What is NCERLEADERS and the Education Management Programme?

NCERDLEADERS was created as a joint project between the UK based Voluntary Service Overseas, the Commonwealth Institute and the National Centre for Education Resource Development, Ministry of Education in Georgetown Guyana.

The site was developed by the VSO Education Management Specialist at NCERD and principally contains information relating to Education Management and Leadership in Guyana. It has been updated and refreshed in December 2015 with older, out of date material removed, incorporating a new look. We hope you like the improvements.

The project was developed to support Educational Leaders both at the national and local level as well as Headteachers, prospective Headteachers and teachers. Along with this, its main function is to provide a distance learning tool for the Guyana Education Management Certificate. 

As you will see, all of the materials for that programme are published on this site. They can be found on the sidebar to the right. Click on the link and you will find the text only modules. Below those, you will find a link to download the modules in PDF format. You can save them on your computer and read them when you like.

Links to other interesting areas and sites can be found on the tabs above. You will also find numerous links to other educational websites in Guyana and around the world. Feel free to look through them.

And finally, the Education Management Programme is equally valid in educational settings around the world, not just in Guyana. You can adapt the materials to suit your own needs. The resources are Free.

If you feel you want to comment on anything in the site, you can do so at the end of each article or you can contact us by email. See the sidebar on the right for details.

42 new graduates of the EMC in Region 5

No 29 Primary School in Region 5 was decked out to receive 42 new graduates of the Education Management Programme. The graduates had spent 18 months studying on the programme run by the Ministry of Education NCERD. It caters for serving and aspiring Headteachers.

The invited guests, family and friends and colleague Headteachers listened to the development of the Programme in the Region since it started 6 years ago. The number of graduates has almost doubled with each of the three cohorts and 97 have already applied for the next group to start later this month. One speaker quoted the longest serving master trainer Ms Ethlyn Kendall as saying some time ago that she wanted Education Management to become an "infectious disease" in the region. It certainly appears that way.

Addresses were made by the chairperson for the day, a former graduate of the programme, who ably led the proceedings, the Regional Chairman, the Regional Executive Officer and the REDO for Region 5. The presence of such eminent persons clearly indicates the importance placed on excellent leadership in the Region's schools. Mr Stephen Harding, Education Management Specialist and VSO responsible for the training of the programme, gave the feature address. He noted that the graduates were now academically prepared for a senior leadership role in a Guyanese school but that would only be the start of the journey. They need to show by their determination, practice and efforts to be worthy of the role. He placed great emphasis on earning respect rather than just expecting respect because they were in a leadership role.

Mrs Mary Harding, Literacy Specialist and VSO along with the Regional Executive Officer distributed the certificates and the trophies for the best performers. Mr Andrew Kartick from NCERD led the "Charge" with two poems which highlighted the importance of the child as an individual. Region 5 is now ready for the next round of the programme. Its master trainers are Mr Dyiaram Samaroo, Mr Harold Lewis, Ms Ethlyn Kendall and Ms Monica Fraser-Carmichael who, as Headteacher, allowed her school to be used for the Graduation.

Congratulations to the new Educational leaders of Region 5!

Region 4 & Region 8 meet for Graduation

Diamond Secondary School was the host for the Graduates of the Education Management Certificate Programme in Region 4 in their graduation exercise on Monday 6th October 2008.

Along with the 55 graduates who completed the course were two teachers from Region 8 who chose to receive their certificates and awards in town rather than in Paramakatoi. Mr Udho, Master Trainer and former Education Officer led the procedings, introducing the chairperson who was a former graduate of the Programme. The guest speaker was the Education Management Specialist from NCERD, Mr Stephen Harding. He was introduced by Nichola Matthews, a Master Trainer, Headteacher and former graduate, who in a previous year had been the top of her class.

Ms Cheryl Cyrus gave the Vote of Thanks after the graduands received their certificates and the highest performers were given trophies.

To see the photographs, please click on the picture below:-

Region # 4 Graduation

To see the report of the graduation in Region Two, click here

Graduation in Region Two

The Education Management Programme is going from strength to strength in Region Two. This was the region which piloted the programme in 2000 and is about to start with its fifth cohort of trainees. It was also the first region to hold its graduation which coincided with Education Month.

The Graduation, which was held at Anna Regina Multilateral School was introduced by the Chairperson Ms Yvonne Castello, who is also one of the Master Trainers on the course whose group of trainees come from the Pomeroon River. An overview of the Programme was given by Mr Maydha Persaud who is another Master Trainer and Commissioner of the Teaching Service Commission as well as retired Headteacher. The Education Management Specialist from NCERD , who is a VSO from England, gave the Feature Address and urged the graduates to remain steadfast in displaying their leadership skills so as to lead schools successfully through the first half of the 20th Century.

All of the three groups of graduates, which numbered 42 in all, offered a cultural piece to the audience of well wishers, regional officials, Headteachers, teachers, family and friends. Certificates were distributed and prizes were given to the best performers. The top scoring graduate, Laljeet Ruplall offered the Vote of Thanks and the Charge was given by the country's top performing graduate in 2006, Sandra Narine.

The Graduation was attended by, amongst others, the Region's Head of the Education Department, Mr Bardewan Ghir Rambarran, the Regional Executive Officer, Mr Sunil Singh and the Vice Chairman of Region Two, Mr Vishnu Samaroo.

Group 3 Representative performs a poem about "Motivation". Other groups offered a poem and a song and a sketch on "Leadership Styles".


To see all of the photographs of this Graduation, click on the photograph below:-

Mr Mayda Persaud gave an overview of the Programme

Guyana Chronicle Article about NCERD

Article 1st October 2008

Members of NCERD’s team: from left, Jane Quinn, Rajwantie Permaul, Stephen Harding, Bibi Shariman Ali and Sandra Persaud

“To plan and implement all in-service teacher education programmes, in order to improve the quality of education at all levels in the system so that education may serve as an effective instrument of social and economic development”.

This is the foundation on which the seven units of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), have banded together to form a highly professional, accountable, modern and democratic education service.

Established in 1986, to coordinate the functions of its units, NCERD has been able to touch all areas of the education sector, from curriculum and assessments to provision of resources and textbooks, some of which are developed by NCERD.

The seven units, brought together through the efforts and funding by the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), are:

* Curriculum Development and Implementation Unit, headed by Bibi Shariman Ali
* Measurement, Evaluation and Research Unit, headed by Claudette Phoenix
* Learning Resources Development Unit, headed by Rajwantie Permaul
* School Libraries Division, also headed by Rajwantie Permaul.
* Materials Production Unit, headed by Albert Sugdeo
* Distance Education and Information Unit, headed by Pauline Stanford and
* Administrative Unit, headed by Lucille Griffith.

The units undertake tasks that are imperative to the realisation of NCERD’s key responsibilities, which have significant impact on the Education sector, according to the institution’s director, Mohandatt Goolsarran.

Director of NCERD, 

These responsibilities include:

* Provision of in-service and continuous training (professional, continuous growth and development) for teachers and other personnel
* Development, testing, implementation and evaluation of curriculums for Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools
* Advising on policy guidelines which relate specifically to Regional Learning Resources Centres (RLRC)
* Collaboration with other professionals to keep abreast of international trends in education
* Conceptualisation, development, evaluation and procurement of learning resources
* Training of library assistants, laboratory technicians and teacher librarians
* Promotion of effective teaching strategy practices
* Provision of assistance in the area of classroom management
* Upgrading of the qualifications of untrained teachers in the top regions through Distance and Open learning methodology
* Provision of formal and non-formal educational radio programmes
* Processing of examination papers and analysing results for use by the relevant personnel within the Ministry and other agencies
* Development of tests and scales required for national examinations
* Formulation and processing National Grades 2, 4, 6 and 9 Assessments and
* Printing, collating, storing and packaging papers for exhibition.

For the achievement of these responsibilities, each unit operates under a specific mission statement that complements NCERD’s general objectives. Functioning in different areas, the work of NCERD parallels those of the Ministry of Education’s Strategic Plan 2003-2007, the director stated.

This is in relation to:

* Professional support for the Hinterland Areas
* Improving equity in education by giving special attention to children in difficult circumstances
* Improving the human resource in the Education sector
* Improving the managerial capability of schools for greater effectiveness and accountability
* Information technology literacy and
* Literacy and numeracy.

NCERD’s literacy and numeracy projects hope to target 14,700 individuals. The initiative, started in May, extends throughout the 10 Administrative Regions of Guyana and purposes to help the participants raise their literacy level. Currently, regional coordinators, in association with 200 plus educators, out of a targeted 300, engage students, adults and interested persons in afternoon sessions five days a week, during an approximate seven-hour study schedule.

This effort by NCERD is only one of the programmes that are currently running which assist in educating Guyanese people for the development of the individual and, by extension, the country as a whole. In addition to the programmes established to educate, there are several others that aim at training or improving the human resource of the Education sector.

These comprise certificate courses and non-graduate courses in a number of fields, such as Education Management, Mathematics, English, Biology, Chemistry and Physics for Secondary Schools, and Basic Information Technology, said the director.

“Without NCERD there is no Ministry of Education,” Mohandatt Goolsarran posited.

He added that because of NCERD’s current role, it has been mandated by the Ministry of Education to widen its scope of activities.

A recent addition to NCERD’s list of brilliant minds is Jane Quinn, formerly of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Quinn stated that her sights are set on developing multimedia skills so as to facilitate the use of multimedia in the classrooms across Guyana. Quinn also added that she hopes to have an online infrastructure established, which would assist in making additional content available to many schools in need, on as many platforms as needed.

With more human-based and innovative technological resources, NCERD is expected to continue along the constructive path it has embarked upon to maintain the positive impact that the institution has had on the Education sector.

Motivating Children and Teachers

There are all sorts of things that motivate adults. They range from good salaries to favourable working conditions and promotion prospects to job satisfaction. But we all know that some of these are not easily provided. However, one of the biggest motivators is reward for a "job well done". It doesn't have to be a major ceremony in front of all one's colleagues but simply a word in a teacher's ear about something that they have done well, showing that you recognise it and appreciate him / her for doing it.

Some schools have been successful in rewarding teachers in a more formal way. For example, in one school, there are competitions for "Teacher of the Month", "Best Classroom" and even "Most improved punctuality and attendance" In this school, teachers strive to achieve those rewards which are presented each month in front of their colleagues. Another school presents them (not the attendance and punctuality ones) in assembly in front of the whole school and this also helps to motivate the children.

It doesn't have to cost money either. Just a simple certificate or even a letter will suffice showing how you feel about the work the member of staff is doing. These are easily made on a word processor if you have access to one. Think how you feel when somebody tells you that you have done well. Why not try it and let us know how you got on by making a comment from below?

It works even more so with children. But, stickers are expensive and not readily available in Guyana. So why not make some of your own? True, you will need access to a printer and a photocopier but it's worth the effort even if you are in an internet cafe reading this. It will only cost a few dollars and can be used again and again.

Children will work hard for a small reward and especially something they can stick in their books and show their parents. So, we're going to give you a headstart. We've prepared a few simple ones for you to download. They use Microsoft Word so they can be changed or edited as you wish. They are there for ideas. Also the children can colour them in to make them attractive.

Another idea is to have small posters with wording such as "Star of the Week", "Best Attender", "Best Punctuality" These are placed on the classroom wall and each week the name of a child is stuck onto it temporarily and replaced the next week. You can also do it as inter-class and whole school competitions.

So, why not use your imagination and create some of the resources for yourself to motivate your children. Here are some examples of what you might make.

Small Posters ............

Star of the Week Poster

Best Punctuality

Best Attender

Mini Certificates ..............

Well Done

Today's Best Worker

Star of the Week

I tried my best

Has worked well

Great Work

And small certificates...........

General Merit Certificate

If you find it was a successful strategy, just let us know by completing the comments below.

Resources Exhibition at NCERD

Many persons involved in the Leadership of schools took the time when in Georgetown to visit the Resources Exhibition in NCERD which was opened by the Honourable Minister of Education Shaik Baksh. We must thank, in particular, the Head of the Learning Resource Development Unit of NCERD, Rajwantie Permaul and her team for setting up the exhibition.

In his keynote address, the Minister made a number of important comments. He talked about the expansion of NCERD  as a training agency and, in particular a training initiative for all in the education sector which was being prepared to roll out in the next twelve months.

He was particularly clear about the need for senior educational leaders, especially in the Ministry of Education to go into schools on a more regular basis in order to develop the education system. He had been concerned also about the way resources had often not been used and had been locked away in cupboards. He promise action "to unlock the cupboards".

The Chief Education Officer (ag), Genievieve Whyte-Nedd urged teachers to use resources in the classroom as educational tools to promote learning rather tha simply to decorate classrooms.

We can all learn from this. We have been clear in NCERD about the need for a reduction in bureaucracy which will lead to Headteachers and Senior Leaders in schools being able to leave their offices, manage and lead by walking about and, in particular, advise teachers on how to improve the quality of learning and teaching in their classrooms. We will all accept that a good learning environment is paramount in providing the appropriate atmosphere in which children will learn.

The Opening was reported on NCN news and other channels. You will find extracts below, courtesy of GINA. You will note that a new Primary Resource Room was set up in NCERD alongside the existing one for Nursery Schools. This work was done by Ms Florence Sukhdeo (BEAMS Nursery Adsviser) in conjunction with VSO.

"A four- day exhibition on learning resources was declared opened today by Minister of Education Shaik Baksh at the National Centre for Education and Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston as part of the activities for the observance of Education Month under the theme ‘Education of the child: a parent and teacher obligation’.Minister Baksh noted that the Ministry of Education is aiming towards a special programme for continuous professional development of teachers throughout the school system which will be commencing during the latter part of 2009 as it would require preparation and designing.He said that the programme will be in collaboration with the Ministry’s Fast Track Initiative(FTI) programme.

Minister Baksh pointed out that a second new policy decision of the Ministry deals with the setting up of a National Committee for open and distance learning. A consultant has already been identified to develop that policy which will straddle all the sectors of the education system.

The Minister reiterated that government has spent $2.5 billion over the past three years in providing learning resources to the educational sector.He said under the five years of the strategic education plan, there is an aim to have Information Technology taught in 50 percent of the Primary Schools and also in the Secondary and Post- Secondary institutions of Guyana.

Minister Baksh urged that literature should be a compulsory subject for the Science and Business streams at schools to enhance students’ reading ability. He also urged that reading tents should be set up at least once every month in areas across Georgetown and once a month in each Region to encourage reading and learning throughout Guyana.Head of the Learning Resource Development Unit of NCERD, Rajwantie Permaul said that “learning resources are information represented and stored in a variety of medium and format can assist students’ learning as defined by the curricula.” Permaul said that “learning resources are intended for use by teachers, students and parents to foster learning both at school and at home.

Chief Education Officer (ag), Genevieve Whyte-Nedd said that the collaboration of stakeholders is often encouraged but that this year the main focus is on parents. Whyte-Nedd pointed out that the learning resources cut across various subjects but it is important that they are multi-centered.

“This is very important for our teachers and parents since many children do not learn from a single mould. Some learn fast from audio, some from video and others from a combination”, she said.

The exhibition is scheduled to run from today September 9 to September 12 starting from 9:00 am daily at NCERD. It aims to sensitize the public on the type of learning materials available for the teachers and parents to help their children in their pursuit of knowledge towards a career, to expose teachers to the best practices in the classroom, to help teachers and parents to improve their teaching skills at school and home, and to expose teachers to innovative technology that can be used in the classroom to create opportunities."

An example of a classroom display used as a learming tool for story writing

Warm-Up Activities for Teaching sessions

The following warm-up activities, sometimes called energizers are often used at the beginning of a session or when you feel that things need livening up because there is not much enthusiasm. They are meant to be enjoyed and fun rather than educative.

Long lost relative
As a group,
1) Ask each person to turn to the person on their right and greet him/her as if they really didn't want to be there. Yeah, you know what I mean - you can't wait to get out of there!
2) Then everyone (simultaneously to create lots of fun and excitement) turn to the same person and greet him/her as if (s)he is a long lost, deeply loved relative who has just returned home and you're about to see the person for the first time in years! In fact, you thought you may never see this person again until this very moment.
3) Now ask everyone (again simultaneously) to turn to the same person and greet him/her as if this person just told you that you won the state lottery for 50 million dollars and you have the ONLY winning ticket!

Ball toss
Have everyone stand up and form a resemblance of a circle. It does not have to be perfect, but they should all be facing in, looking at each other. Toss a ball to a person and have them tell what they thought was “the most important learning concept” was relating to the Module on Self development for Educational Leaders. They then toss the ball to someone and that person explains what they thought was the most important concept. Continue the exercise until quite a few caught the ball at least once and explained an important concept of the material just covered.

Change after a while to “The most difficult concept”

Circle of FriendsForm two large circles (or simply form two lines side by side), one inside the other and have the people in the inside circle face the people in the outside circle. Ask the circles to take one step in the opposite directions, allowing them to meet each new person as the circle continues to move very slowly. If lines are formed, they simply keep the line moving very slowly, as they introduce themselves and tell each other the following:
o The best thing that happened to me professionally
o The worst thing that happened to me professionally

Point, Nod, and Walk Have participants stand in a circle so they can make eye contact with everyone. Do not talk during this warm-up. Point to someone. When they acknowledge you with a nod, you may walk to their place. The individual that nodded to you must point to someone else and receive a nod before they can move. Adjust your pace so you get to the place after it has been vacated rather than while the individual that nodded to you is still there. After the group feels comfortable, you can speed up the pace or give them the option of shaking their heads instead of nodding. Explain to them that they are working as an ensemble. The object is to accomplish tasks together regardless of difficulty.

Magic Wand
¨ If you had a magic wand, what would you change? This is an icebreaker that opens minds, considers possibilities, and energizes the group.
¨ Participants are given 5 minutes to think of three things they would like to change about education in Guyana.
¨ First person takes the wand and waves it and tells the rest what they would change
¨ This person gives the wand to another of their choice who does the same thing.
¨ This is repeated about fifteen times

2 Truths & a Lie
¨ People write down two truths about themselves and a lie. Then introduce the three "facts" to the rest of the group who tries to guess which one is a lie.
¨ Facilitator gives an example
¨ People are encouraged to be sensible and funny or even outrageous
¨ The rest of the group votes on the one they think is a lie
¨ If the group gets it wrong, the liar is the winner.

Have You Ever?¨ The facilitator explains that he/she will call out different things that may or may not apply to each person. If the item does apply to you, then run into the middle, jump in the air, and do a high 5 with anyone else who runs in.
¨ List of Possible "Have Your Ever?" Items:
¨ Have you ever climbed to the highest point in your country of birth?
¨ Have you ever lived overseas for more than 1 year?
¨ Have you ever had a trainee who didn’t hand in his / her work on time?
¨ Have you ever sung karaoke?
¨ Have you ever been without a shower for more than 1 week?
¨ Do you have both a brother and a sister?
¨ Have you ever ridden a horse?
¨ Have you ever gone to work in a canoe?
¨ Have you ever eaten frogs' legs?
¨ Can you speak 2 or more languages?
¨ Have you ever been in love with someone who was vegetarian?
¨ Have you swum in 2 or more different oceans?
¨ Have you ever flown an airplane?
¨ Have you broken 3 or more bones in your body?
¨ Have you ever put more hot pepper sauce on your meal than you wanted?
¨ Have you done volunteer work sometime in the last month?
¨ Have you ever free-climbed a tree or rock face more than 10 meters vertically?
¨ Have you ever had a close relative who lived to over 90?
¨ Have you ever had a trainee who asked you a question you couldn’t answer?
¨ Have you ever cooked a meal by yourself for more than 10 people?
¨ Have you ever kept a parrot as a pet?
¨ Have you ever been parachuting or done a bungee jump?
¨ Can you click your fingers on your non-dominant hand?
¨ Have you ever seen a live polar bear?
¨ Have you ever attended a workshop in NCERD?

Evaluation Bus-stopping
¨ An A4 sheet of each activity that was done throughout the week is posted on the wall in front of the auditorium
¨ Each person has 4 different colours of sticky
o Colour 1 = Learnt the Most
o Colour 2 = Learnt the least
o Colour 3 = Liked the most
o Colour 4 = Disliked the most
¨ All stick their stickies on the sheets that apply to the categories above
¨ Facilitator comments on what has happened

Human Knot
In a circle, people put their arms in and hold someone else's hand, then try to unravel the knot without letting go of hands. Involves getting physically close to others, stretching, laughing and problem solving.

Teaching Quotations

The job of an educator is to teach students to see the vitality in themselves. Joseph Campbell

I am not a teacher, but an awakener.

Robert Frost

Where there is an open mind there will always be a frontier.

Charles F. Kettering

Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.

Chinese Proverb

Awaken people's curiosity. It is enough to open minds, do not overload them. Put there just a spark.

Anatole France

Life is amazing: and the teacher had better prepare himself to be a medium for that amazement. Edward Blishen

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

Albert Einstein

An understanding heart is everything in a teacher, and cannot be esteemed highly enough. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feeling. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.

Carl Jung

I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.

Socrates

The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.

Van Doren

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

Henry Ford

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

William Arthur Ward

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.

Soren Kierkegaard

Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.

Josef Albers

We think of the effective teachers we have had over the years with a sense of recognition, but those who have touched our humanity we remember with a deep sense of gratitude

Anonymous Student

Whatever you teach, be brief; what is quickly said the mind readily receives and faithfully retains, while everything superfluous runs over as from a full container. Who knows much says least.

Author Unknown

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.

Thomas A. Kempis

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.

John C. Dana

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job.

Donald D. Quinn

Teachers who inspire know that teaching is like cultivating a garden, and those who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.

Author Unknown

Teachers who inspire realize there will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how we use them.

Author Unknown

One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty, until you try.

Sophocles

The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think--rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.

Bill Beattie

He who asks a question may be a fool for five minutes. But he who never asks a question remains a fool forever.

Tom J. Connelly

GOOD TEACHING: THE TOP TEN REQUIREMENTS

The following article was written by By Richard Leblanc, York University, Ontario. It is an interesting view on the requirements of the classroom teacher. We thank him for his insight.

One

Good teaching is as much about passion as it is about reason. It's about not only motivating students to learn, but teaching them how to learn, and doing so in a manner that is relevant, meaningful, and memorable. It's about caring for your craft, having a passion for it, and conveying that passion to everyone, most importantly to your students.

Two

Good teaching is about substance and treating students as consumers of knowledge. It's about doing your best to keep on top of your field, reading sources, inside and outside of your areas of expertise, and being at the leading edge as often as possible. But knowledge is not confined to scholarly journals. Good teaching is also about bridging the gap between theory and practice. It's about leaving the ivory tower and immersing oneself in the field, talking to, consulting with, and assisting practitioners, and liaisoning with their communities.

Three

Good teaching is about listening, questioning, being responsive, and remembering that each student and class is different. It's about eliciting responses and developing the oral communication skills of the quiet students. It's about pushing students to excel; at the same time, it's about being human, respecting others, and being professional at all times.

Four

Good teaching is about not always having a fixed agenda and being rigid, but being flexible, fluid, experimenting, and having the confidence to react and adjust to changing circumstances. It's about getting only 10 percent of what you wanted to do in a class done and still feeling good. It's about deviating from the course syllabus or lecture schedule easily when there is more and better learning elsewhere. Good teaching is about the creative balance between being an authoritarian dictator on the one hand and a pushover on the other.

Five

Good teaching is also about style. Should good teaching be entertaining? You bet! Does this mean that it lacks in substance? Not a chance! Effective teaching is not about being locked with both hands glued to a podium or having your eyes fixated on a slide projector while you drone on. Good teachers work the room and every student in it. They realize that they are the conductors and the class is the orchestra. All students play different instruments and at varying proficiencies.

Six

This is very important -- good teaching is about humor. It's about being self-deprecating and not taking yourself too seriously. It's often about making innocuous jokes, mostly at your own expense, so that the ice breaks and students learn in a more relaxed atmosphere where you, like them, are human with your own share of faults and shortcomings.

Seven

Good teaching is about caring, nurturing, and developing minds and talents. It's about devoting time, often invisible, to every student. It's also about the thankless hours of grading, designing or redesigning courses, and preparing materials to still further enhance instruction.

Eight

Good teaching is supported by strong and visionary leadership, and very tangible institutional support -- resources, personnel, and funds. Good teaching is continually reinforced by an overarching vision that transcends the entire organization -- from full professors to part-time instructors -- and is reflected in what is said, but more importantly by what is done.

Nine

Good teaching is about mentoring between senior and junior faculty, teamwork, and being recognized and promoted by one's peers. Effective teaching should also be rewarded, and poor teaching needs to be remediated through training and development programmes.

Ten

At the end of the day, good teaching is about having fun, experiencing pleasure and intrinsic rewards ... like locking eyes with a student in the back row and seeing the synapses and neurons connecting, thoughts being formed, the person becoming better, and a smile cracking across a face as learning all of a sudden happens. Good teachers practice their craft not for the money or because they have to, but because they truly enjoy it and because they want to. Good teachers couldn't imagine doing anything else.