What I Think Makes Good Teaching

Good teaching starts with a well-qualified teacher, naturally. But qualifications alone aren’t enough. For me, great teaching also depends on a healthy dose of self-confidence, which comes from knowing your subject inside and out and having planned lessons that are engaging, relevant, and well-structured. When you’ve put the work into preparation, confidence follows—and that confidence can make all the difference in the classroom.

Another essential? Students who show up. Regular attendance is the bedrock of progress, and while life happens—visas, weddings, funerals, even pandemics—students who are there for (almost) every lesson give themselves the best chance to succeed.

In terms of tools, I don’t need a flashy setup. A whiteboard, projector, and laptop are all I ask for. These basics let me bring the lesson to life with PowerPoint slides, the occasional YouTube video, and of course, whatever ends up scribbled (er… written carefully and neatly) on the white board during class discussions.

One thing I emphasize with my students is the importance of creating personalized class notes. I’m a firm believer in hardback notebooks, rulers, highlighters, boxes, lines, and diagrams. There’s something uniquely effective about the tactile process of writing and organizing notes by hand—it helps students make the material their own.

To keep the learning process on track, I use multiple-choice tests to quickly gauge how well students have grasped the content or a concept. These aren’t for grades—they’re to answer one question: Can we move on, or do I need to reteach something?

Finally, a good textbook is invaluable. Students can use it to reinforce what we learn in class or catch up if life interrupts their learning. Real life has a way of doing that, and having a reliable resource at home makes all the difference in staying on course.

So, for me, good teaching is about balance: confidence, preparation, flexibility, and keeping things practical and straightforward. It’s not about perfection—it’s about making sure the students learn. It doesn’t happen because of luck or wishing or hoping. Good teaching comes from hard work.

---