A good teacher is someone who...
Un bon prof est quelqu'un qui...
adapts to the needs of the class (faster, slower, etc) but doesn't hold everyone up for the sake of a few people; explains ideas well.
can teach any type of student.
engages the students and creates an interest for the subject taught.
has passion for the subjects, explains topics clearly, and cares about the students' learning
is able to explain complex concepts in a simple manner and engage his or her students. interactive, passionate, understanding
is excited about the material they teach, knowledgable, well-prepared, and encouraging.
is organized with lectures and assignments.
is patient, teaches material well
is patient, understanding, and enjoys seeing their students learn new skills.
makes sure her students understand the material.
makes the material understandable and interesting.
provides the necessary materials for the student to thrive.
puts a lot of effort into teaching, is sincerely interested in each student and has time for questions.
supports their students to achieve their potential.
takes a keen interest in his/her students.
understands the subject that he teaches, and is capable of explaining things well. A good teacher also is willing to help students who need it. Good teachers do not make students feel unintelligent and they help students become interested in the subject.
aime enseigner et qui cherche vraiment à faire réussir ses élèves.
arrive à transmettre ses connaissances à ses étudiants.
éveille la curiosité de ses élèves.
donne envie d'apprendre, sait rendre les choses simples
enseigne, qui est passionné par la matière et qui a envie de transmettre sa connaissance de cette matière.
est à l'écoute de ses élèves, expose son cours de manière intéressante et ludique.
est passionné par ce qu'il enseigne et prend plaisir à le transmettre
est pédagogique, qui sait s'adapter à son audience.
est pédagogue, répond aux questions / mails, cultivé
fait partager sa passion et fait progresser ses élèves
n'a pas peur de se remettre en question.
fait preuve de pédagogie.
sait transmettre son savoir.
propose des sujets intéressants
respecte la volonté des élèves.
respecte les élèves, pédagogue, instruit
sait susciter l'intérêt de ses étudiants, qui est rigoureux et est passioné par ce qu'il fait.
transmet à ses élèves sa passion,
comprend leurs difficultés et questionnements
Discussion
Les réponses sont très similaires. En France la plupart des professeurs d'université n'ont jamais appris la pédagogie et sont justes bon dans leur domaine. A partir de là ils sont considérés comme capable à enseigner leur domaine.
A la fin des cours en France, on peut évaluer le cours mais pas vraiment l'enseignant. Ces évaluations ont en général peu d'impacte sur le choix du professeur ou son évolution dans sa manière d'enseigner car les professeurs en France ne peuvent pas être licenciés sauf pour faute grave.
Dans quelle mesure les évaluations des cours faitent dans les universités américaines influencent les méthodes des professeurs ? Font-ils tout pour avoir de bon commentaires ?
On remarque que les réponses sont assez similaires, mais qu'en France, on insiste peut-être plus sur la qualité-même du professeur : être pédagogue, passionné... alors que vous amis Américains vous focalisez plus sur le résultat sur l'élève, la transmission des connaissances...
Il est vrai qu'en France, le fait que le poste d'un professeur est quasi-intouchable fait que certains se contentent d'être bon dans leur domaine mais sont de très mauvais pédagogues. Au contraire, aux Etats-Unis, comme les étudiants paient leur scolarité très cher, il est souvent dit que ceux-ci sont plus considérés comme des "clients" par leurs professeurs que comme de véritables étudiants, "apprentis". Que pensez-vous de cette affirmation ?
I find the biggest difference between the two cultures' views of a good teacher is that French students emphasize the teachers happiness while American students emphasize how well the teacher can help the student. Do you think a good teacher is someone who loves the job they do, or someone who is able to help his or her students regardless of how he or she feels?
@Mathieu, I'm not sure how everything works in France, but in the US professors rotate the courses they teach all the time. It's very common to have different professors in different years teaching a course. That allows for some choice, if you hear that one specific professor is very good at explaining the material, you could wait and take the class that year. Besides, we have a few evaluations per semester, in which the teacher gets to know how the class is going. These evaluations are taken quite seriously, and can somewhat affect how the course is going.
@Joffrey, I don't think I fully agree. Professors are indeed more responsable to making sure that students understand what he's teaching, but there is no feeling of the students being seen as "clients." That being said, usually professors do work hard to make their classes interesting and well organized.
I agree with Victor's answer. At least at MIT evaluations are heavily considered both for the purpose of the professor improving his teaching methods as well as for the administration to better gauge the efficiency of a professor. In addition, I do not believe that professors here see us as clients. I would argue that most of them enjoy teaching and the same dedication that led them to be experts in their fields is the one that drives them to be great lecturers, advisors, and resources.
@ Joffrey
I, too, would echo Victor and say that there is not really a feeling of students being seen as clients. You also mentioned that true students were really apprentices to the Professors. Would you say that you feel like "apprentices" to your professors in France?
I thought it was interesting that both the French and American students had very similar views of what constitutes being a good teacher. Both groups of students referenced passion and interest as key to teaching well.
However, I think that American students would prefer a teacher who is also very supportive of the students and who genuinely cares about their well-being, whereas the French students cited other attributes such as being able to explain concepts very clearly and in an engaging manner.
I wonder if, given the choice, French students would prefer a teacher who was very engaging and passionate, or a professor who was more bland, but very adept at explaining key concepts.
@ Joffrey
I don't think of students here in the U.S. as being clients, but many students do take their studies very seriously. As we learned in a previous forum, many Americans view education as necessary preparation to equipping themselves with the tools to build wealth and achieve success in the future. However, I think that education in France is considered important preparation for the total growth of the individual, rather than just preparation for a career. Both countries have very different views of success, and thus their views on education are very different and teachers reflect these differences.