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Measuring Effectiveness
This article argues why student test scores can’t measure teacher effectiveness. Hunh? The points the author makes sound a lot like the Ontario College of Teachers’ Standards of Practice. She says that it’s a teacher’s heart - not head - that makes for effective teaching. Teachers should be committed to teaching, make relationships a priority, have an energetic personality, make learning like play. Excuse me? I read somewhere that if the only measure of a good teacher was to “like children”, then the criterion for being a good surgeon would be to “like to cut things.” Her last point is the most telling—teachers should reinvent themselves and use new pedagogy. My caveat to that is that the pedagogy should be proven effective practice - as opposed to some new fad that is the flavour of the month, but doesn’t work.
Over the Christmas break, we will be posting less often. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Agree wholeheartedly but it is their training at University-pedagogy is barely discussed and if it is, it is in the cornucopia style.Theories thrown around.
Rampant dysfunction although I truly feel the change is teacher training needs to be in primary teachers-the other teachers should be allowed to be content specialists.
It is a problem so entrenched and the instructional wars so
severe and so linked to the publisher`s profits,I can`t imagine it can ever be conquered.The consequences are only obvious when we look at the crime rates and unemployment rates-later,when it`s too late.
Dr.Jean Chall from Harvard Ed School (now deceased) said “we`ve known for years through research how to teach most kids to read”,the basal publishers voices are much louder than the voices of research though.Just look at the Reading First fiasco in the U.S.,they tried to mandate instructional shift,it ended very badly because of the lobbying clout.
I still can`t believe the EQAO scores show 65% of kids learning to read in On., because I know the curriculum and teacher training.It has to be far worse than that but the spin is on.
Happy Holidays everyone.