The Nature of the

Teaching Profession
Chapter 6

Devices

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Channel is 41
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Effective Teachers are

1.
2.

Made
Born

Beyond knowledge of self

knowledge of why you are

teaching:
A well developed educational philosophy

Unpacking your deeply held assumptions

about: what is education, the nature of the
learner, what subjects are most important, the
role of schools in society

Pedagogical Content
Knowledge

Knowledge of the organization and

presentation of subject matter in a way that
makes it understandable to and applicable by
others
Teachers are able to psychologize the
subject matter for students. (Dewey)
Scaffolding from the known to the unknown
(Vygotsky)

Knowledge about how Students

Learn and Grow

Educational psychology studies how students

develop physically, socially, and cognitively
Our conceptions of ourselves and of others
develop in a unique way as we interact with
our worldwho we think we are, who we
think others are, and what we think is the
purpose of being here

Good Teachers Through

History

Greece:

Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
The Sophists

Good Teachers Through

History

Rome
Quintillian
Europe
Erasmus
Comenius
Montessori

United States: A Diverse

Universe of Examples

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody

Mary McCleod Bethune
Leonard Covello
Louise Hikel Butterfield
Jonathan Kozol
Pikea Miyamoto
Donna Graham Harris
Parker Palmer

Teaching Terminology

Methodology
Discipline
Pedagogy

Knowledge of Curricular
Content

No Child Left Behind Act defines a highly

qualified teacher as: holds at least a
bachelors degree, full state licensure, subject
area competence, has passed rigorous state
tests in the subject(s) s/he is teaching

The Knowledge Base of

Effective Teachers

Culturally responsive teachers: 1. believe all

students can achieve and succeed, 2. build a
community of learners, 3. build connections
to families and the community, 4.are
continual learners, 5. vary instructional
methods, 6.know their students, 7. are
introspective and reflective

Good teachers have

Pedagogical skill to implement teaching strategies

and pedagogical content knowledge
Reflective skills to analyze and act of teachergenerated data
Communication and collaboration skills to build
relationships
Management skills to arrange successful learning
environments
Technological skills

The attitudes and Dispositions

of Effective Teachers

Star teachers tend to be nonjudgmental, are

not moralistic, not easily shocked, truly listen,
recognize their own weaknesses, dont see
themselves as saviors, network, see
themselves as winning, enjoy their
interactions with kids, see their primary
impact as raising kids self esteem and
helping them be more humane, derive
satisfaction of lots of needs teaching kids
but not power needs

Teaching as a Profession

Theoretical Framework
Methodology supported by research
Lifelong learners
Social Institutions
Certification and Accreditation

It is most important that a

teacher has high levels of
1.

2.

3.

Knowledge that
s/he is teaching the
students
Skills in teaching
the subject to the
students
Positive
dispositions,
values, attitudes

Effective Teachers Employ

These Tools

Structure and Clarity

Motivation
High Expectations
Questioning

Styles of Teaching on Ends of a

Spectrum

Authoritarian characterized by:

Teacher-Centered
Traditional Structures
Rules-Based
Transmission of Knowledge
Centrality of Teacher Knowledge

Styles of Teaching on Ends of a

Spectrum

Constructivist, characterized by:

Student-Centered
Democratic, egalitarian ideals
Student experience of learning
Teacher as Learner who Models

Styles of Teaching and

Management

ConstructivismAlfie Kohn
We punish and reward too much. Student
learning should be motivation in its own right.
BehaviorismAssertive Discipline.Lee and
Marlene Canter. Use of rewards and
punishments.

My most effective teachers

were.
1.
2.
3.

Authoritarian
Constructivist
Somewhere in the
middle

Academic Learning Time

This concept is dynamically intertwined with

styles of teaching. It has to do with
curriculum (more on that later), but also how
a teacher thinks about using time available.

Allocated Time
Engaged Time
Academic Learning Time

Classroom Management

A direct function of teaching style

Group alerting
withitness
Overlapping
Least intervention
fragmentation

The Pedagogical Cycle

What is the set of actions, responses,

communications that define activity in the
classroom?

1.
2.
3.
4.

Structure
Question
Response
React

Academic Structure as a
Goal:

Objectives
Review
Motivation
Transition
Clarification
Scaffolding
Examples
Directions
Enthusiasm
Closure

Questions and Effective

Teaching

Learning to Question well is part art, and part

skill:

Lower order questions factual, naming, etc.

Higher-order questions evaluate, analyze,
compare, solve a problem.

Blooms Taxonomy:

Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

NBTS Description of Effective

Teachers

Committed to students and their learning

Know their subject matter and subject matter
pedagogy
Responsible for managing and monitoring
student learning
Teachers think systematically about their
practice and learn from experience
Teachers are members of learning
communities

Stages of Teacher
Development

1.
2.
3.
4.

Survival
Consolidation
Renewal
Maturity

Knowledge about the

Community

Connecting students to the outside world

requires that teachers know their students
community
Eating in the community, living in the
community, reading local community papers,
talking with community members, going to
meetings of the community

At present, my most developed

teaching tools are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.

Content knowledge
Pedagogical skills
Reflective skills
Communication
skills
Management skills
Positive attitude
and dispositions

Reflective teachers

Open-minded
Wholehearted
Responsible
An ethic of caring relationships
Learning communities

Its most important for me to

build
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

Pedagogical skill
An ethic of caring
An educational
philosophy
Reflective practice
Pedagogical
content knowledge