‘The importance of great teaching on children’s success’

By Peter Tait

We seem to be no closer to establishing what the most important factors are that make children succeed, apart from brilliant teachers, writes Peter Tai

As a society, we spend an inordinate amount of time, resources and money looking at how to improve the quality of education in our schools.

The questions we ask ourselves are always the same. How do we improve the quality of teaching and learning? (and its corollary, our examination results?) How do we make our children more motivated and competitive? And how do we get children to value and ‘own’ their education?

And yet, after all the talk of new methodologies and curricula; after new and different methods of teaching and models of assessment; after all the time and money spent on technology; after the personalisation of education and differentiated teaching; after learning styles and habits of mind; after mindfulness and Every Child Matters; after the debates about continuous and formative assessment; and after all the constant tinkering, bureaucratic and legislative, with their greater focus on data and compliance, we seem to be no closer to establishing what are the most important factors that make children succeed.

The only consistent factor we can identify is the role of the teacher, whose abilities and skillset, knowledge and enthusiasm are crucial in determining the success or otherwise, of the children they teach.

Teaching, after all, is about engagement, about getting children to listen and switch on. The best investment any government can make is to get the most effective, the most talented, the best teachers they can in front of the children.

By best, I don’t mean those who are the best qualified, but those teachers who know how to enthuse and connect with children regardless of their own levels of education. I mean those teachers who can properly engage with children and teach them by inspiring and challenging them.

Sometimes the pathway dictates that the process comes down to hard work rather than inspiration, but teaching is all about the relationship between teacher and pupil more than anything else.

Children will work harder for a teacher they respect, even if they demand more and insist on discipline and high standards. One can only speculate what would have been the impact if all the money spent on technology had gone instead into lowering the teacher-pupil ratio and improving the identification, selection and training of the most effective and passionate teachers. Where would we be now? In a somewhat better place, I would suggest.

I look back at outstanding teachers from my own teaching career and remember, in particular, one woman, whose ability with children was legendary. She was strict, uncompromising, but children wanted her approbation.

One particular year she took on a particularly difficult class of Year 4 children, two of whom had considerable physical and intellectual difficulties and could not even print their names and yet finished the year with impressive cursive writing – achieved through repetition, practice, discipline and unwavering high expectations.

She made such a difference to their young lives and all who were fortunate enough to have her as a teacher.

Good teachers don’t need the security of extra resources and technology that, evidence suggests, can detract rather than add to the learning process.

The best teachers entered the profession to make a difference

The best teachers entered the profession to make a difference  Photo: Getty Images

While they may use resources to embellish their lessons, they will not allow the resources to become the lesson. The best teachers are always wanting to do and find out more about their own craft, pushing out the boundaries of their learning and teaching, which is why many exceptional teaches re-work or even discard their teaching notes on a regular basis and look for new topics, and ways, to teach.

This lesson came home to me when I was asked to introduce art history into the sixth form in a New Zealand school and finding – after the subject had been offered, and places filled – that my knowledge of the period (Italian Art, 1300 – 1650) was almost as deficient as were my resources.

That year, with a few old text books and slides, I learnt alongside the students and at the year’s end, we were the top performing department in the school with one student in the top 10 in national scholarships.

The next year, I went to Italy and soon had the best resourced art history department anywhere with videos and CD Roms, slides, a library of outstanding books of reproductions, computer programmes on every aspect of the course, but my students never did quite so well ever again.

I think they learned better, as I did, by having to think more, by having to eke out what they could from the meagre resources, by having to think and having a teacher learning alongside them. There was no hiding place for any of us.

Teachers need to keep learning and growing – it is not a profession for the cynical or indifferent. The best can be identified by their enthusiasm and interest in pedagogy. They are not characterised by their own high academic performance, but by a thirst for passing on the benefits of education.

They may be unorthodox, idiosyncratic, employing a variety of approaches to get children to want to learn and to question what they are being taught. They are typified by their passion, their non-negotiable standards, breadth of interests, high expectations, understanding of how children learn, empathy, an insistence on greater self-discipline and by their relationship with their pupils.

Interestingly, children know who the best teachers are, even if they try and avoid them in favour of the more popular variety who may make their lives easy. They often criticise them to their parents for being too demanding and only realise later the opportunity they have squandered.

These are the teachers who entered the profession in order to make a difference. And they do.

 

Source of the article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/12201014/The-importance-of-great-teaching-on-childrens-success.html

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United Kingdom: Education Day 2018: To inclusivity and beyond

United Kingdom/20 de marzo de 2018/by Murray MacKay/Source: https://www.imperial.ac.uk

This year’s Education Day brought together staff and students to explore how to make learning and teaching more inclusive.

Opening the event the College’s Assistant Provost (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), Professor Stephen Curry, said: “Actions often speak louder than words. We must ask ourselves tough questions – do certain teaching methods perpetuate bias? As an institution what can we do to add value to this debate?

“Progress has been steady since the passing of the Equality Act in 2010, but more can be done. I’m proud that the principles behind this legislation are threaded throughout the entirety of the College’s Learning and Teaching Strategy, as well as our Curriculum Review.”

«At the heart of a positive student experience must be a strong sense of belonging.»Professor Liz Thomas

Education experts from across the College were joined by keynote speaker Professor Liz Thomas, member of the Teaching Excellence Framework panel, as well as an author and editor of over ten books, and many journal articles, reports, briefings and best practice guides.

Professor Thomas said: “At the heart of a positive student experience must be a strong sense of belonging. Embedding inclusivity is as much about changing the culture of teaching as it is related to the structure of teaching.”

Professor Thomas also set out some of the signs of a positive student experience:

  • Supportive peer relationships
  • Meaningful interaction between staff and students
  • Developing knowledge and having confidence in your identity
  • Having a higher education experience that is relevant to your future goals

Investigating inclusivity

The day included a number of break-out workshops which allowed attendees to discuss issues in more depth. Attendees enjoyed a wide range of conversations and activities, including ‘Breaking Bag’ – an escape room challenge set by Principal Teaching Fellow, Giskin Day.

Giskin Day and attendees try out a workshop challenge
Attendees attempt the ‘Breaking Bag’ escape room challenge

 

Imperial’s ambition to transform teaching and learning

Education Day 2018 forms part of a plan to radically transform teaching at Imperial, the UK’s most international and innovative university. By investing significantly in education the College is empowering students to solve challenges facing the world today and in the future.

Attendees listen to lecturerAs part of this ambition the Learning and Teaching Strategy will create and nurture a supportive environment for staff and students. A healthy learning and working environment will foster a community in which different backgrounds and cultures are cherished and recognised.

Source:

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/185347/education-day-2018-to-inclusivity-beyond/

 

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