Teachers Know

But just like many other elements of the job, the act of teaching is personal. No two teachers are the same. The way you teach is unique to you and by teaching you bring yourself to the classroom: your personality, your experiences and your ambitions. Your pedagogy your teaching style is shaped by these characteristics, influenced by your own education, and becomes the guide you use to teach your students.

But learning is a cooperative effort, requiring engagement on the parts of both students and teachers. Each student also has their own learning style: They learn at their own pace and in their own ways. While it is important to establish your teaching style, you should also be flexible enough to take the learning styles of your students into account. You can be guided by a general pedagogy while also being considerate of your students varying needs. Great teachers find balance between a curriculum-centered and a student-centered approach.

So, what kind of teacher are you? Learn more:

Teaching at its most literal level educating, imparting knowledge is the most fundamental part of a teacher’s job. It is more obvious than (though just as important as) inspiring, motivating and forming relationships.

Harvard University

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Higher Education Teaching Certificate

The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.

Information last updated: July 2026