Becoming an Effective Teacher

1. Becoming an Effective Teacher Chapter 11

2. Effective Teachers are… • Made • Born

3. Beyond knowledge of self…knowledge of why you are teaching: • A well developed educational philosophy • Unpacking your deeply held assumptions about: what is education, the nature of the learner, what subjects are most important, the role of schools in society

4. Pedagogical Content Knowledge • Knowledge of the organization and presentation of subject matter in a way that makes it understandable to and applicable by others • Teachers are able to “psychologize” the subject matter for students. (Dewey) • Scaffolding from the known to the unknown (Vygotsky)

5. Knowledge about how Students Learn and Grow • Educational psychology studies how students develop physically, socially, and cognitively • Our conceptions of ourselves and of others develop in a unique way as we interact with our world…who we think we are, who we think others are, and what we think is the purpose of being here

6. Knowledge of Curricular Content • No Child Left Behind Act defines a “highly qualified teacher” as: holds at least a bachelor’s degree, full state licensure, subject area competence, has passed rigorous state tests in the subject(s) s/he is teaching

7. The Knowledge Base of Effective Teachers • Culturally responsive teachers: 1. believe all students can achieve and succeed, 2. build a community of learners, 3. build connections to families and the community, 4.are continual learners, 5. vary instructional methods, 6.know their students, 7. are introspective and reflective

8. Good teachers have • Pedagogical skill to implement teaching strategies…and pedagogical content knowledge • Reflective skills to analyze and act of teacher-generated data • Communication and collaboration skills to build relationships • Management skills to arrange successful learning environments • Technological skills

9. The attitudes and Dispositions of Effective Teachers • Star teachers tend to be nonjudgmental, are not moralistic, not easily shocked, truly listen, recognize their own weaknesses, don’t see themselves as “saviors”, network, see themselves as “winning”, enjoy their interactions with kids, see their primary impact as raising kids self esteem and helping them be more humane, derive satisfaction of lots of needs teaching kids…but not power needs

10. It is most important that a teacher has high levels of • Knowledge that s/he is teaching the students • Skills in teaching the subject to the students • Positive dispositions, values, attitudes

11. Effective Teachers Employ These Tools • Structure and Clarity • Motivation • High Expectations • Questioning

12. Styles of Teaching on Ends of a Spectrum • Authoritarian – characterized by: • Teacher-Centered • Traditional Structures • Rules-Based • Transmission of Knowledge • Centrality of Teacher Knowledge

13. Styles of Teaching on Ends of a Spectrum • Constructivist, characterized by: • Student-Centered • Democratic, egalitarian ideals • Student experience of learning • Teacher as Learner who Models

14. Styles of Teaching and Management • P. 217 & 217 in your text: • Constructivism…Alfie Kohn • We punish and reward too much. Student learning should be motivation in its own right. • Behaviorism…Assertive Discipline….Lee and Marlene Canter. Use of rewards and punishments.

15. My most effective teachers were…. • Authoritarian • Constructivist • Somewhere in the middle

16. Academic Learning Time • This concept is dynamically intertwined with styles of teaching. It has to do with curriculum (more on that later), but also how a teacher thinks about using time available. • Allocated Time • Engaged Time • Academic Learning Time

17. Classroom Management • A direct function of teaching style • Group alerting • “withitness” • Overlapping • Least intervention • fragmentation

18. The Pedagogical Cycle • What is the set of actions, responses, communications that define activity in the classroom? • 1. Structure • 2. Question • 3. Response • 4. React

19. Academic Structure as a Goal: • Objectives • Review • Motivation • Transition • Clarification • Scaffolding • Examples • Directions • Enthusiasm • Closure

20. Questions and Effective Teaching • Learning to Question well is part art, and part skill: • Lower order questions – factual, naming, etc. • Higher-order questions – evaluate, analyze, compare, solve a problem….

21. Bloom’s Taxonomy: • Knowledge • Comprehension • Application • Analysis • Synthesis • Evaluation

22. I experienced Bloom’s Taxonomy in… • All of my high school classes • 1 class at best • None of my classes • 2 or more of my classes

23. NBTS Description of Effective Teachers • Committed to students and their learning • Know their subject matter and subject matter pedagogy • Responsible for managing and monitoring student learning • Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience • Teachers are members of learning communities

24. Stages of Teacher Development • 1. Survival • 2. Consolidation • 3. Renewal • 4. Maturity

25. Knowledge about the Community • Connecting students to the outside world requires that teachers know their students’ community • Eating in the community, living in the community, reading local community papers, talking with community members, going to meetings of the community

26. At present, my most developed teaching tools are: • Content knowledge • Pedagogical skills • Reflective skills • Communication skills • Management skills • Positive attitude and dispositions

27. Reflective teachers • Open-minded • Wholehearted • Responsible • An ethic of caring relationships • Learning communities

28. It’s most important for me to build • Pedagogical skill • An ethic of caring • An educational philosophy • Reflective practice • Pedagogical content knowledge