-------------------------------------------
Even though I am a co-founder of an education/technology company, this is my first blog participation. Please forgive me if I goof it up!
I am interested in the use of technology to evaluate teaching behavior. See the article from the Journal of Teacher Education attached. Don't worry about the statistics, but focus on discussion of the Teaching Performance Record (TPR). Long story short... go to tpr.casenex.com and explore the instrument using "district" as the name and "demo" for the password.
I submit to you that if you are a teacher, it doesn't matter where you go to school, how smart you are, or even whether you like students. What really matters is what you do when you plan for instruction and as you interact with students. That is what TPR measures!
18 comments:
I thought the article was interesting and I agreed with many of the points it raised. I got a kick out of one of the early paragraphs: "teacher education has been panned as a haven for academically weak college students; a jargon-laden commonsense enterprise masquerading as a profession; long on theory, too short on practical knowledge, a protectionist alliance that works to exclude non-members from assuming teaching jogs, just plain unnecessary, and even harmful" That sums up almost exactly what I used to think about teacher education programs and about teaching in general. My older sister went into education and when I entered college, I scoffed at my family's advise that I should study education along with my English major. I thought of teaching as un-academic. I thought people became teachers because they weren't talented enough to study other subjects or pursue other academic careers. Funny that I ended up years later back in school to be a teacher, that my mind changed so completely from the early pretentious leanings against teaching. I do agree somewhat with the second portion of the quote that criticized teacher education programs, though. I do think that the classes we take are theory-heavy and sometimes don't seem to apply to what we actually experience working in the schools. Some of the classes I have taken in my teacher education program do seem unnecessary and lacking in practical application. I disagree with the notion raised in the article that how effective a teacher is or is not should be evaluated in terms of how their students perform on standardized tests; that effective teaching is defined in those terms by some. I don't think that standardized tests provide an accurate measure of what students know and can do. Other measure are needed to assess what and how much students are learning. I personally think that an effective teacher is, like the article said later, one who can teach on his or feet, adapt, be flexible, and most importantly, one who reflects and tries new strategies when one is clearly not working. The article said that effective teachers generally have a rich repertoire of teaching strategies and I agree. Teachers need a multitude of strategies at their disposal to serve a diverse population of students with diverse sets of needs. As was pointed out, what is effective teaching for one student is not necessarily effective with another student. The idea is to use what works in terms of your individual students, to "call upon appropriate strategies when conditions warrant."
I also thought that this was a very interesting article. In my reading I was very impressed with the following thoughts from the article. I agree that good teaching planning, pedagogical courses, field experience technology, attitudes and abilities of those that are teaching future teachers, are all attributes that influence the persona of a teacher.
That is why I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be apart of the TAP program. I feel that all of the experiences, teachers, and strategies that we are faced with, while in this program will help me to be very effective teacher of the 21st century!
I also agree that good teaching in one subject does not always look like good teaching in another. As a music educator, I realize that there are some strategies and practices that will be most effective for my students. As the author stated, teachers are taught specialized knowledge of the best ways to teach in a particular content area. I must continue to seek current trends and practices for helping my students to value their instruction in music education, whether they have future plans or not in music. Hopefully my "teaching behaviors" will influence their academic achievement in not only music, but in other content areas.
I must say, that I beg to differ with the author, that one does not have to like children, that its all in the planning and experience of the preservice teacher. I feel that what divides the average teacher from the effective teacher is the passion and yearning that they have for all of their students to achieve. When I think of educational words such as tracking and equity, for example, it is the teachers that take more time to find effective ways and strategies to relate and understand these students to help them have academic success. So I feel that passion for students and their aspirations and success does and should matter, to be able to be an effective educator. Teachers that have this passion will also produce more students with self efficacy!
I agree with what Marta and Swehla have said about this article. I too feel that standardized tests don't necessarily measure intelligence. They just measure how students can preform in a given amount of time under pressure. A better way to measure student understanding is to have them work on projects and tasks that are related to the course. This can then benefit the different learning styles of each student. A great teacher is one that can think on their feet and adapt the lessons to fit the students needs and change them at any given time. The teacher that taught out of the text book just boring and ineffective to my learning.
The TAP program has exposed me to many different theories and ways of teaching. In my Language Arts methods course we learn every night how to teach a different topic (writing, reading, literature, grammar, etc.) and ways in which we can engage students and make learning fun for them. I do think there were a few classes along the way that could have been better taught or more substance, but overall the classes contributed ideas that I could use in my classroom to be effective and communicate with my students
Once again, reading the comments of my classmates has helped me in getting more out of this reading assignment. Marta's comments made me laugh as I recognized there attitudes I had held about education at some point.
I also balked at the notion that teachers don't need to like their students. I think that this ignores the affective part of the "whole child" -- something that the TAP program has impressed upon me as very important.
The thing that struck me the most about this article is that teachers are really problem-solvers. I like the case method idea. This type of exercise challenges teachers to think critically, and validates their analytical approach. Here is a quote from the article that I found especially helpful:
"Kessler's (2005) research revealed that teacher candidates' abilities to identify instructional problems in a case-based exercise is a greater predictor of pupil achievement than are the candidates' abilities to propose teaching actions.This finding 'intimates that novice teachers' propensity to act -- to leap before looking -- might be detrimental to pupil achievement.'"
The TPR looks like a very good tool to improve teacher effectiveness. I think that the TAP program has been able to teach / reinforce many desirable characteristics listed on the TPR observation form. I can see how this tool can be used to improve teaching skills in the areas of planning and student interaction.
It seems to me that in order to be an effective teacher you have to like being around kids. So, I am not sure I understand Dr. McNergney's comment about it not mattering whether or not a teacher likes students. Planning and student interaction are critical to establishing effective teaching / learning in the classroom.
In my opinion, however, an effective teaching relationship with students is necessary to achieve lasting student motivation toward the learning process. I see several areas in the TPR observation form that can actually be used to measure the effectiveness of the student / teacher relationship.
My cooperating teacher gives her students a survey at the beginning of the year asking about effective teachers they’ve had and what made them effective. In their answers, the students list a number of the effective teaching behaviors, like “giving lots of examples”, “breaking down the information”....I think that many of us have insight, even before coming to the education college, into what kinds of teacher behaviors have helped us to learn in the past.
As a future student teacher who is concerned about making the most of in-class time for my students, I found it helpful to look at the video clips on the TPR website of the behaviors that the TPR measures. This program sounds like a helpful way to develop more confidence in the classroom, in that it records the usage of these behaviors in a non-judgmental way and gives room for multiple interpretation by the participants.
The hot button comment appears to be about whether you need to like students to be an effective teacher.
I would submit that it may be possible. Have you ever had a teacher you didn't like -- but were still able to learn from?
It's probably a poor decision to get into teaching if you don't like students. But, it seems to me that I have had teachers in the past that didn't like their students -- and still covered material adequately.
I wouldn't take another class from such a teacher if I could avoid it. If you don't like the students, it shows -- and makes the learning environment hostile. I would think the "motivation" skills portion of the TPR would be low for such a teacher.
The 105 points that the TPR cover were the most interesting part to me. Deciding on 105 things which make of a successful vs not-so-successful classroom, regardless of the subject material or age (K-12) of the students. A very ambitious idea that this can be observed and scored regardless of grade or subject matter being taught.
After reading the comments left by others, I completely agree with many of the opinions of my classmates. I do not agree with the notion that you do not have to like kids to be an effective teacher. I think that first and foremost you need to like kids. You need to have a desire to help them and encourage them. This is something that I feel would be difficult to do I you did not like the audience. This being said, I think that liking kids is not the only thing that makes a good teacher. I agree that effective planning and motivation needs to be a large part of the process; planning for learning.
I too believe that standardized tests do not measure intelligence. As someone that has never faired well on timed tests, I completely agree with this. I have always done well in my classes, but not as well on timed / standardized tests. I panic under pressure and my knowledge seems to go out the window. I don't think I am the only one like this. I think that intelligence should be measured by a mix of projects and tests to get an accurate estimate.
I agree with the above statements. It is definitely not about being academically weak...I believe that as educators we are the strongest profession. We deal with kids on a daily basis and work our hardest to teach them everything that they will need to succeed when they find their passion in life. We deal with more baggage from our students than any employer will at any job. We see the good, the bad, the successes, and the failures. We celebrate those tiny successes and the challenges we work on to make successes.
I agree that the undergraduate classes don't field enough information for education majors. I have learned more in the classroom and in my graduate classes than I ever did in my undergrad classes. Quite a few of my undergrad classes left me with more questions on how to apply the skill. I think that all educators learn more in the classroom teaching and observing than hearing from someone on what goes on and happens in the classroom. As an elementary teacher I dabble in a little bit of each subject. Given the opportunity I would have loved to have more hands on experience.
I was amused by the question Mr. Gregorian (President of Carnegie Corp.) posed. He wondered why it was that here in the U.S. with 1400 fine Teaching University programs the U.S. was importing teachers - how couuld this possibly be happening? The question was posed in 2004 so it was not that long ago. As we collectively get closer to our teaching certificates we become more aware of the financial sacrifices involved with the profession - one practically takes an oath of poverty to teach (and Mr. Gregorian can't figure this one out)? That what leads me to believe that most teachers like students or they wouldn't waste their potential at a low paying - low reward (for them) job.
I also enjoyed reading the comments about how there were no existing programs in any teacher ed program where they teach the teacher how to improve the standardized test scores for their classes. That is, no one has broken the code on how to beat the test - talk about a business opportunity! Maybe Video Professor can take a whack at an instructional program called "Teaching to the NCLB!" (with a 30-day trial offer). Obviously I jest but if NCLB continues in its present form desperate times call for desperate measures.
To be an effective teacher at the high school level, I think it is imparative to get along with kids. I don't think it's a necessity to have a great deal of like for them, just be able to tolerate them. If you can't stand being around kids, then I think it will heavily effect the way you teach. You will be distracted more easily, lose your temper more often, and overall just not enjoy your day.
One thing that I think really affects teaching effectiveness is classroom size, especially at the high school and lower levels. A smaller classroom will make the students feel more important and the teacher will have more control over the classrooom as well. The teacher will aslo have a better chance to concentrate on and help each student individually.
I agree with Swehla's comment about what good teaching looks like in one subject doesn't look good in another. I have heard numerous math teachers complain that all social studies and history teachers do is show movies. They don't take into account that some of these movies are extremely good ways of getting a certain point across. I don't agree with the old adage "Those who can't do, teach." I think it should be the other way around, "Those who can't teach, do." It takes a special kind of person to actually reach kids and get them motivated to learn. Some people who call themselves teachers are no more than "tellers." I hope I never end up as a "teller."
It may be possible to be an effective teacher and not like your students, but I think it would make you a better teacher if you did. I agree that planning is a big part of being an effective teacher and should continue to be. A lot of current teachers I see don't change a whole lot once they have lessons from a previous year. I want to be constantly trying to better myself through preparation in order to become a more effective teacher.
TPR seems like a good tool. I think teachers are sort of left of the hook in terms of accountability in the classroom. I don't think standardized tests do the trick tough. I think it's difficult to measure a teacher's success based off a 2-dimensional test that is most likely loaded with bias.
I watched one of the videos of a Spanish teacher doing a warm-up. I thought this form of accountability is good. It actually looks at the teaching environment and gives constructive criticism on each portion of the lesson. This seems very useful. One way to be a good teacher is to see what works and doesn't and to adapt accordingly. These video evaluations seem to push teachers in the right direction.
There have been some great comments and ideas so far. I will say that I very much agree with many of the points that have been made. Standardize tests do not measure intellegence, but rather was information the student has right at the time of the test. We learned that from Dr. Christensen. And especially since our standardized test are as biased as they are, we can't say we've measured the intelligence of anyone who is a minority.
To be effective we have to implore many different ways of teaching. We can just talk to the students and expect them to memorize. We have to teach the students to think, and think about what they are thinking. You have to get to know your students and motivate them. If we want to be effective teachers we need to take the things we have learned in all of our classes and actually use them, not just put them off because our cooperating teacher might not. I know I'm nervous about wanting to take my students to the computer lab to work on a website one of my fellow TAP students found for her students, but I am going to try to do it just the same. My cooperating teacher never takes the students to the computer lab, and we don't have too much technology in the room, so I feel the students miss out. That's why I want to give them the best experience I can.
The TPR web site was a nice addition to our TECH class. We have been involved with the TAP program for six months and subjected to many philosophies of teaching. The time in our home schools has caused conflict between what we should be doing as effective teachers and what is currently happening in today’s classroom. The videos serve as humbling tool that bad practices are still available if you don’t want to spend the time forming a positive learning environment for students. Relating the web site to TECH, what impressed me the most were the number of technologies used in the classrooms that corresponded to great teaching practice and good student discipline. On the other side, teachers who were shown to implement the negative practices also often lacked resources which would help to diversify their classroom learning environment. The question posed in my classmates blogs of whether or not teachers should like their students is directly related to whether or not a teacher cares about their performance on the job. If you don’t have a stake in your students they why would you ever want to do anything different for them?
With any profession, there are those who are great at what they do, those who do a perfectly fine job of it, and those who should not be in the profession at all. Teaching is the same way.
What I found interesting about this article and the website was the idea of teacher evaluation and assessment. We have been studying wonderful theories and methods of teaching in our program, and I believe we will all walk away with a wonderful head full of theoretical knowledge to start our teaching careers in the spring. I also believe that when we walk into our classrooms, much of what will have learned will stay locked away because we do not always know how to apply theory. What I enjoyed about this article and the website was the idea that there is help on the other side to make us all good, if not great, teachers.
There are professional development programs that help us to keep moving forward. If we get stuck in a rut, there are other educators out there that will help pull those wonderful theories and methods out of our heads and help us apply them.
I also enjoyed seeing in the study what worked and what didn’t. Perhaps those methods and ideas will not get lost in our transition and we can implement them from day one.
I have been trying to post this comment for the past 30 minutes! Anyway, I agree with everyone and thought the article was very informative, thought provoking, and dealt with my current reality quite well. All the considerations, dispositions, qualities, and attitudes discussed were something I could relate to personally or have witnessed in others. I agree with Swehla and the article when it mentions that good teaching in one subject does not always look like good teaching in another. Because I teach an elective, we don't necessarily have mandated standards. This is not necessarily a bad thing because we are able to incorporate methods and strategies not commonly used in journalism and we also don't have CRTs. Yipppeee!!
Post a Comment