful teacher.

Firstly, in order to be able to understand the benefits of active learning, it is important to understand the key meaning of the term and the main ideas that surround it. Active learning is essentially a learning model that makes the learner take responsibility for their own learning. It is also important to realise that active learning is considered to be more than merely passively reading a piece of text from a textbook or copying notes out straight from a lecture presentation. In order to be an active learner, you have to go the extra mile and try to develop notes that you take in a lecture or add in your own thoughts when reading a piece of text. There are various ways to participate actively in one’s learning, some of which are highlighted in the video below in Benjamin Bloom’s catalogue of methods.

Active learning can produce various benefits, one of which is capability to allow students to look a particular issue from different critical viewpoints. This can help to widen their knowledge on this issue and allow them to have a more balanced understanding and overview on this particular issue. This newly acquired understanding can then work to help them build a stronger argument when faced with a critical analysis task on the particular issue. Active learning is also a massively effective way of granting students ownership over their own learning and allows them to essentially take the driving seat in their education. This in turn can motivate them more and help them achieve success as they feel more motivated by responsibility. Another benefit of active learning is that it forces students to relate one topic with another that has been previously covered in lessons or lectures. This gives way to connections being built within a student’s education and can help them establish the wider picture whereby they consider how this contributes to the learning objectives of their learning.

Working co-operatively can present many benefits not only for the individual, but also for the group itself. One of the main benefits is that it allows each member of the group to develop their own understanding of a particular issue through sharing and exchanging ideas within the group. Each member of a group has something to offer but also something they can take away. Working in a team can also provide guidance and assistance if required as you have the opportunity to seek help or ask questions to fellow members of the group. Working co-operatively can also generate healthy debate on a certain subject matter whereby ideas from different perspectives are being expressed, thus helping work towards the common goal of achieving the task but with a more balanced approach towards it. Within the teaching profession, it is important to embrace co-operative work as this can help develop relationships with fellow colleagues, therefore leading to ideas being shared which can better the learning experience for children.