Definitions of an Effective Teacher - Essay Example

What is an effective teacher? Education in general and teaching methods in particular have undergone many changes in the last three decades. It is essential to understand the various dimensions involved in implementing the new approaches to teaching in education. Effective teaching or ‘Quality teaching’ is one of the most important aspects of education and the findings from the Victorian Quality Schools Project (VQSP) underline “the crucial role that teachers have in meeting the cognitive, affective and behavioural needs of all students, as well as providing normative classroom environment conditions that are conducive to learning” (Rowe, 2004 p.10). Studies (Hattie, 2003 cited in Rowe 2004, p.12) further demonstrate that teachers and the quality of their teaching account for nearly 30% of the variance in pupil achievement, and therefore teachers are required to be effective. This essay shall discuss briefly, some major aspects of what makes for becoming an effective teacher; this discussion envisages a deeper understanding of the qualities that are required of the teacher to make the classroom more inclusive and also impact positively the needs of the marginalized students. Definitions of an Effective Teacher Wenger (1998) offers an interesting perspective regarding teaching and the role of teachers; According to this, learning is rather a continuous process, and teaching may be, incidentally, a resource too. Pertinent to the making of an effective teacher is the point made by Wenger (1998) that the ability of teaching and learning “interact so as to become structuring resources for each other” (p. 267). What this implies is that the teaching and the learning process should be integrated seamlessly by the effective teacher through the creation of a congenial environment. Conventionally, older definitions of a good teacher stress on the goodness of a person to a greater degree as compared to the behavior of the person in the classroom, other definitions emphasize the psychological qualities viz., personality, attitude, achievement, and aptitude to qualify as a good teacher (Adapted from Borich 2007). Modern definitions under the new direction in education, however, link teacher behavioral patterns with student performance, since student understanding is varies with teacher behavioral patterns, and therefore effectiveness has become the key determinant of a teacher (Borich, 2007, p. 5). Other researchers like Rowe (2004, p. 12) similarly observe that, the knowledge of the teachers, what they do and what they and heed about, that becomes a “very powerful in this learning equation” and that there is a difference between being “expert teachers” and “experienced teachers” in that the former are masters in helping their students acquire significant processing capacities, challenging them and managing their classrooms. The relationship between teaching, behavioural management or teachers, and student performance has been studied in detail in Queensland’s School Reform Longitudinal Study (SRLS) (Lingard & Ladwig, 2001) and Productive Pedagogies (Hayes, Lingard & Mills, 2000) have influenced role of teachers in the classroom, and more pertinently the improvement of student attainment in Australia. Key Behaviours of an Effective Teacher Hayes, Mills, Christie and Lingard (2006 pp. 32-42) illustrate in detail the framework under which an effective teacher aims to function. The authors reiterate that “the quality of pedagogy is a social justice issue” (p. 37) and therefore, fundamentally aim at including students across all sections of the Socioeconomic status (SES), including the marginalized students. The authors (Hayes, Mills, Christie and Lingard 2006 p.35) refer to the research Productive Pedagogies (Hayes, Lingard & Mills, 2000) to delineate the four dimensions which an effective teacher has to be mindful of, as follows: a) Intellectual Quality b) Connectedness, c) Supportive Classroom Environment and d) Working with and Valuing Difference. Intellectual Quality An effective teacher understands that all students need “intellectually challenging classrooms” (Hayes et al 2006, p. 36) to bring out the best in the latter. This is especially the case with students who belong to the marginalized sections or belonging to the lower SES. This includes changing the mode of teaching according to the subject requirements. For example, mathematics as a subject necessitates direct imparting of subject knowledge with direct questions while poems in English may require personal reflection in the students and therefore questions that encourage indirect questions may help towards that end. The effective teacher is sensitive to the needs of the student to be stimulated intellectually and this is done by constantly assessing and interacting with the students, verbally, by making eye-contact, using gestures and ensuring that all students are responsive to the teaching. Intellectual stimulation may be achieved in these ways (adapted from Hayes et al 2006 p. 42): 1) Higher order thinking - like in above cited example, help develop a critical view of what is presented before them – as in a poem. Productive Pedagogies (2002 p. 1) explain that higher-order thinking causes a change in the students by means of aiding the students to “synthesise, generalise, explain, hypothesise or arrive at some conclusion or interpretation” of suggested ideas and information. This is very useful to the students since it helps them gain problem-solving skills comprehension skills and interpretation skills. 2) Deep knowledge, like allowing the students to research on their own, the types of soil in geography, and coming up with the findings on their own, and then finding out what type of soil their region had, and what types of vegetation were supported by that soil and so on. Productive Pedagogies (2002 p.2) explains this as process that establishes more complicated connections to the main concepts. 3) Deep Understanding – like explaining the effect of sunlight in the production of chlorophyll in leaves through an experiment and therefore how essential sunlight is to the existence of plants. Productive Pedagogies (2002 p.3) illustrates that instead of understanding things in bits and pieces, students understand a given topic in a comparatively “systematic, integrated or holistic way”. 4) Knowledge Problematic – like presenting facts regarding industrial development, destruction of natural ecology figure side by side and eliciting student interpretation of the facts and figures. Students can be divided into groups and can be asked to explain the logic for argument using the data, as compared to the other argument. Productive Pedagogies (2002 p.6) explain this feature aptly as involving a comprehension of knowledge not merely as something fixed, or a static body of information, “ but rather as being constructed, and hence subject to political, social and cultural influences and implications”. This is especially relevant to the field of politics, scientific fields wherein new discoveries completely overturn hitherto held beliefs. 5) Substantive Conversation - promoting understanding by asking simple questions about the lesson taught, or making the students direct questions to fellow students on a simple lesson already taught and getting other students to answer them. Progressive Pedagogies (2002 p.4) illustrate that the promotion, exchange and sharing of understanding will be complete if the following four aspects are included: a) intellectual substance as this facilitates ‘critical reasoning’ b) dialogue encourages sharing of ideas c) logical extension and synthesis to construct and arrive at new theme or ideas, collectively and meaningfully and d) a sustained exchange between the teacher and the students and between the students themselves, that extends further than the normal process of initiation, responding and evaluation. 6) Metalanguage – like explaining the technical aspects of grammar and syntax used in Shakespearean plays and so on. Progressive Pedagogies (2002 p.7) further differentiates this into high metalanguage and low metalanguage wherein the former encourages its application into discourses, speech and writing while the latter restricts it to mere text-based exercises. Connectedness and Supportive Classroom Environment Hayes et al (2006, p. 37) explain that however intellectually stimulating and challenging the teacher may be, the effort would still be lost on the student if the curriculum that is taught is not “connected” with “the real world” that they enter on going out from the classroom. The authors argue that it is this “connect” that will become the essential “bridge that motivates all students to engage with the learning process” (Hayes et al 2006. P. 37); like in the example cited later in the book as to how all students instantly connected with the cause of the indigenous people and wrote letter to authorities stating their opinions (Hayes et al 2006 pp.40-1). This concept of ‘connectedness’ is also explained on similar lines in Progressive Pedagogies (2002 pp.20-4) and describes the above concepts under the heads i) Knowledge Integration ii) Background Knowledge iii) Connectedness to the world and iv) Problem based Curriculum. In addition to this, an effective teacher can gain better understanding regarding the creation of a supportive classroom environment from Progressive Pedagogies (2002 pp.8-13) which explains in detail the following: a) Student Direction - an effective teacher will aid student-centred activities as in a group research or individual projects or how they will undertake to do them and so on (p. 9). Example, students may choose to prepare a model of the revolution of the earth around the sun after a lesson on planetary motions with suggestions from teachers. b) Social Support - an effective teacher places high expectations on all students irrespective of their backgrounds and the same is communicated to them clearly. The challenges include (i) inducing the students to stretch their potential and set higher academic goals for themselves; (ii) that it is possible for all the students of the class to learn imperative knowledge and skills; and (iii) that an atmosphere of mutual respect within themselves will lead to collective achievement prospects for all (Progressive Pedagogies 2002 p.10). c) Academic Engagement – an effective teacher facilitates actively in the academic engagement of the student; for example, encouraging students to ask questions, clearing doubts, showing enthusiasm in helping them discover answers (Progressive Pedagogies 2002 p.11). d) Explicit Quality Performance Criteria - the clear instructions given out by an effective teacher regarding what should be done by the students and what should be achieved (Progressive Pedagogies 2002 p.12). . For example, if there is an assignment due in the forthcoming week, the effective teacher reminds the students of the same and clearly informs them of the marking criteria, penalty etc. e) Self-Regulation - Progressive Pedagogies (2002 p.13) explains that effective teachers “exert high implicit control” will hardly have the need “to make explicit statements to discipline students” since they naturally tap the students’ capacities to understand and follow what is expected of them. For example, when the teacher effectively engages the students in story-telling, there will hardly be any need to silence the children. Working with and Valuing Difference. An effective teacher will understand that real transmission of knowledge and values will happen only when there is a positive relationship between the teacher and the students. This means that, every student feels safe and sure that there will be on ridicule or belittlement of the student’s work form the teacher; rather the effective teacher will be sensitive to the efforts put in by the student and offer non-critical and constructive suggestions for the betterment of the student achievement (Hayes et al 2006 p. 38). An effective teacher understand the dimension of “working with and valuing difference” is very important since, an Australian classroom may typically include “students from traditionally underachieving backgrounds,” and for those who are from such backgrounds, “recognition and valuing of their cultural difference is necessary to achieve good outcomes” (Hayes et al 2006 p. 38). As regards this important dimension, Progressive Pedagogies (2002 Pp.14-19) specifies the goals that an effective teacher should aim to achieve in the worldview of the student outside the class room and within. Characteristics like i) Cultural knowledge ii) Inclusivity iii) Narrative iv) Group identity and v) Active Citizenship are described, which will enable the student to develop a pro-active and progressive view of oneself and fellow members of the society. Another important dimension pointed out by the authors is that of “valuing difference” (Hayes et al 2006 p. 39). This is especially relevant to be an effective teacher in the era of globalization wherein students from various races and countries fill the Australian classroom. In such situations, it is significant to remember that the quality of ‘valuing differences’. This means that no culture is superior to the other or no culture is inferior to another; “the world can be seen from multiple perspectives and what is often constructed as ‘truth’ is the product of power relations” (Berlak and Berlak 1981 cited in Hayes et al 2006, p. 39). Valuing differences envisages teacher to ensure as an “effective classroom practice” that all students irrespective of their backgrounds, are provided “with opportunities to engage in positive ways with non-dominant cultures as part of its social outcomes” (Hayes et al 2006, p. 39). Last but not the least, an effective teacher bears in mind that learning impacts the transformation of people, the society itself. As Wenger (1998) observes succinctly, “ Learning is a lifelong process, that is not limited to educational settings but is limited by the scope of our identities. .. educational designs must aim to launch this broader learning process rather than substitute for it” (p. 273). Conclusion Education and teaching have undergone transformation in the past years. In Australia, pedagogic changes have been implemented to address inclusiveness and facilitate participation of students from marginalized sections and various socioeconomic statuses. The definitions and the expectations of what a teacher is to deliver have changed accordingly to suit the new reforms. Emphasis is now placed on teachers being ‘effective’ rather than ‘good’. The framework for the functioning of an effective teacher includes Intellectual Quality, Connectedness and Supportive Classroom Environment and Working with and Valuing difference. The characteristics of what makes for an effective teacher can well be deduced from the explanations and examples given by various research studies. Learning is not restricted to classrooms; to the contrary it continues throughout one’s life. An effective teacher remembers this and is all set to learn from the experience of teaching with full enthusiasm. This study has helped understand the demands placed on an effective teacher and the life-long impact that teachers have in people’s lives. References: Borich, D. Gary (2007). Effective teaching methods: research-based practice (6th edn). Pearson Merrill/Prentice Hall. New Jersey. Pp. 5-7. Hayes, D., Mills, M., & Lingard, R., (2000). Teachers, school reform and social justice: Challenging research and practice. Australian Educational Researcher, 27(3), 99-115. Hayes, Debra., Mills, Martin., Christie, Pam., Lingard, Bob (2006). Teachers and Schooling Making a Difference: Productive Pedagogies, Assessment, and Performance. Allen & Unwin. Australia. Pp. 32- 45. Lingard, B. & Ladwig, J. (2001). School reform longitudinal study: Final report, vol.1, Report prepared for Education Queensland by the School of Education, The University of Queensland. Progressive Pedagogies – A guide Classroom Reflection Manual New Basics Branch and the Queensland School Reform Longitudinal Study (QSRLS) commissioned by Education Queensland, Queensland. Pp. 1-25. Also available online http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reports/curriculum-framework/productive- pedagogies/pdfs/prodped.pdf Rowe, Ken (2004). The importance of teaching: ensuring better schooling by building teacher capacities that maximize the quality of teaching and learning provision – implications of findings from the international and Australian evidence-based research. [Internet] Retrieved on August 3, 2012. http://research.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/14 Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 267-82. Read More