You might be a good teacher if you know...

Attribution theory.  The explanations that people tend to offer to explain their successes or failures.


Maslow's hierarchy. Describes how human needs must be satisfied in a specific order starting with basic survival needs. If these are not met then individuals cannot successfully advance up the hierarchy to needs that promote learning.


Summative and formative assessments. Summative assessments are formal test and quizzes on learned material and are graded. Formative assessments consist of a variety of activities (including homework) that are used to help students learn and are not graded.


Invitational learning. A model of education and counselling practice to promote people to realize their potential in all areas of worthwhile endeavors. Changes in student perception bring about changes in student behavior. Developed primarily by William Purkey.


Arcs Model of Motivational Design. There are four steps for promoting and sustaining motivation in the learning process: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS).


Controversies about Homework. Homework does not enjoy universal acceptance or application. Opinions about its effectiveness are a subject of intense discussion.


Motivation theory. There lots of them-- probably too many, but being familiar with five or six helps teacher understand how to better engage students.


Student empowerment. The process of allowing students to offer more input about their learning process. This can be done individually and collectively. A simple example would be to allow students to select a homework assignment which they feel would best help them learn a specific topic.