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The Contributions from the Teacher

Chapter 7 of Visible Learning: a Synthesis of Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement by John A. C. Hattie (2009)

Not all teachers are effective, + not all teachers are experts, and not all teachers have powerful effects on students
(Hattie, 2009, p. 108)

The Contributions from the Teacher

The Contributions from the Teacher Sections This powerpoint is broken down into 6 sections, just as Hattie (2009) breaks down chapter 7.

Contributions of the Teacher Training Programs

Teacher Subject Matter Knowledge

The Importance of the Quality of Teaching The Quality of the TeacherStudent Relationships Professional Development Teacher Expectations

Contributions of the Teacher Training Programs

It seems surprising that the education of new teachers seems so data-free; maybe this is where future teachers learn how to ignore evidence, emphasize craft, and look for positive evidence that they are making a difference (somewhere, somehow, with someone!). (Hattie, 2009, p. 110)

Is there a standard approach to teacher training? Teacher education institutions claim there is Reality: their claim is false New National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) model (2000) Colleges required to provide: Graduating standards Evidence that graduates met the standards Accountability is key!

Contributions from Teacher Training Programs

Sad reality Extreme lack of data regarding teacher training The effect size of teacher education is 0.11 (an effect size of .40 or above is desired) Teacher training programs make SOME difference, but there is room for improvement

Student teachers enter teacher training programs with a bed of knowledge Student teachers need to be de-educated Necessary transformation from student to instructor Conceptions need to be confronted School subjects > facts and rules Teaching > personal craft and common sense

Contributions of Teacher Training Programs

Most teacher programs Focus on training low-level skills Reinforce skills the student teacher has already mastered Provide too little exposure to/teaching of new conceptions/ways of teaching
Evidence supports programs that teach (over time in many sessions rather than all at once) Theory Demonstration Practice Feedback and coaching

Contributions from Teacher Training Programs

According to Hattie (2009), Teacher training programs should Build teacher conceptions Teaching Learning Assessment Curriculum Students How the above influence a working classroom, student progression and teaching Prepare teachers for Larger class sizes Busy curricula Questioning themselves Expectations Evaluate effectiveness of their teaching Appreciating/understanding the need to talk to other teachers about teaching Seeing learning through students eyes

According to Darling-Hammond (2006) the 7 features of exemplary teacher education programs are Coherence based on a common, clear vision of good teaching that permeates all coursework and clinical experiences

1.

Contributions from Teacher Training Programs

7 Features of Exemplary Teacher Education Programs (DarlingHammond, 2006)

2.

Well-defined standards of practice and performance that guide and evaluate coursework and clinical work
Curriculum grounded in knowledge of child and adolescent development, learning, social contexts, and subject matter pedagogy

3.

4.

Extended clinical experiences carefully developed to support the ideas and practices presented in simultaneous closely interwoven coursework Explicit strategies to help student teachers to confront their own deepseated beliefs and assumptions about learning Strong relationships, common knowledge, and shared beliefs that link all who are teaching these prospective teachers Assessment based on professional standards that evaluates teaching through demonstrations of critical skills and abilities using performance assessment and portfolios

5.

Contributions of Teacher Training Programs

7 Features of Exemplary Teacher Education Programs (DarlingHammond, 2006) cont.

6.

7.

Teacher Subject Matter Knowledge

There has been a long debate about the importance of teacher subject matter knowledge, with the seemingly obvious claim that teachers need to know their subject to teach it! (Hattie, 2009, p. 113)

Lack of data to defend teacher need to understand subject matter in order to teach it Arguments that subject matter knowledge influences student achievement until basic competence Influence wanes after basic competence is achieved From data available Low effect size (0.12 for mathematics, 0.09 overall) between knowing material and student outcomes Positive association with teachers verbal ability and student outcomes Teachers academic skills positively influence student achievement in half of the studies analyzed Intellectual ability may be more powerful than teacher training

Teacher Subject Matter Knowledge

Teacher s are most effective when they possess

Knowledge

Subject matter knowledge Knowledge of teaching strategies and best-practices (and evidencebased practices) Ability to develop interpersonal relationships with students Positive attitudes and self-concept

Empathy

Teacher Subject Matter Knowledge

Verbal ability

They are greater than the sum of the parts and if one is missing the effectiveness is reduces by more than a third (Hattie, 2009).

The Importance of the Quality of Teaching

A key is not whether teachers are excellent, or even seen to be excellent by colleagues, but whether they are excellent as seen by studentsthe students sit in the classes, they known whether the teacher sees learning through their eyes, and they know the quality of the relationship. (Hattie, 2009, p. 116)

Quality of teaching has an effect size of 0.44

The Importance of the Quality of Teaching

Quality teachers Challenge students Have higher expectations Monitor and evaluate students Teach the language, love, and details Encourage the study of their subject Value surface and deep knowledge Student achievement gains of roughly 52% a year Least effective teachers Student achievement gains of roughly 14% a yea Residual negative effects on student achievement for years after having a poor quality teacher

Student evaluations/Student feedback

Accurate reports on the quality of teaching Studies show they are reliable, trustworthy, and valid

Argument they are popularity contests Can help teachers to better understand what learning looks and feels like for their students

Tool for teachers to learn from

The Importance of the Quality of Teaching

Many do not use them despite contributions to student achievement (college level effect size of 0.38)

Lack of use in elementary and high schools

Can benefit, if used

The Importance of the Quality of Teaching

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Accurate method of determining the quality of teaching To get certified Teachers sit through a series of assessments (6 months or more) Adjudged certified as an accomplished teacher 0.47 effect size in the promotion of learning by teachers 0.48 effect size of certified teachers advancing student learning National Board Certified Teachers Set appropriately challenging goals Challenge students to think Regularly promote varied and appropriate assignments that are demanding and engaging High effect on deep understanding Low effect on achievement on state tests

The Quality of the TeacherStudent Relationships

Most students who do not wish to come to school or who dislike school do so primarily because they dislike their teacherto improve teacher-student relationships and reap their benefits, teachers should learn to[demonstrate] that they care for the learning of each student as a person (Hattie, 2009, p.119)

Building positive relations with students requires

Agency
Efficacy Respect by the teacher for what the child brings to the class

From home From their culture From their peers

The Quality of the Teacher-Student Relationships

Allowing experiences to be recognized in the classroom

Skills required by the teacher

Listening Empathy Caring Positive regard for others

Person-centered teacher variables affect all student outcomes Teacher-student relationships have an effect size of 0.72 Classes with person-centered teachers have More engagement More respect of self and others Fewer resistant behaviors More student initiated and regulated activities Higher achievement According to Cornelius-White (2007), students in person-centered classrooms Have valuable feedback to self-assess Feel safe Learn to understand others and the content with interest and concern

The Quality of the Teacher-Student Relationships

+
Professional Development
One of the difficulties with reviews of professional development is that the outcomes seem to be more about changes in the teachers, and not the impact of professional development on student outcomes. (Hattie, 2009, p.119)

Outcomes of professional development according to Wade (1985) Reactionhow the teachers felt about the professional development Learningthe amount of learning the teachers accrued Behaviorwhether teachers changed their behavior as a result of the professional development Student outcomesimpact on students Overall effect size of 0.62 Effect size of 0.90 on teacher learning Effect size of 0.60 on teacher behavior Effect size of 0.42 on reactions to professional development Effect size of 0.37 on influence on student learning Effect size of 0.66 on academic outcomes

1.

2.

3.

Professional Development

4.

Most effective on teacher knowledge/behavior Observation of actual methods Microteaching Video/audio feedback Practice Most effective when Elementary and high school teachers are trained together Funded or developed by federal, state, government, or university rather than by schools or teachers Participants are selected for training Training are practical rather than theoretical Least effective on teacher knowledge/behavior Discussion Lectures Games/simulations Guided field trips

Professional Development

Seven themes about what works best in professional development according to Timperley and colleagues Learning opportunities are extended over a long period of time External experts are involved Teachers are actively engaged Student achievement is the main focus; current conceptions about learning are challenged and teachers are challenged to teach more effectively

1.

2. 3. 4.

Professional Development

5.

Teachers work together to challenge problematic misconceptions and discuss the truth behind different ideas. These discussions are most effective when they have the ultimate goal of improving student achievement. It is more effective when supported by school leadership personnel, when opportunities to learn and process new information are provided and when there is open access to relevant expertise. Funding, mandatory vs. voluntary participation, and release time are irrelevant factors to student achievement.

6.

Professional Development
7 themes about what works best in professional development cont.
7.

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Teacher Expectations
If teachers and schools are going to have expectations, make them challenging, appropriate, and checkable such that all students are achieving what is deemed valuable. (Hattie, 2009, p.124)

Powerful influence on success of student learning

Input factors are the most significant determiner of expectancies Gender Age Ethnicity
When information about ability, achievement and behavior is provided, teacher expectations mirror the information

Teacher Expectations

Students know they are treated differently based on expectations held of them
Generally, if there are low expectations for student achievement, expectations are low for all students Teachers should be prepared to be surprised by their students

While the message from this chapter is about the power of teachers, it is teachers using particular teaching methods, teachers with high expectations for all students, and teachers + who have created positive student-teacher relationships that are more likely to have the above average effects on student achievement.
(Hattie, 2009, p. 126)

References

Cornelius-White, J. (2007). Learner-centered teacher-student relationships are effective: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 113-143. Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300-314. Hattie, J. A. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 metaanalyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge.

Kennedy, M. M. (1997). Defining an ideal teacher education program. Paper for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Michigan Sate University.
Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., & Fung, I. Y. Y. (2007). Teacher professional learning and development: Best evidence synthesis iteration In. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education. Wade, R. K. (1985). What makes a difference in inservice teacher education? A meta-analysis of research. Educational Leadership, 42(4), 48-54.