LISTEN.

teachers talk too much. I mean, it is ok if you are a lecture professor, but otherwise......

JUST shush and listen more, and an interactive classroom is a good classroom.

The rest is postscript; many things are student-body-dependent. You WILL know what to do once you have listened (and continue listening)
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1) Really listen to the students about their concerns and questions.
2) Understand what you are teaching to the point where you could teach it in your sleep, and sometimes do dream about teaching.
3) You don't know the answer to every single question, but you know where to find the answer. When your stumped, find the answer, get back to the students, and then read a book or 2 so that you are not stumped again. I hate when teachers mumble off incoherently because they don't know an answer. Find the answer and get back to us.
4) Read your lecture/power points the night before. Nothing irritates me more as a student than watching a professor reading through his/her slides and finding errors because they didn't prepare the night before...
5) Focus on teaching the material rather than grading it. Too many times I've come across teachers who don't believe in the revision process. Revisions are a huge part of learning, especially at the college level. If someone hands in an essay, and it's wrong, explain why it's wrong and let the revise it. A student learns more revising something than he does looking at a D or and F for 2 seconds and then crumbling it up and throwing it out.
6) Be clear about your grading rubric
7) Think of ways to relate the material to real world experience/ current events. You shouldn't be teaching computer science (which is my major) if you don't know the top 5 news headlines of the week, and are not sharing those with your students...

I'm not sure what else.. hope that helps..
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1. A genuine desire to help others learn
2. True knowledge of the information being taught
3. A proven method and experience in the methods being used to teach the material
4. Experience with the tools utilized to convey the material (eCollege or Blackboard etc)
Source(s):
My personal experience as an instructor for the past 8 years

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Good teachers are able to keep disinterested students interested in the topic. For example, interjecting cultural references into foreign language courses, political and historical contexts into geography, scandals into politics, paradoxical word questions in math, counterculture texts in english, etc.

My most favorite instructors were always those who could show realistic applications to the topic at hand consistently as well. For example, showing how to read a restaurant menu in a foreign language (in a language course), or showing how historical arguments are used to win political fights (in a history or politics course).
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Not only love what they are teaching, but love to teach.
Must know to improvise and be pacient to their students.
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The biggest part of being a teach is true care for you students and the material being taught. If you can convey a care for what your teaching you students will pick up on that and care also. They will also see the importance in the material and begin to start learning on their own. In doing this you create an environment of learning that is second to none.
Source(s):
Life

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Not really a quality as such, but my best teachers were the few who had some first-hand experience of working in the real world.

A lot of the teachers I know went from full-time education, through college and straight into teaching and wonder why there's something of a 'credibility gap' when they try to convince their students that the subjects they teach will be relevant in their working lives. Kids want to know that what they're learning has some kind relevance beyond the academic and nothing reinforces that point like a personal anecdote.
Source(s):
Personal experience and long conversations with friends who teach!

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Some great answers so far but I would add that the best teachers I've had have a passion for the subject they teach.
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the best teachers learn from their students everyday.
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My wife is and has been for the last 18 years a 3rd grade teacher. The quality that I believe makes her a great teacher is patience. Parents are more difficult to deal with than anyone can imagine. Unless you have taught at that grade level you acn't appreciate how difficult it really is. Not only does she have to deal with the students behavior problems daily, but when she notifies the parents of the problems, more often than not the parent lets the administration know that their "angel" is being singled out and unfairly treated. I take my hat off to EVERY teacher out there....... remember..... if it weren't for a teacher, you wouldn't be able to read this.
Source(s):
I hear her vent every night.

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My wife is in the middle of her first year teaching 3rd grade. Some of the most important things she has learned are:

-Stay consistent. Both punishments and rewards.

-Make a routine each day and each week. The format of your class and learning/teaching style should be consistent so the kids feel comfortable with the pattern.

-Make a prize box. Give the students a ticket for good behavior and let the winners draw from a prize box each day. You can have erasers, pencils, etc.

-Communicate with the parents. Make sure to keep them up-to-speed if anything happens in the classroom or on the playground (like an injury, or significant injury).

-Have fun! It's one of the toughest yet rewarding jobs you could possibly have!
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Encourage student participation.
Example: Have students come up to the board to work on math problems. Students can build confidence and it let teacher know what type of problems students are having with the questions.

Be understanding towards students.
Example: When students come late to class, it's maybe something out of their control. Like public transportation problems. Do not humiliate the student in front of the class.
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I studied teaching, and my husband is an 8th grade teacher. I've made some observations on what makes a good teacher. This will be more from a teacher's perspective, not a parent's or a student's perspective.

1. Independence. Teachers function a lot like self-employed individuals a lot of the time. They are alone with the students in their classrooms, and may not have a lot of support from an administrator (manager). They need to be able to handle a lot on their own.

2. Flexibility. Teachers have a lot of demands put on them by students, parents and administrators. They need to learn how to adapt and deal with those situations. If kids aren't excelling, they need to be willing to change their approach and work with the kids. Maybe reteach a lesson that didn't go well. If the administration is all gung-ho about a new something, they need to make a real effort to incorporate into the classroom. If budgets are cut, they need to find ways to still do cool stuff in class, like labs or projects or demos.

3. Patience. Has been discussed elsewhere in these answers, and is definitely very important. Kids are impulsive, talkative, disruptive. Patience is essential.

4. Discipline/standards. Holding kids to standards is also important. Having rules and working within those rules helps a classroom run smoothly. Rules can be broken or excepted, but it's important to have good structure to start. And high standards should help kids feel like they can achieve great things.

5. Competence. Competence is more important than knowledge of the subject matter. A good teacher doesn't necessarily have to know the subject inside and out, but they have to be able to convey their understanding to the students. This is why often, professors who are very smart cannot teach. They cannot relate the teaching to the students.
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Academic Zest, Effective Communication Skills and Genuine Enthusiasm to impart knowledge and learn.
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Some one who:
poses lots of patience,
gives an honest effort everday,
is approachable,
cares about the students and the time they share together
and has expertise in the subject matter.
Source(s):
teaching for 11 years

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