So what makes the most effective teachers effective?

A much shorter week than usual, which I know won’t disappoint everyone! Having a three day week instead of five means that some things have been compressed and that we had to get the reports out earlier than planned. In general we are very happy with the progress and performance of the vast majority of Secondary students, which shows a much ‘greener’ picture than this time a year ago. Of course the continued support and involvement of parents will have a significant impact on their future success. To this end we really hope that everyone can make the 3 Way Conference Evening – a fancy name for ‘parents evening’ for the more traditional – on December 2nd. All the teachers and myself should be available and we hope to have as many conversations with you as possible.

Last week I shared some powerful research on what aspects of parenting make a difference to student achievement. This week I would like to share some research on some aspects of teaching that have a significant positive impact on student achievement. Amongst the top ten are:

1) Formative evaluation – do teachers regularly seek feedback on whether ‘all’ students understand what is being taught as it is being taught? i.e. not just waiting until the big test but modifying teaching as they go along in response to this feedback.

2) Micro teaching – have teachers learned their craft in such a way that they reflect on the effectiveness of each aspect of their practice and teaching approach?

3) Teacher clarity – Are the learning intentions clear and understood? Are the assessment (success) criteria clear and understood? Are the learning strategies clear and understood?

4) High expectations and standards – are students challenged to push themselves? Are students expected to be disciplined, organised and focused in class? Do teachers consciously and unconsciously signal that they believe in a student’s ability?

5) Teacher student relationship – is a mutual culture of respect in place?

6) Spaced versus mass practice – are learning objectives reinforced over time?

7) Professional development – is the knowledge, understanding and skills of teachers constantly developed?

8) Meta cognitive strategies – do teachers systematically encourage self questioning and reflection before and after a task? Often referred to as ‘thinking about thinking’.

9) Providing feedback to students – do teachers regularly test and assess students on their learning and understanding and let them know how they are doing and what they can do to improve?

10) Study skills? do teachers equip students with planning, organisation, and memory techniques based on different auditory, visual and tactile strategies?

Of course there are many others but this post is already too long. If you find any of this information interesting and would like to discuss the research you are always welcome to drop in. The notes are summarised from ‘Visible Learning’, a synthesis of 55 000 studies and 800 meta analyses by Professor John Hattie. More to come next week!

Have a great long weekend!