Who were the great teachers in your life? What is the secret to effective teaching? My theory is that teachers are born and not made. I don't mean to say that you cannot learn to be a better teacher, but those who impact the lives of their students forever were born with the "teaching gene."

Effective teaching begins with the ability to take sometimes complex information and present it in ways that are understandable. No matter how vast your knowledge on a given subject, if you can't break it down in an orderly manner, your students will gain nothing.

Unfortunately, many a teacher, trainer or boss is put in the position of leading others without this fundamental skill. It isn't all that easy. For many experts, the beginning learning stages of a subject took place long ago, and they may think they are presenting a simplified version of their content, yet their students' heads are spinning!

The result is frustrated, exhausted groups of students and professionals, with a lack of confidence, and ability to move forward.

Truly great teachers have the ability to make learning meaningful. One of the ways to break down the subject matter is to build on the experience of the student. All learning begins with what we already know. Building on this prior experience is to start the learning process feeling safe and competent.

Whenever we are reassured that we are going to be successful in the learning environment, we are able to absorb more information. If we are busy worrying that we don't understand something, overwhelmed by the information, or doubt our ability to ever catch up -- we miss even the parts we might have understood! By acknowledging these feelings, the expert teacher calms the students' fears and adjusts the pace according to the students' experience level. Then, connections are made between the new material and what has already been mastered.

How do these teachers make the learning meaningful? Meaning is established when lessons are directly related to the students' experience. Teaching Shakespeare to middle schoolers, for example, can lead to lots of groaning and moaning. But when the story of teenagers Romeo and Juliet is related to the family problems faced by today's adolescents, you will have a lively discussion and a much deeper understanding of the work.

The language of Shakespeare is no longer an obstacle. As the students develop a thorough understanding of the storyline, they become far more capable of moving on to the structure of the play and analysis of its characters. More importantly, they will enjoy the experience because now it matters.

When people are actively engaged in the learning process, they get excited. A productive classroom is rarely a quiet one. Effective teaching encourages discussion, collaboration, teamwork.

At the same time, some people work best independently or may need a little quiet in order to concentrate. The best classrooms are designed by allowing for both types of study. Round tables or meeting space for group effort, and areas which absorb sound and provide escape for independent projects. A reading area with couches, bean bag chairs or throw pillows serves this purpose. What's important is that the needs of different students at different times are accommodated.

Effective teaching takes into account the various learning styles of the group. Some people are visual learners - they need to see things demonstrated, they answer test questions by visualizing the words on the textbook page.

Auditory learners need to sit back and listen. Not as prevalent as visual learners, there are still plenty of people who absorb information more readily through sound. They are the ones who appear to be napping when they are really shutting out distractions and concentrating on the teacher's voice.

They recall information by relating it to auditory cues, such as the fizzing swoosh of a geyser that erupts when you drop a memento candy into a bottle of soda. Or they use the rhythm of the words as they read aloud to help reading comprehension. Reading aloud, by the way, is a very good way to catch mistakes when you are proofreading.

Kinesthetic learners do best when their entire body is involved as they learn. This is why it is helpful for many young children to run their finger under the words when they are learning to read. Watch closely and you'll notice they tend to move head, shoulders and sometimes the whole torso back and forth as they go back and forth across the page.

Great teachers are able to take a group of students and adapt the lessons according to each student's starting point. More importantly, they accept that there will be differences.

There are multiple forms of intelligence - most of us are very strong in two or three areas and weak in at least one, and competent in the others. Our best learning takes place when more than one form of intelligence is in play. For example, students listening to Mozart before taking the SATs were found to improve their scores by several points in a study that became known as The Mozart Effect.

It is important to recognize these multiple forms of intelligence so as not to "label" a student as being smart or slow. The math wiz is not always the best reader. The artist may not be athletic. What matters is that everyone is good at something and effective teaching brings out those talents and helps the student put them to work in productive ways.

To address the greatest number of learning styles, it's best to engage as many of the five senses as possible in a teaching session. If the student is able to see a demonstration, hear the explanation, interact in some way - such as taking notes, participating in group discussion, re-enact the story, or conducting an experiement themselves, they will all have a better chance of retaining what they've learned.

For a preschool lesson on Little Miss Muffet, children can listen to the story while looking at the pictures. They can act out the story by first pretending to eat the curds and whey and then becoming the spiders and crawling over to frighten Miss Muffet. Snack time finds them making curds and whey - feeling the texture, smelling the vinegar, and finally tasting the concoction. Top the lesson off by putting the rhyme to music and you have addressed several learning styles, all five senses and multiple intelligences all in one theme.

Are you a team leader? CEO? Consultant? Therapist? There are many of us out in the workforce that teach in one form or another every day. My own business involves teaching marketing skills to small business owners who may not have basic computer skills. We may refer to it as "training", "enrichment" and "professional development", but it is still good old fashioned teaching.

We adults need the same things now that we needed as kids:

1. A learning environment where we feel free to express ourselves.

2. Subject matter that is made meaningful by building on our experience.

3. Teaching that involves as many of our five senses as possible.

4. Teaching that takes into account our different learning styles.

5. Teaching that celebrates our strong points and builds our weak ones.

Perhaps the most important thing of all for students of all ages, backgrounds, and capabilities is effective teaching presented by teachers who have a genuine investment in their students.

When you think about those great teachers in your life -- I bet they made you feel valuable and special. They touched your life and made a lasting impression. They were born to it and their mission is far more important than our society acknowledges. So go ahead...hug a teacher today...or at least spring for a Starbucks!

Barbara Silva has been teaching for over thirty years. At Renegade University, she teaches you, the small business owner, mlmer, or network marketer how to market your business using attraction marketing. Visit www.how-to-market-guide.com for more information.