I would be grateful to see what you, my classmates, think about this. I was thinking that it should include achieving objectives within a reasonable time frame and that students enjoy learning. But let me hear from you...
I think a teacher firstly should enjoy his own lesson by himself and this means he should sit and prepare a lesson that can satisfy himself by doing proper planning. A teacher who goes to a class with a pre-planned activities will surely do better in the class because any kind of planning even if it is not complete is better than being without planning. In my point of view, a great teacher is the one that value planning and work on it.
While I agree with you and Fahim about the need for preparation, meeting objectives, and student enjoyment, I'm not sure if therre is such a thing a "a great teacher" for everyone. Sometimes, there might be students who you just can't connect with as well as you connect with others. In my situation, I've had my own children in several of my classes, and I think they may have learned better if they'd heard the same content from someone other than me. :)
yes, while there is not general agreed upon definition of who is a great teacher but I believe the two elements of meeting objectives and learning will make a teacher 'great'. I would say that if the majority of the class has achieved the objectives and enjoyed the class because of all the relevant strategies that the teacher used, that would be a difference maker. there may be always some students who miss the point or lag behind, not because of the teaching strategies used but because of other elements i.e., can have ADHD but as long as the teacher tries to reach that student in a personalized manner within the given opportunity, then that teacher I think is 'great'.