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Research about teacher effectiveness tends to focus on value added achievement scores, added knowledge of subject matter,, teacher-student relationships, more diverse curriculum activities, and teacher-student communication. The assumption is that any teacher can improve student achievement by working on these educational variables. While necessary, these variables do not appear to be the only or even the best methods to improve student achievement. Here is why.
To be successful at any attempt to improve education and student achievement moving to something should provide methods teachers can use to change themselves and their students. If these changes do not take place student achievement will remain at levels already established. The teacher can learn how to promote change for himself/herself and change students to improve their abilities to learn and succeed. Further, teachers can add two additional educational variables which hold the promise of dramatically improving student achievement. This unit focuses on reasons for teachers to change, describes what changes may take place in class structure and student engagement, and provides teachers with methods of changing themselves and their students.
This module introduces four reasons why change in education is necessary for the teacher and provides evidence that teachers will benefit from changing themselves.
There are many different types of educational change but there are two areas where change creates the greatest benefit to teachers and students. These are structuring the class and using it as a powerful social environment and improving student engagement.
Making changes from one level of performance to another is made more successfully if a positive example is available. Teachers who successfully add power to teaching learn from other teachers who are very effective.
There is abundant research literature which reports attempts to identify and measure what is and is not most effective. This literature describes traditional approaches to improving teaching which typically focus on teacher experience and knowledge acquisition. However, reviews of the research literature also demonstrates that too little attention has been paid to how the classroom structure is organized to get high caliber student engagement.
Changing to add power to your teaching is more easily and effectively done if teachers follow a change path.
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