The Exceptional Teacher
Dr Ajay Bedi
AIMS OF TODAY
• Mind Expansion
• Questions
• Reflection on Action
PLAN
• SESSION 1
Group Work
What do we mean by “exceptional”?
Am I happy enough being just “effective”?
• SESSION 2
What are the attributes of effective teachers?
What is different about exceptional educators?
• SESSION 3
Exploration of what makes the Exceptional Teacher?
How do I stack up against this?
• SESSION 4
• Practical work
• Wash up
SESSION 1
Group Work
What do we mean by “exceptional”?
Am I happy enough being just “effective”?
1.exceptional - far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree; exceeding,
surpassing, prodigious, olympian,extraordinary - beyond what is ordinary or
usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable;
2.especial, particular, special, uncommon - not common or ordinarily
encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind;
"uncommon birds"; "doing an uncommon amount of business"; "an
uncommon liking for money"; "he owed his greatest debt to his mother's
uncommon character and ability“
3.exceptional - deviating widely from a norm of physical or mental ability
© 2003 Princeton University
Does it matter to me if I am exceptional?-Buzz Group Discussion
SESSION 2
What are the attributes of effective teachers?
What is different about exceptional educators?
• Small Group Work to Define Attributes
• What is different about exceptional teachers?
• Who decides who is exceptional?
Effective Teachers
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Lesson Planning
Accurate diagnosis of student knowledge and misunderstandings
Variety in the Educational Environment
High expectations
Balanced Questioning
Guide at the side not the sage on the stage
Effective Feedback
Fun
Focus
Demand of your student
Understand your learner
Access other styles
Self awareness
Close monitoring
Appropriate thinking time
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.”
Henry Ford – Car maker and industrialist.
Which of the following, in your opinion, is the best game?
1. Monopoly
2. Scrabble
3. Paper,Scissors,Stone
4. Tiddlywinks
VARIANCE IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
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Students
Home/Social
The Educational Unit
Leaders in the EU
Peer Effect
Teacher
EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATORS
• Deeper Representations about
teaching/learning
• Problem Solving Stance
• Situational Awareness
• Educational decision making
• Climate of comfort
• Monitoring of student
problems/understanding
• Test hypotheses about learning issues
• High student respect
• Passionate
• Appropriate challenge
• Surface/deep
SESSION 3
Exploration of what makes the Exceptional Teacher?
How do I stack up against this?
SESSION 4
Practical work
Wash up
During a CBD tutorial a student asks
“Why are we doing this? What use is this to me?
How would you respond?
SESSION 4
Practical work
Wash up
Socratic Seminar
“ What is the purpose of teaching?”
“ The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows.
Ascertain this and teach accordingly.”
David Ausubel, Educationalist
“Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.”
Albert Einstein, physicist
TEACHER
STUDENT