"You can be a mediocre to poor teacher
very easily. And in that case, I think it's a simple job.
But to be a good teacher and one that expands and keeps learning,
it's the hardest job I've ever done - and I've done a lot
of jobs. . . . I had no idea how complex it was and how much
of a profession it is." --A teacher
who recently completed a well-designed teacher education
program
"I really feel like during
those two years in teaching (before I entered teacher education),
I was forced to sink or swim. And, of course, after going through
[my teacher education program], I'm like, oh, I need to go back
and apologize to every single one of those kids." --A teacher who
taught for two years before entering a well-designed
teacher education program
It is critical that schools be designed to support
teachers and students in their work together. It is equally critical
that teachers have the knowledge and skills they need to take advantage
of these supports in helping students learn. A substantial body
of research suggests that one of the most important school determinants
of student achievement is the quality of teachers (National Commission
on Teaching and America’s Future, 1996; Darling-Hammond, 1999).
One study of 900 school districts found that spending additional
resources on more highly qualified teachers led to greater increases
in student achievement than any other use of those resources (Ferguson,
1991).
Qualified
Teachers Make a Difference If teachers are viewed primarily as transmitters
of information to students, one could argue that they need little
more than basic content knowledge and the ability to string together
comprehensible lectures in order to do an adequate job. But if teachers
are to ensure successful learning for students who learn in different
ways and encounter a variety of difficulties, then they must be
prepared as diagnosticians, planners, and leaders who know a great
deal about the learning process and have a wide repertoire of tools
at their disposal.
Small schools can enable thoughtful teachers
to do their work well. But small schools alone do not create magical
teaching, especially if teachers do not have the opportunity to
learn how to teach well. This is particularly true when there are
high levels of needs among students. Small schools with inadequately
prepared teachers are not more effective than larger schools.
Making
Content Accessible There are three key areas in which teachers
must be experts: their subject matter, the needs of diverse learners,
and the learning process. Teachers not only need to know the subject
matter in their content area well; they also need to know how to
access curriculum resources and how to represent the ideas in their
content area so they are accessible to others.
Understanding
the Needs of Diverse Learners Teachers also need to understand the needs
of diverse learners. This includes knowing about child and adolescent
development, as well as understanding how young people’s cultures,
languages, and experiences, as well as multiple intelligences and
learning differences, shape their approaches to school and to learning.
Each student has a unique mind, and teachers must know how to figure
out how students are thinking and learning so they can shape lessons
to connect with what students already know and how they learn well.
Supporting
the Learning Process Finally, teachers must have deep knowledge
about the learning process, which is very complex. They need to
know what motivates people to learn, and how people learn in different
ways and for different purposes. No matter what content area they
are teaching, they must understand language learning and literacy
development, which are at the heart of the learning process for
all students, especially English language learners, who must learn
how to communicate in English while they are simultaneously learning
content. And teachers also need to know how to use assessment effectively
to identify students’ strengths and needs, and to help students
learn better.
Teachers who enter teaching without adequate preparation
and who do not receive adequate supports often wind up resenting
and stereotyping the students whom they do not understand, especially
when their lack of skills renders the teacher less successful. One
teacher who entered teaching through a short summer training program
explained: “I found myself having problems with cross-cultural
teaching issues, blaming my kids because the class was crazy and
out of control, (and) blaming the parents as though they didn’t
care about their kids.” This teacher later entered a teacher
education program, and found that the tools she acquired transformed
her ability to reach her students. Students need access to teachers
who themselves have access to knowledge about how to implement a
culturally responsive pedagogy that supports students from diverse
backgrounds.
Innovation is important, but knowledge is important
as a base for that innovation. Especially in new schools, we must
make a commitment to hire teachers who are well-trained and well-qualified
– teachers who are prepared to create change based on their
understanding of how children learn.
