The “Ten Commandments”
of Effective Teaching*
*and we are ALL teachers
Rick Albrecht, Ph.D.
Department of Movement Science
Grand Valley State University
Copyright  Dr. Rick Albrecht., 2003
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Motivate Yourself First
 If you can’t motivate yourself -- how can you
ever expect to motivate others?
 Motivation is contagious
– Your learners will take their cues from you
 Develop a TGIM attitude
 If you don’t LOVE what you do … go do what
you LOVE
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Understand The Importance of Your Role
as a Teacher
 You are very often the most important person in
the lives of your learners
 Your influence (positive or negative) will stay
with your learners for a lifetime (and beyond)
 They will “pass along” what you’ve given to
them (positive or negative) to the next
generation -- you will always serve as their
model
Understand The Importance of
Your Role as a Teacher
 Our society has determined you have the
necessary skills and abilities to take on
perhaps the most important job it has … to
pass its culture and knowledge on to our
next generation
 Think of the numbers of people you will
directly and indirectly influence …
Here’s an Example of The
Impact You Can Have …
I have approximately 150 “new” students
each year at GVSU…
If I teach for 20 years = 3,000 students
If they each have 50 students a year, my
students and I, impact 150,000 students even
if each of them teaches for only one year
If they each teach for 20 years my students
and I will have combined to influence over
3,000,000 STUDENTS!
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Totally Commit Yourself to the Notion That
the Desire to LEARN is an Innate Human
Characteristic…
 All people are motivated to learn
 All people are motivated to become proficient
and competent at the things they do
 It’s your job to maintain this natural motivation
and excitement your students have for learning
 “First, Do No Harm” (Hippocratic Oath)
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Remember That “Teaching” Can Not
Occur in the Absence of “Learning”
 If no learning takes place -- then no teaching
has taken place
 If your students haven’t learned -- you haven’t
taught (don’t blame your students)
 If you haven’t taught -- what are you there for?
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Remember That the Most Important
Characteristic of a Good Teacher is a
Caring, Enthusiastic, Respectful, Attitude
Toward All Learners…
 Certainly we have to be competent -- but if you
really CARE about your learners, you will be
committed to becoming -- and remaining
competent
 Learners will be very forgiving of your
mistakes -- As long as they know you care and
are trying your best to help them
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Make Sure Your Students Know “Why”
You Do The Things You (and they) Do
 Most teachers have a very good reason for
doing the things they do (content areas,
exercises, assignments, tests, etc.)
 The problem is, most teachers don’t let the
students in on this “little secret”
 If your students don’t understand why they are
doing things they won’t see the importance of
your learning activities
Make Sure Your Students Know
“Why” They Are Doing Things
 Encourage your students to ask you why they
are doing things … Don’t be afraid of their
questions …
 If you’re afraid you can’t give them a good
answer, maybe you don’t have one … This
helps show you where you need to “rethink”
what you’re doing
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Make Sure You Are Teaching In A Way
That Is Truly Relevant To The Needs And
Interests of Your Students
 Know your students
– Their interests
– Their skills
– Their ambitions
 Always let your student know how they can
apply what they’re learning to the “real world”
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Continually Remind Yourself That
EVERYTHING You Do Should Enhance
LEARNING!
 Don’t get caught up in “grades” or “outcomes”
at the expense of learning
 Don’t worry too much about “sticking to the
schedule”, “covering the material”, or
“adhering to rules and regulations” -sometimes you have to spend more time than
you thought in order to make sure the material
is learned… Remember that’s the ultimate goal
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Continually Engage in the Practice of
“Reflective” Teaching
 Fight against the natural tendency to do things
out of habit
 Fight against the natural tendency to do things
the way your own teachers/coaches did things
 Always try to improve what you’re doing-Challenge yourself as much as your students!
– What went well? ... What did not go well?… Is there
a better way to help the students learn?
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Always Make Sure You -- And Your
Learners Are Having Fun
 When you’re having fun, obstacles are seen as
challenges -- not as threats
 It’s your job, as a teacher, to show your students
that learning can -- and should -- be fun
 Frankly, life is just too short to spend time
doing things you don’t enjoy
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Don’t Mistake “Difficulty” for “Rigor”
 “Rigor” is a reflection of the standards or
outcomes you demand of yourself and your
students
 “Difficulty” describes the process by which
these standards or outcomes are attained
 The best teachers demand the highest levels of
rigor but constantly attempt to minimize the
difficulty associated with the teachinglearning process
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Motivate Yourself First
Understand The Importance of Your Role
as a Teacher
Totally Commit Yourself to the Notion That
the Desire to LEARN is an Innate Human
Characteristic
Remember That “Teaching” Cannot
Occur in the Absence of “Learning”
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Remember That the Most Important
Characteristic of a Good Teacher is a
Caring, Enthusiastic, Respectful, Attitude
Toward All Learners
Make Sure Your Students Know “Why”
You Do The Things You (and they) Do
Make Sure You Are Teaching In A Way
That Is Truly Relevant To The Needs And
Interests of Your Students
Ten Commandments of Teaching
Continually Remind Yourself That
EVERYTHING You Do Should Enhance
LEARNING!
Continually Engage in the Practice of
“Reflective” Teaching
Always Make Sure You -- And Your
Learners -- Are Having Fun