Greetings!
How do we know effective
teaching when we see it? If research shows that an effective teacher has the
most significant impact on student achievement in the classroom then the answer
to that question is essential to raising student achievement in Oregon. This month's teacher effectiveness email
highlights a report by the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality
entitled, "America's Opportunity: Teacher Effectiveness and Equity in K-12 Classrooms."
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Defining Teacher Effectiveness
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Chapter 4 of "America's Opportunity: Teacher Effectiveness
and Equity in K-12 Classrooms" includes a section called, "Defining Teacher
Effectiveness." The chapter makes
the case that "without a working definition
of teacher effectiveness, there will be no way to measure outcomes and thus no
way to determine if efforts are successful."
The chapter presents a five-point definition of an effective
teacher from Goe, Bell and Little (2008):
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"Effective teachers have high expectations for
all students and help students learn, as measured by value-added or other
test-based growth measures, or by alternative measures."
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"Effective teachers contribute to positive
academic, attitudinal, and social outcomes for students, such as regular
attendance, on-time promotion to the next grade, on-time graduation,
self-efficacy, and cooperative behavior."
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"Effective teachers use diverse resources to plan
and structure engaging learning opportunities; monitor student progress
formatively, adapting instruction as needed; and evaluate learning using
multiple sources of evidence."
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"Effective teachers contribute to the
development of classrooms and schools that value diversity and
civic-mindedness."
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"Effective teachers collaborate with other
teachers, administrators, parents, and education professionals to ensure
student success, particularly the success of students with special needs and
those at high risk for failure."
What do you think? Does this definition describe an effective teacher?
What do these characteristics look like in practice? Join the conversation.
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