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I am a teacher but do I embody the characteristics of a good teacher? This is a question I continually ask myself. Being a reflective practitioner, evaluating events and circumstances, is surely a characteristic necessary for success in all professions but especially in teaching where the impact of performance is centred on education.

Most people have an expert opinion on education as they have been to school and can speak from personal experience. Some critics say that discipline has been lost in today's classroom and that the best teachers are authoritarian figures. However, these scary individuals are often not prepared to alter in their stance even in the most extreme of circumstances. Fortunately, it is widely understood that the characteristics of a good teacher are varied.

On the whole, teaching standards fall into three main areas; subject knowledge, ability to relate to young people and effective use of methodologies. An effective teacher should demonstrate ability in each of these categories.

Subject knowledge is important as without it teachers cannot hope to deliver the requirements of the curriculum effectively. Demanding challenges in the classroom can do without the inadequacies of poor knowledge and understanding on the part of the teacher. Teachers must be able to meet the needs of all pupils: the gifted and talented pupils who need activities which reach beyond average expectations, those with additional education needs and those who do not fit into either of these categories .

The ability to relate to pupils forms an important part of effective teaching. Building positive relationships brings out the best in pupil performance. If a pupil has trust in their teacher's judgment and demeanor they are more likely to have the confidence to ask more questions and have the willingness to improve their own work. Also, showing a genuine interest will encourage pupils to improve their levels of attainment and, ultimately, raise standards.

Effective teachers use a variety of methodologies and are well aware of the preferred learning styles. Research has shown that human beings learn in three main ways, commonly referred to as visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Most of us make use of all three aspects in our learning to some extent but many people have a stronger preference in one area. For example, if a pupil is shown to prefer kinesthetic learning then they are likely to enjoy practical aspects of learning with hands-on experience such as in the practical

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