Notes On Teaching And Teaching - 1907 Words

EDDDE 1001: Introduction to Learning and Teaching Assessment Task 2: Scholarly Essay (1500 words) Noel Bamford Student Number 3011 9777 Topic: What constitutes a good effective teacher? Discuss with reference to the literature. Teacher quality and education standards are an issue that is under constant scrutiny in Australia, and in many countries around the world. There are many factors that contribute to a good quality educational system. Curriculum, government funding, school administration, and pressures of public opinion to name a few. Teachers themselves however, are the front line when it comes to education. The teachers in the classroom are ultimately the people whose job it is to ensure that students actually gain the†¦show more content†¦Early studies found that progressive teachers attained lower gains in student achievement than teachers with a traditional approach. (Muijs, 2004). However, the same study noted that teachers who displayed structured, consistent progressivism achieved the best student outcomes (Muijs, 2004). Collins dictionary defines progressivism as an educational system that allows flexibility in learning procedures, based on activities determined by the needs a nd capacities of the individual child. (Collins Dictionary, 2014). Several more British studies were conducted in the late 1980s, such as the ORACLE study in 1988 and a study by Peter Mortimore and his colleagues around the same time. These studies found that teachers who devoted more time to engaging in whole class interaction and guided small group interaction, achieved significantly higher gains than teachers who spent a lot of time with individual pupils (Muijs, 2004). This and other research appear to point towards a specific set of skills and attitudes that constitutes an effective teacher. One skill that is proven to be essential for teaching is preparation and time management. Time is an essential aspect of teaching and learning. Time spent preparing class material, time spent planning class structure, even the management of time during the class are all important factors of effective teaching. Goldberg (2003) writes By investing time—to prepare for class, to go over student work, to meet students