Handbook Table of Contents > Preparing to Teach > Skills of a Good Teacher
Indiana University Teaching Handbook
Preparing to Teach
Skills of a Good Teacher
Adapted with permission from University of Illinois, 1980
N. L. Gage (1976), director of research and development in teaching at Stanford University, formulated six characteristics of effective presentations. He found that successful college instructors:
- state objectives at the beginning of a lesson
- outline the lesson content
- signal transitions between parts of a lesson
- point out important points in a lesson
- summarize the parts of the lesson as the lesson proceeds
- review main ideas and facts covered in a lesson at the end of a lesson and at the beginning of the next lesson—give these cues in your writing; give them in class, too.
At the Teaching Resources Center, we have indeed found the above points to be important. We often find a course can be significantly improved simply by implementing these. Be aware that not all lessons proceed as planned, and allow some class time for various unexpected happenings. Instructional skill takes time to develop, as does any valuable talent. Work on one, or at the most, two skills each week.
