Why do we teach? Why do we strive to teach well?

Why do we teach? What motivates us to teach? Yes, it’s a part of the job. But it is a job we choose. Teaching, and teaching well, can bring personal rewards to the teacher. These rewards can be both extrinsic, that is rewards such as the pay, promotion and awards, and intrinsic, such as the personal joy of learning and seeing others learn and develop as well as the sharing of one’s passion for the discipline.

The aim of teaching in Ramsden's (1992) terms is to make student learning possible or what Laurillard (1993) refers to as ‘mediating learning’. Effective teaching is more than the communication of the content of our discipline to our students. It means that to teach well, the teacher must focus on student learning and what makes it possible. And teaching well is more rewarding and is certainly more fun and enjoyable than when it is done poorly or is seen as a chore.

Brinkley et al (1999) reflect on why we teach and make three observations about the rewards of good teaching. The first is that good teachers share in the knowledge that they have helped shape the futures of many people in many different ways. Their second observation is that the wonder and excitement that shows in students when they discover new knowledge is rewarding in that it helps the teacher recapture the wonder and excitement of their discipline. Finally they observe that good teaching is valuable to society and this in itself is rewarding. Education is “a vehicle for creating knowledgeable, aware citizens who are capable of looking critically at the world in which they live and making informed decisions about their lives and the lives of others” (Brinkley, 1999, p. 170). Add to these the reward of attracting the best students into the discipline (Lowman, 1984) and into research groups, thus not only perpetuating the discipline but also making teaching more enjoyable.

Why do you teach? What are your rewards for teaching?

• Brinkley, A., Dessants, B., Flamm, M., Fleming, C., Forcey, C., & Rothschild, E. (1999). The Chicago handbook for teachers: A practical guide to the college classroom. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
• Laurillard, D. (1993). Rethinking university teaching: A framework for the effective use of educational technology. London: Routledge.
• Lowman, J. (1984). Mastering the techniques of teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to teach in higher education. London: Routledge