Effective Teaching And Learning
Tan Lay Yen
Mary Anne Vaz
Institut Perguruan Sarawak
March 2007
Absract
Tan Lay Yen
Mary Anne Vaz
Institut Perguruan Sarawak
March 2007
Absract
In this age of hurried children, how do teachers become effective in Pre School? We will share our insights drawn from a review of literature and our reflections as teacher trainers and as parents. A review of concepts of effective teaching will invite you to think about what we should develop in pedagogy for the needs of children growing up an era of high expectations and multiple source of information . We will offer specific strategies to infuse FUN in learning. FUN is our acronym for FEEL UNDERSTAND NEGOTIATE. We will invite you to participate in enabling learning experiences to contribute to reconstructing an emerging view of Effective Learning and Teaching
The Importance Of Effective Teachers
Every child deserves highly qualified teachers. However, there are also concerns about the quality of the current preschool scenario. There is a general concern that the problem of incompetent and ineffective teachers in our preschools is affecting our students.
A growing body of evidence confirms that we need to have the best teachers possible in every one of our classrooms at all levels if we are to maximize the educational opportunities for all students. According to Minner ( 2001) “ What teachers know ( or do not know ) and what they do ( or do not do ) makes all the difference in the world of learning. Student achievement gains are much more influenced by a student’s assigned teacher than other factors like class size and class composition.( Darling-Hammond & Youngs , 2002, p. 13). Ferguson (1991) found that the teacher's ability was the single most influential determinant, outside of home and family circumstances, of student success. A study in Tennessee ( Sanders & Rivers, 1996) found that students who had good teachers three years in a row showed a significant increase in their percentile rankings on state examinations – regardless of socioeconomic factors.
From the literature review above, it is clear that for policymakers, the challenge is how to muster the energy, creativity and commitment to place a skilled, caring and effective teacher in every classroom.
The purpose of this paper is therefore to describe what effective teaching is like in the classroom. This paper will then consider the question : what are the characteristics of effective teachers that would make that difference in the child’s learning process. We will discuss the influence of teacher preparation, teacher professional development and mentoring of new teachers on the teacher effectiveness in teaching. We will suggest ways to use FUN to energize the learning environment. What is FUN? It is an acronym for FEEL, UNDERSTAND and NEGOTIATE.
What Do Effective Teachers Look Like ?
How can we maximize our student’s thinking, learning, motivation, and curiosity? A great deal depends on the effectiveness of teaching in the classroom and on the quality of the teacher assigned to the class.
The specific characteristics that constitute an effective teacher have been a subject of debate. Teacher quality is extremely difficult to measure. As a result, most studies resort to measurable teacher inputs such as certification, academic degrees, and years of experience.
The issue of quality teachers and quality teaching is tackled differently by No Child Left Behind ( NCLB, USA ). NCLB focused on the importance of highly qualified teachers and assumes that quality can be guaranteed by requiring that all teachers be fully certified. However, although academic credentials and formal teacher certification are important parts of professional preparation, academic credentials alone cannot guarantee high-quality instruction. Some teachers who meet the definition of highly qualified teacehrs may have low expectations of their students and racist or class-biased attitudes toward students' families and communities. Some use teaching methods that bore students, that do not connect to or respect students' lives, and that fails to encourage students to think critically about important issues.
On the one hand, there are reports that claim that certified teachers are no better in practice than uncertified instructors (Abell Foundation, 2001) while others assert that certification is an important step in ensuring quality teaching (Darling-Hammond, 2002).
We note that there are studies that correlated teacher test scores on basic skills tests and college entrance exams with the scores of their students on standardized tests and found that high-scoring teachers are more likely to elicit significant gains in student achievement than their lower-scoring counterparts (Ferguson, 1998; Ferguson & Ladd, 1996; Strauss & Sawyer, 1986).
Most of us would agree that good teachers are caring, supportive, concerned about the welfare of students, knowledgeable about their subject matter, able to get along with parents and genuinely excited about the work that they do. Effective teachers are able to help students learn.
( Cruickshank, Jenkins & Metcalf, 2003)
However, the effort to define quality teachers for the classroom is difficult and complex. Kathleen McKinney ( 1988: 298-301) asked 12 excellent teachers “ What makes you a high-quality teacher ?”, and found five components emerged: fairness, application, challenge, entertainment and service.
Daniel Putnam, professor of psychology and pedagogy at the Michigan State Normal (teacher-training), is of the opinion that the three things necessary for the greatest efficiency of the work of the teachers are, firstly wide knowledge, secondly a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the science of education and of the application of these principles to methods of teachings and having a genuine personality.
Rice ( 2003 ) in a empirical study of teacher quality and qualifications, found five broad categories of teacher attributes that appear to contribute to teacher quality: (1) experience, (2) preparation programs and degrees, (3) type of certification, (4) coursework taken in preparation for the profession, and (5) teachers’ own test scores.
According to Sisk (2004), the ten characteristics of an effective teacher identified by gifted students (upper elementary, middle and high school ) in Texas include: being knowledgeable and passionate about learning, Understanding of giftedness, being caring, having a sense of humor, being enthusiastic, sensitive, fair, have high energy, being ethical, and respecting others
Writing in Education Week, teacher and literacy consultant, Ardith D. Cole ( 2003 ) suggests that “ Successful teaching has less to do with the classroom program than with the teacher-student relationship”. Do educators place too much emphasis on the curriculum – on the standards – and not enough on qualities such as caring?
Ryan & Cooper ( 2004 ), in their book “ Those who can, Teach”, describe the four categories of attitudes of effective teachers, that is (1) attitude towards self, children and the relationship between self and children, ( 2 ) attitude towards peers and pupils parents, and ( 4 ) attitude towards the subject matter. In terms of subject-matter, a knowledge the effective teacher understands the content of the subjects they teach, the content of the school curriculum pupils are expected to know, and pedagogical content knowledge. In addition to that, effective teachers master the skills of questioning, planning, diagnosing learning difficulties, motivating, evaluating learning, differentiating instruction and using educational technology that are essential to effective teaching.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ( USA ) identified five core propositions of teachers who effectively enhance student learning and demonstrate the high level of knowledge, skills, abilities, and commitments. These teachers are committed to students and their learning, know the subjects they teach and have the necessary pedagogical knowledge, responsible for managing and monitoring student learning, think systematically about their practice and learn from experience, and are members of learning communities
Improving Effectiveness Of Preschool Teachers
Teachers seem to receive and endure more unsolicited and uninformed criticism than most other professionals do. Glaser ( 1998 ) asserts that being an effective teacher is society’s most difficult job. Most managers in business manage workers who are fairly cooperative and find their job somewhat satisfying. However, teachers and administrators are trying to manage huge numbers of students who actively and passively resist what they are asked to do.
As we expect more and more of teachers, we have an obligation to ensure that they are treated like the dedicated professionals they are. Unfortunately, many teachers report that they are not satisfied with the level of esteem society accords them. Teachers also report that they do not have sufficient support to overcome the problems they faced in the classrooms.
While we acknowledge that teachers are accountable to ensure effective teaching and learning in the classroom, we must be realistic in our expectation of what teachers can do to improve their effectiveness. In reality, teachers effectiveness depends on many factors such as teacher preparation, teacher induction to the school environment and teacher professional development programs. In our effort to improve the effectiveness of teachers, the role of school heads, senior teachers, the teacher training institute, teacher professional associations and the society must be strongly emphasized. In this article I would like to highlight on the issue of teacher preparation, teacher professional development to improve the teacher’s effectiveness.
( 1 ) Teacher Preparation
Improving the quality of teaching requires improving the quality of teacher preparation and development. Since the delivery of the whole preschool curriculum depends on the teacher, the preschool teacher must have a solid mastery of the subjects they teach. The education program used in the teacher training institute focuses on pedagogy, child development study and preschool administration and is lacking in terms of content knowledge in the area of science, mathematics, and languages. Recruiting graduates to enroll in the program does not seem to address the issue because the graduates do not have experiences and the necessary degree relevant to preschool scenario.
A degree in the relevant preschool field might not guarantee effective teaching. We should appreciate that the role as a preschool teacher is very demanding since the teachers are expected to have a wide repertoire of skills and content knowledge in all areas of the child development. To be effective, our preschool teachers need a longer training period in early childhood education. The long term negative effect of ineffective teaching and learning on the child is serious and calls us to review of the present policy regarding preschool teacher’s qualification.
( 2 ) Professional Development
Educator John Dewey once wrote that "the fundamental trouble" in education is a "lack of conversation." Such "conversation" implies thoughtful dialogue. We need to create the institutional spaces where in-depth reflection and discussion about good teaching takes place on a regular basis.
High-quality professional development should be an integral component in improving the instructional effectiveness of preschool teachers in the classroom. Professional development opportunities should focus on the intersection of content and pedagogy and include opportunities for practice, research and reflection. The professional development strategies should be sustained over time and are embedded in teachers’ work and take place during the school day.
Professional development for teachers must also be conducted systematically and the needs are more clearly identified through the use of a framework. Charlotte Danielson has proposed a generic framework for professional excellence that serves to provide a structure for conversations among educators. Danielson’s framework contains four domains, which are then broken down into several components and elements. The four domains include planning and preparation, classroom management, instruction and finally professional responsibilities.
Danielson’s uniform framework provides guidance to novices as well as to enhance the performance of veterans. When novice teachers meet with their mentors or when experienced teachers consult with their coaches or supervisors, they can use the framework to determine which aspect of teaching requires their attention. They can then decide which part of all the complex elements of instruction are reflected in any lesson to concentrate on. The framework for teaching can be used as a foundation for the teacher evaluation plan and for establishing professional development for staff.
( 3 ) Mentoring New Teachers
Glaser ( 1998 ) argues that teaching is a very hard job that needs compensation and considerable on-the-job training for the lifetime of the teacher. Less than this will not suffice. However, on-the-job training is lacking in many schools or states.
It is said that the most critical phase of a teacher’s career is the first two to three years in the classroom. Research shows that new teachers show the most success when they are assigned to teach in the areas for which they are licensed and prepared to teach, have planning time is provided during the school day, are given limited teaching assignments and are provided with a well-prepared mentor who has time to meet regularly with the beginning teacher. Teacher education and preparation programs alone cannot prepare new teachers for the specific context of teaching in a particular school and community. The primary responsibility for induction and mentoring of beginning teachers, therefore, lies with the individual school or education department.
The mentoring program implemented during the training at the teacher training institute or universities need to be continued. Studies show that induction programs can enhance the effectiveness of teachers. However, the induction programs must incorporate the following attributes, namely ( 1 ) use experienced, well-trained teachers as mentors, ( 2 ) are based upon well-defined program standards, ( 3 ) are adequately funded, ( 4 )extend beyond the first year of a teacher’s career, and ( 5 ) are part of a larger effort that includes reduced teaching loads, appropriate class placements, ample opportunity for observation of other teachers and targeted professional development.
FUN In Learning
FUN is our acronym for FEEL UNDERSTAND NEGOTIATE. What has FUN got to do with it ? Fun is a powerful enabler ( Palaniapan, 2002 ). It is a stimulus, a catalyst and accelerates thinking. How do we equip our teachers with FUN Tools? Children live in an era where they are surrounded with a lot of information and new learning content? However, do our children have an exciting NEED to learn? Proponents of experiential learning would suggest that learning is experiencing content. It would mean modifying old ideas that get in the way of old ones.
We may want to ask ourselves this question: does the curriculum provide FUN learning experiences in keeping with the needs of our times? Are we preparing students to be cognitively, socially and emotionally ready to enter the learning communities in Primary Schools? What is the level of sophistication of students in Primary School? How able are children in language skills, in socializing and in emotional intelligence?
Perfectionism
One area we need to look into is training teachers to notice students who have different needs. Less able students are more easily identified because their passive behaviour make them obvious as students at risk. However, literature indicates that there is a need for teachers to feel the needs, understand and negotiate with students who are afraid of their high abilities. High achievers have reported that they fear teasing for being smart, are pressured to be perfect by parents, teachers and friends and worry and feel powerless about global issues. ( DECS,1997 ). What are related problems that may emerge? A sense of alienation. The child is in a dilemma due to uneven development. This is known as asynchronous development ( DECS, 1994 ). This condition makes them vulnerable and develop a self definition characterized by low self esteem (Cohen & Frydenberg (1993 ).
Heacox ( 1991 ) identified profiles of exceptional children, one of which he refers to as the “ rebel”. This “rebel” profile is unable to see the relevance of many classroom activities. What can the teacher do to FEEL, UNDESTAND and NEGOTIATE with these students? Build in “ think time”: get them to think about the future and issues on television. Value the originality of their ideas. Conduct activities to enable them to value their similarities with others to develop a sense of belonging instead of alienation.
( DECS 1997 ) .
Let us study the case of Terry Tao who was identified by his father at three years as being exceptional. He had formed a sentence from alphabets provided by McDonalds. The father Dr Tao, a gynecologist n Adelaide, withdrew him from pre school and placed him in a primary school. However he was not emotionally ready and ran about joyfully thus disrupting the learning environment. The father decided to put him back in his pre school saying that he wanted Terry to enjoy school. Here we see the importance of the element of joy in Dr Tao’s value system.
In an interview with the BBC he explained that he preferred the “Pyramid” concept in education: provide your child with a variety of learning opportunities in various fields. In contrast the “Columnlar” concept where learning is confined to the area of talent displayed by the child. Terry benefited from selective acceleration: he spent part of his school day with similar age peers and part of his day with students of his mental age.
Teacher of the Year for 1999 in USA , Andy Baumgartner points out for students to feel successful they need to believe that they are doing something of value. ( Di Guilo, 2004 )An intuitive teacher can modify plans as they unfold to respond to the needs of his learners. To have a high participation format teachers need to give sufficient time for students to do explore tasks. Howard Gardner noted that children in a school he visited in China were able to produce high quality ink drawings when they were left to work uninterrupted. ( Di Guilo 2004 ).
Is it possible that when we move ahead we do not advance? Thus a wise teacher has to wait and see. There is no greater mistake than not respecting your students. To hurry learning we may destroy potential. ( Mtz, P, K, 1995 )
Another danger in perfectionism is that students who learn fast expect to learn everything easily and become impatient with others and themselves. When they become bossy and competitive, they become unpopular and isolated. This leads to an opposite reaction of wanting to hide their abilities. ( Porter , 1997 ).
Infusing Values Education
Identify values that will minimize conflict and create activities for children to revisit these values regularly. You may want to give a Peace Award for students who demonstrate accommodation instead of arguing. Stories can be used to help children to think about peaceability and try to resolve differences without conflict. To help them to manage pain the story may help them to see that meanness in others is their problem and requires your understanding. ( Eyre, 1993 ).
Pre-school children can draw vast quantities of joy from everyday life. They experience it through their senses and it is contagious. Spontaneity in your teaching style is one way to enrich the joy quotient in your teaching environment. Shake hands with a door knob and teach polite greetings. Tell tall tales where children can interact with you as the story teller. Be a farmer planting balloons and get the children to be the balloon plants growing, bigger and bigger…until a strong wind comes and…Let them create what would happen next. In doing such activities we are developing joy and optimism.
A study comparing high achievers and lower achievers noted that at pre school the two groups of children were given different opportunities to learn. In the high achieving group the teachers were consultants, teaching when the children were interested and what they were interested in. In the lower achieving group the teachers over taught, over protected and over supervised. They were managers rather than consultants. As a result these children had a higher level of fear and were lower in initiative, confidence and self reliance. ( Eyre, 1984 )
Add a dash of drama with a conversation between a an ant and a pan :
“I can’t ,” said the ant
“You can!” said the pan
“I can?” asked the ant
“ Please try..” said the pie
“ Push her up..” said the cup
( Adapted from Sapon-Shevin, 1999 )
You too can develop little FUN Happy Talk Tasks like this one. Have students create their this tale and come up with more happy talk between insects and things in the home. They will experience feeling, understanding and negotiation.
Happy, happy, happy talk
Talk about things you like to do
You got to have a dream
If you don’t have a dream
How are you going to have a dream come true?
( From the Musical “South Pacific” )
Conclusion
We are in an age of hectic activity, busy planning to get children to where they have to be next. We emphasize the intellect of students but forget their hearts. ( Elias , Tobias and Friedlander, 1999 ). Can we create a dictionary of feelings? It has been noted that cyber social life can teach social skills. This would be an exciting area for action research : how can we use computers to develop FUN skills? Let us look into this opportunity to use FUN to develop feelings, understanding and negotiate for a pre school learning environment that addresses the needs of children in these challenging times.
Teacher effectiveness is a multifaceted issue, but one that all agree is critical to student success. There are pathways to improve the effectiveness of our teacher. A systems approach is needed to address each of the following factors: teacher preparation, induction and mentoring for beginning teachers and continuous professional development throughout a teacher’s career. Leadership is essential at all levels to ensure that there is a qualified teacher in every classroom, and that teachers have the support they need to do their jobs well. What we do today will determine what our children will be able to do tomorrow.
The Importance Of Effective Teachers
Every child deserves highly qualified teachers. However, there are also concerns about the quality of the current preschool scenario. There is a general concern that the problem of incompetent and ineffective teachers in our preschools is affecting our students.
A growing body of evidence confirms that we need to have the best teachers possible in every one of our classrooms at all levels if we are to maximize the educational opportunities for all students. According to Minner ( 2001) “ What teachers know ( or do not know ) and what they do ( or do not do ) makes all the difference in the world of learning. Student achievement gains are much more influenced by a student’s assigned teacher than other factors like class size and class composition.( Darling-Hammond & Youngs , 2002, p. 13). Ferguson (1991) found that the teacher's ability was the single most influential determinant, outside of home and family circumstances, of student success. A study in Tennessee ( Sanders & Rivers, 1996) found that students who had good teachers three years in a row showed a significant increase in their percentile rankings on state examinations – regardless of socioeconomic factors.
From the literature review above, it is clear that for policymakers, the challenge is how to muster the energy, creativity and commitment to place a skilled, caring and effective teacher in every classroom.
The purpose of this paper is therefore to describe what effective teaching is like in the classroom. This paper will then consider the question : what are the characteristics of effective teachers that would make that difference in the child’s learning process. We will discuss the influence of teacher preparation, teacher professional development and mentoring of new teachers on the teacher effectiveness in teaching. We will suggest ways to use FUN to energize the learning environment. What is FUN? It is an acronym for FEEL, UNDERSTAND and NEGOTIATE.
What Do Effective Teachers Look Like ?
How can we maximize our student’s thinking, learning, motivation, and curiosity? A great deal depends on the effectiveness of teaching in the classroom and on the quality of the teacher assigned to the class.
The specific characteristics that constitute an effective teacher have been a subject of debate. Teacher quality is extremely difficult to measure. As a result, most studies resort to measurable teacher inputs such as certification, academic degrees, and years of experience.
The issue of quality teachers and quality teaching is tackled differently by No Child Left Behind ( NCLB, USA ). NCLB focused on the importance of highly qualified teachers and assumes that quality can be guaranteed by requiring that all teachers be fully certified. However, although academic credentials and formal teacher certification are important parts of professional preparation, academic credentials alone cannot guarantee high-quality instruction. Some teachers who meet the definition of highly qualified teacehrs may have low expectations of their students and racist or class-biased attitudes toward students' families and communities. Some use teaching methods that bore students, that do not connect to or respect students' lives, and that fails to encourage students to think critically about important issues.
On the one hand, there are reports that claim that certified teachers are no better in practice than uncertified instructors (Abell Foundation, 2001) while others assert that certification is an important step in ensuring quality teaching (Darling-Hammond, 2002).
We note that there are studies that correlated teacher test scores on basic skills tests and college entrance exams with the scores of their students on standardized tests and found that high-scoring teachers are more likely to elicit significant gains in student achievement than their lower-scoring counterparts (Ferguson, 1998; Ferguson & Ladd, 1996; Strauss & Sawyer, 1986).
Most of us would agree that good teachers are caring, supportive, concerned about the welfare of students, knowledgeable about their subject matter, able to get along with parents and genuinely excited about the work that they do. Effective teachers are able to help students learn.
( Cruickshank, Jenkins & Metcalf, 2003)
However, the effort to define quality teachers for the classroom is difficult and complex. Kathleen McKinney ( 1988: 298-301) asked 12 excellent teachers “ What makes you a high-quality teacher ?”, and found five components emerged: fairness, application, challenge, entertainment and service.
Daniel Putnam, professor of psychology and pedagogy at the Michigan State Normal (teacher-training), is of the opinion that the three things necessary for the greatest efficiency of the work of the teachers are, firstly wide knowledge, secondly a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the science of education and of the application of these principles to methods of teachings and having a genuine personality.
Rice ( 2003 ) in a empirical study of teacher quality and qualifications, found five broad categories of teacher attributes that appear to contribute to teacher quality: (1) experience, (2) preparation programs and degrees, (3) type of certification, (4) coursework taken in preparation for the profession, and (5) teachers’ own test scores.
According to Sisk (2004), the ten characteristics of an effective teacher identified by gifted students (upper elementary, middle and high school ) in Texas include: being knowledgeable and passionate about learning, Understanding of giftedness, being caring, having a sense of humor, being enthusiastic, sensitive, fair, have high energy, being ethical, and respecting others
Writing in Education Week, teacher and literacy consultant, Ardith D. Cole ( 2003 ) suggests that “ Successful teaching has less to do with the classroom program than with the teacher-student relationship”. Do educators place too much emphasis on the curriculum – on the standards – and not enough on qualities such as caring?
Ryan & Cooper ( 2004 ), in their book “ Those who can, Teach”, describe the four categories of attitudes of effective teachers, that is (1) attitude towards self, children and the relationship between self and children, ( 2 ) attitude towards peers and pupils parents, and ( 4 ) attitude towards the subject matter. In terms of subject-matter, a knowledge the effective teacher understands the content of the subjects they teach, the content of the school curriculum pupils are expected to know, and pedagogical content knowledge. In addition to that, effective teachers master the skills of questioning, planning, diagnosing learning difficulties, motivating, evaluating learning, differentiating instruction and using educational technology that are essential to effective teaching.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ( USA ) identified five core propositions of teachers who effectively enhance student learning and demonstrate the high level of knowledge, skills, abilities, and commitments. These teachers are committed to students and their learning, know the subjects they teach and have the necessary pedagogical knowledge, responsible for managing and monitoring student learning, think systematically about their practice and learn from experience, and are members of learning communities
Improving Effectiveness Of Preschool Teachers
Teachers seem to receive and endure more unsolicited and uninformed criticism than most other professionals do. Glaser ( 1998 ) asserts that being an effective teacher is society’s most difficult job. Most managers in business manage workers who are fairly cooperative and find their job somewhat satisfying. However, teachers and administrators are trying to manage huge numbers of students who actively and passively resist what they are asked to do.
As we expect more and more of teachers, we have an obligation to ensure that they are treated like the dedicated professionals they are. Unfortunately, many teachers report that they are not satisfied with the level of esteem society accords them. Teachers also report that they do not have sufficient support to overcome the problems they faced in the classrooms.
While we acknowledge that teachers are accountable to ensure effective teaching and learning in the classroom, we must be realistic in our expectation of what teachers can do to improve their effectiveness. In reality, teachers effectiveness depends on many factors such as teacher preparation, teacher induction to the school environment and teacher professional development programs. In our effort to improve the effectiveness of teachers, the role of school heads, senior teachers, the teacher training institute, teacher professional associations and the society must be strongly emphasized. In this article I would like to highlight on the issue of teacher preparation, teacher professional development to improve the teacher’s effectiveness.
( 1 ) Teacher Preparation
Improving the quality of teaching requires improving the quality of teacher preparation and development. Since the delivery of the whole preschool curriculum depends on the teacher, the preschool teacher must have a solid mastery of the subjects they teach. The education program used in the teacher training institute focuses on pedagogy, child development study and preschool administration and is lacking in terms of content knowledge in the area of science, mathematics, and languages. Recruiting graduates to enroll in the program does not seem to address the issue because the graduates do not have experiences and the necessary degree relevant to preschool scenario.
A degree in the relevant preschool field might not guarantee effective teaching. We should appreciate that the role as a preschool teacher is very demanding since the teachers are expected to have a wide repertoire of skills and content knowledge in all areas of the child development. To be effective, our preschool teachers need a longer training period in early childhood education. The long term negative effect of ineffective teaching and learning on the child is serious and calls us to review of the present policy regarding preschool teacher’s qualification.
( 2 ) Professional Development
Educator John Dewey once wrote that "the fundamental trouble" in education is a "lack of conversation." Such "conversation" implies thoughtful dialogue. We need to create the institutional spaces where in-depth reflection and discussion about good teaching takes place on a regular basis.
High-quality professional development should be an integral component in improving the instructional effectiveness of preschool teachers in the classroom. Professional development opportunities should focus on the intersection of content and pedagogy and include opportunities for practice, research and reflection. The professional development strategies should be sustained over time and are embedded in teachers’ work and take place during the school day.
Professional development for teachers must also be conducted systematically and the needs are more clearly identified through the use of a framework. Charlotte Danielson has proposed a generic framework for professional excellence that serves to provide a structure for conversations among educators. Danielson’s framework contains four domains, which are then broken down into several components and elements. The four domains include planning and preparation, classroom management, instruction and finally professional responsibilities.
Danielson’s uniform framework provides guidance to novices as well as to enhance the performance of veterans. When novice teachers meet with their mentors or when experienced teachers consult with their coaches or supervisors, they can use the framework to determine which aspect of teaching requires their attention. They can then decide which part of all the complex elements of instruction are reflected in any lesson to concentrate on. The framework for teaching can be used as a foundation for the teacher evaluation plan and for establishing professional development for staff.
( 3 ) Mentoring New Teachers
Glaser ( 1998 ) argues that teaching is a very hard job that needs compensation and considerable on-the-job training for the lifetime of the teacher. Less than this will not suffice. However, on-the-job training is lacking in many schools or states.
It is said that the most critical phase of a teacher’s career is the first two to three years in the classroom. Research shows that new teachers show the most success when they are assigned to teach in the areas for which they are licensed and prepared to teach, have planning time is provided during the school day, are given limited teaching assignments and are provided with a well-prepared mentor who has time to meet regularly with the beginning teacher. Teacher education and preparation programs alone cannot prepare new teachers for the specific context of teaching in a particular school and community. The primary responsibility for induction and mentoring of beginning teachers, therefore, lies with the individual school or education department.
The mentoring program implemented during the training at the teacher training institute or universities need to be continued. Studies show that induction programs can enhance the effectiveness of teachers. However, the induction programs must incorporate the following attributes, namely ( 1 ) use experienced, well-trained teachers as mentors, ( 2 ) are based upon well-defined program standards, ( 3 ) are adequately funded, ( 4 )extend beyond the first year of a teacher’s career, and ( 5 ) are part of a larger effort that includes reduced teaching loads, appropriate class placements, ample opportunity for observation of other teachers and targeted professional development.
FUN In Learning
FUN is our acronym for FEEL UNDERSTAND NEGOTIATE. What has FUN got to do with it ? Fun is a powerful enabler ( Palaniapan, 2002 ). It is a stimulus, a catalyst and accelerates thinking. How do we equip our teachers with FUN Tools? Children live in an era where they are surrounded with a lot of information and new learning content? However, do our children have an exciting NEED to learn? Proponents of experiential learning would suggest that learning is experiencing content. It would mean modifying old ideas that get in the way of old ones.
We may want to ask ourselves this question: does the curriculum provide FUN learning experiences in keeping with the needs of our times? Are we preparing students to be cognitively, socially and emotionally ready to enter the learning communities in Primary Schools? What is the level of sophistication of students in Primary School? How able are children in language skills, in socializing and in emotional intelligence?
Perfectionism
One area we need to look into is training teachers to notice students who have different needs. Less able students are more easily identified because their passive behaviour make them obvious as students at risk. However, literature indicates that there is a need for teachers to feel the needs, understand and negotiate with students who are afraid of their high abilities. High achievers have reported that they fear teasing for being smart, are pressured to be perfect by parents, teachers and friends and worry and feel powerless about global issues. ( DECS,1997 ). What are related problems that may emerge? A sense of alienation. The child is in a dilemma due to uneven development. This is known as asynchronous development ( DECS, 1994 ). This condition makes them vulnerable and develop a self definition characterized by low self esteem (Cohen & Frydenberg (1993 ).
Heacox ( 1991 ) identified profiles of exceptional children, one of which he refers to as the “ rebel”. This “rebel” profile is unable to see the relevance of many classroom activities. What can the teacher do to FEEL, UNDESTAND and NEGOTIATE with these students? Build in “ think time”: get them to think about the future and issues on television. Value the originality of their ideas. Conduct activities to enable them to value their similarities with others to develop a sense of belonging instead of alienation.
( DECS 1997 ) .
Let us study the case of Terry Tao who was identified by his father at three years as being exceptional. He had formed a sentence from alphabets provided by McDonalds. The father Dr Tao, a gynecologist n Adelaide, withdrew him from pre school and placed him in a primary school. However he was not emotionally ready and ran about joyfully thus disrupting the learning environment. The father decided to put him back in his pre school saying that he wanted Terry to enjoy school. Here we see the importance of the element of joy in Dr Tao’s value system.
In an interview with the BBC he explained that he preferred the “Pyramid” concept in education: provide your child with a variety of learning opportunities in various fields. In contrast the “Columnlar” concept where learning is confined to the area of talent displayed by the child. Terry benefited from selective acceleration: he spent part of his school day with similar age peers and part of his day with students of his mental age.
Teacher of the Year for 1999 in USA , Andy Baumgartner points out for students to feel successful they need to believe that they are doing something of value. ( Di Guilo, 2004 )An intuitive teacher can modify plans as they unfold to respond to the needs of his learners. To have a high participation format teachers need to give sufficient time for students to do explore tasks. Howard Gardner noted that children in a school he visited in China were able to produce high quality ink drawings when they were left to work uninterrupted. ( Di Guilo 2004 ).
Is it possible that when we move ahead we do not advance? Thus a wise teacher has to wait and see. There is no greater mistake than not respecting your students. To hurry learning we may destroy potential. ( Mtz, P, K, 1995 )
Another danger in perfectionism is that students who learn fast expect to learn everything easily and become impatient with others and themselves. When they become bossy and competitive, they become unpopular and isolated. This leads to an opposite reaction of wanting to hide their abilities. ( Porter , 1997 ).
Infusing Values Education
Identify values that will minimize conflict and create activities for children to revisit these values regularly. You may want to give a Peace Award for students who demonstrate accommodation instead of arguing. Stories can be used to help children to think about peaceability and try to resolve differences without conflict. To help them to manage pain the story may help them to see that meanness in others is their problem and requires your understanding. ( Eyre, 1993 ).
Pre-school children can draw vast quantities of joy from everyday life. They experience it through their senses and it is contagious. Spontaneity in your teaching style is one way to enrich the joy quotient in your teaching environment. Shake hands with a door knob and teach polite greetings. Tell tall tales where children can interact with you as the story teller. Be a farmer planting balloons and get the children to be the balloon plants growing, bigger and bigger…until a strong wind comes and…Let them create what would happen next. In doing such activities we are developing joy and optimism.
A study comparing high achievers and lower achievers noted that at pre school the two groups of children were given different opportunities to learn. In the high achieving group the teachers were consultants, teaching when the children were interested and what they were interested in. In the lower achieving group the teachers over taught, over protected and over supervised. They were managers rather than consultants. As a result these children had a higher level of fear and were lower in initiative, confidence and self reliance. ( Eyre, 1984 )
Add a dash of drama with a conversation between a an ant and a pan :
“I can’t ,” said the ant
“You can!” said the pan
“I can?” asked the ant
“ Please try..” said the pie
“ Push her up..” said the cup
( Adapted from Sapon-Shevin, 1999 )
You too can develop little FUN Happy Talk Tasks like this one. Have students create their this tale and come up with more happy talk between insects and things in the home. They will experience feeling, understanding and negotiation.
Happy, happy, happy talk
Talk about things you like to do
You got to have a dream
If you don’t have a dream
How are you going to have a dream come true?
( From the Musical “South Pacific” )
Conclusion
We are in an age of hectic activity, busy planning to get children to where they have to be next. We emphasize the intellect of students but forget their hearts. ( Elias , Tobias and Friedlander, 1999 ). Can we create a dictionary of feelings? It has been noted that cyber social life can teach social skills. This would be an exciting area for action research : how can we use computers to develop FUN skills? Let us look into this opportunity to use FUN to develop feelings, understanding and negotiate for a pre school learning environment that addresses the needs of children in these challenging times.
Teacher effectiveness is a multifaceted issue, but one that all agree is critical to student success. There are pathways to improve the effectiveness of our teacher. A systems approach is needed to address each of the following factors: teacher preparation, induction and mentoring for beginning teachers and continuous professional development throughout a teacher’s career. Leadership is essential at all levels to ensure that there is a qualified teacher in every classroom, and that teachers have the support they need to do their jobs well. What we do today will determine what our children will be able to do tomorrow.
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