Quality control
I keep hearing that the U.S. is heading for a teacher shortage. A report in April’s New York Times states that about 107 million teachers will retire in the next four years and that one in three new teachers never makes it to their sixth year of teaching. Our nation’s current administration is pushing to improve teacher quality and recruit 30,000 new teachers each year.
With so many new teachers entering the field it is a good time to think about the characteristics a “quality” teacher possesses, how one is trained, and the type of environment they need to create to best support all learners. Research and discussions presented by the National Research Council in the book, How People Learn offers guidance in these areas.
Quality teachers
Effective teachers provide cognitively guided instruction, supported by their subject matter and pedagogical expertise.
Subject matter expertise includes:
- Immediate identification of common misconceptions/cognitive barriers to understanding
- The ability to recognize strengths and weaknesses of curricular resource’s approach to teaching
- Deep understanding of the subject matter and its structure
- Knowledge of vertical relationships of the content through different grade levels
Pedagogical expertise includes:
- Understanding, at the synthesis and application-level, of of learning theories, developmental theories, and the psychology of learning
- Ability to lead the processes of learning such as activating prior knowledge and guiding metacognitive development
- Assessment strategies to guide learning (known as formative assessments)
- Teaching for understanding
Skilled, knowledgeable teachers create blended learning environments that support learning objectives.
Students are best supported in a blended environment that is centered in several domains.
How to build a better teacher
A teacher preparation directly affects the quality of her instruction. Teacher education programs vary widely from state to state. In Florida, one can become a teacher by completing a four-year degree program that is a combination of pedagogical and subject-area coursework. Another route to becoming a teacher in Florida is to pass a subject-area test. California, on the other hand, requires a four-year degree, the passage of a subject-area test, a multicultural credential, and 150 hours of professional development or the completion of a master’s degree in education. Teachers in Florida and California receive extremely different training, yet prepare their students to compete for the same jobs.
In addition to formal training, teachers across the country participate in mentoring, attend professional development workshops, continue to enroll in college-level courses and self-educate. Which of these settings provide the “best” training for teachers? The National Research Council proposes that teacher training should incorporate empirically-based learning principles, occur as a series vs. a single workshop, involve activities that will be used with students, and continue throughout a teacher’s career.
Teachers make a difference
Teacher quality may be one of the single most important indicators of a student’s success. It is necessary to recruit passionate, caring individuals who also possess a depth of subject matter and pedagogical expertise.
