So…What is Effective Teaching?
Some insights from the literature.
Fran Sokel
First thoughts…
What do you consider
as effective teaching?
Today’s Areas of Focus
• Defining the concept of effective teaching
• Teacher Effectiveness Research – a brief
overview
• Pupil engagement
• Authentic pedagogy
What do we mean by effective teaching?
'Although a great deal of research has focused on
teacher effectiveness,….it is not exactly clear what
'effective teaching' is.
(Patrick and Smart, 1998)
_____
‘… there is no single agreed outcome…‘
(Wragg et al 1996)
____
• 'Several terms have been used… ‘ and the different
terms ‘…are sometimes used interchangeably’
(Turner-Bisset 2001:2)
(e.g. good, quality, best, effective, successful)
However…in considering that teaching
must surely involve learning…..
‘Within their classrooms, effective
teachers create learning environments
which foster pupil progress.’
(Hay McBer:2001)
From my observations….
The ‘field’ has little patience for ineffective
(English) teachers: parents, school
principals and pupils themselves want to
see that learning is going on from the outset.
So….
We have to teach so that learning happens!
So…how can teachers best foster
learning?
• The research shows that there is no
one way to do this.
• There are many factors involved in
achieving this goal.
Teacher Effectiveness Research :
From past to present
•
•
•
•
TER - a body of research
Presage-product research
Process-product research
TER in the past two decades…
Why the changes in the nature of
TER in more recent times?
• Teaching as a profession – a
knowledge base
• Learning theory
A synthesis of recent research
Context relevance
(eg. ELL, EFL, L1 literacy instruction)
Pupil engagement
-a recurring theme
What is engagement in learning?
• Procedural engagement :
‘…observable behaviours, such as paying attention
in class and completing assignments’
(Gettinger and Seibert 2002)
• Substantive engagement…
 ‘… a sustained personal commitment to and
engagement in the content of instruction’
(Gettinger and Seibert 2002)
 comprises an emotional component
(as identified by Skinner and Belmont, 1993 & Hargreaves, 2003)
The research indicates that:
‘Significant academic achievement is not
possible without sustained, substantive
engagement.’
(Nystrand and Gamoran 1991)
Substantive engagement can be achieved,
in turn, through authentic pedagogy.
Authentic Pedagogy…
…is rooted in constructivist learning
theory and involves:
authentic academic work leading
to….
authentic learning , leading to…
authentic achievement assessed
by…
authentic assessment methods.
Authenticity in Pedagogy:
3 underlying criteria
• Knowledge construction
• Disciplined inquiry
• Value beyond the classroom
Knowledge Construction
‘… using or manipulating knowledge as
in analysis, interpretation, synthesis
and evaluation, rather than only
reproducing knowledge in previously
stated forms.’
(Newmann 2000)
Disciplined Inquiry
‘…gaining in-depth understanding of
limited topics, rather than superficial
acquaintance with many, and using
elaborated forms of communication to
learn and express … conclusions.’
(Newmann 2000)
Value Beyond the Classroom
• Connections to the world beyond the
classroom.
(Knobloch 2003)
• Value beyond school: the production of
discourse , products, and performances
that have personal, aesthetic or social
significance beyond demonstration of
success to a teacher.
(Newmann 2000)
Let’s consider some of the more
common exercises found in the text
books…..
1. Match the present form of the
verb to its past form.
2. Complete the sentences using
the words in the bank.
3. Choose the correct sentence for
each picture.
Do such tasks fulfil the criteria for
authentic tasks?
Do they facilitate/reflect…
The construction of knowledge?
Disciplined inquiry?
Value beyond school?
Examples of authentic tasks
Topic-based research projects
Shorter informative written tasks –an ID card
for a character, a description, a Facebook
profile page
Creative writing/oral tasks – write an
interview, make a book cover
Elaborated discourse – in-depth discussion
about a topic of relevance
What does this mean in practice?
No need to completely ‘ditch’ the standard
exercise … but don’t let it stop there!!
Make sure you also provide authentic
tasks that…
• …are
open-ended, allow for
various possible responses.
• …do not have clear right/wrong
answers.
• …do not rely on memory only but
make pupils think and
share ideas.
• …have meaning and relevance
beyond the classroom
So…what did we talk about?
• Effective teaching leads to learning
• TER research
• Pupil engagement
• Authentic tasks that do not merely rely
on memorising but demand:
Knowledge construction
In-depth inquiry
Relevance beyond the classroom
So, please …..
• Take a look at what you do in your
lessons.
• Consider how much time is spent
engaging pupils through ‘authentic
pedagogy’
• Make more opportunities to do so and…
…become an (even more)
effective teacher !
References
•
Gettinger, M., and Seibert, J.K., 2002, Best Practices in Increasing Academic Learning Time, In A. Thomas & J. Grimes
(Eds.), Best practices in school psychology (4th ed., pp. 773–788). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School
Psychologists. Accessed from http://www.aea1.k12.ia.us/docs/gettinger.pdf
•
Hargreaves, A., 2003, Teaching in the Knowledge Society; Education in the Age of Insecurity, Teachers College Press,
New York.
•
Hay McBer, 2000 Research into Teacher Effectiveness: A Model of Teacher Effectiveness Report, Department for
Education and Employment , UK
•
Knobloch, N. A., 2003, Is experiential learning authentic? Journal of Agricultural Education, Vol 44, No. 4, pp22-34
•
Newmann, F.M., 2000, Authentic Intellectual work: What and Why? Research/Practice newsletter Center for Applied
Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), University of Minnesota, Volume 8, Number 1 Accessed from
http://www.cehd.umn.edu/carei/reports/rpractice/Fall2000/newmann.html
•
•
Nystrand, M., and Gamoran, A., 1991, Instructional Discourse, Student Engagement, and Literature Achievement,
research in the Teaching of English, Vo. 25, No. 3, pp 261-289
Patrick, J., and Smart, R.M., 19989, An Empirical Evaluation of Teacher effectiveness: the emergence of three critical
factors, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 23, No. 2
•
Skinner, E.A., and Belmont, M.J., (1993), Motivation in the Classroom: Reciprocal Effects of teacher behavior and Student
Engagement Across the School year, Journal of Educational psychology, Vol. 85, No. 4, pp571-581
•
Turner-Bisset, R., 2001, Expert Teaching: Knowledge and Pedagogy to Lead the Profession, UK, David Fulton Publishers,
•
Wragg, E.C., Wikely, F.J., Wragg, C., M., and Haynes, G.S., 1996, Teacher appraisal observed Routledge, London
Thank you!
fsokel@gmail.com