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World-class teaching
Daniel Muijs, University of Southampton
Introduction• What we are going to do:
– Look at the importance of teaching
– Four key principles of world-class teaching
– Some thoughts on the future
Introduction• Rise of international comparisons and tests (e.g.
PISA) have led to a globalised view of education
• International comparisons leading to policy
– Little attention to limitations of studies
– Strong focus on system-level and structural interventions
• However: what we know is that it is what happens in classrooms that really matters – as much as e.g. social background
Teacher effectiveness• And what matters in classrooms is teachers and teaching!
• Explains up to 75% of classroom level variance in pupil performance
• If one takes two pupils with identical background (SES, gender, …) and test scores at beginning of year, the pupil taught by the most effective teacher will score 25% higher at the end of the year than the pupil taught by the least effective teacher (Muijs & Reynolds, 2001)
• Effects are long-lasting: effective teaching in primary has impact throughout secondary (Sammons et al 2011)
Effective Teaching• Three main factors:
– Teacher Behaviours
– Teacher Beliefs
– Teachers’ Knowledge
• Behaviours are of primary importance
A model of the relationship
Figure 1. Theoretical Model of the Relationship between Teacher Characteristics and Student Learning
Teacher behaviours
Teacher subject
knowledge
Teacher beliefs and
attitudes
Teacher personality structures
Student achievement
A social justice issue…• Most important for
– Pupils from low SES and disadvantaged backgrounds
– Lower achieving pupils
– Pupils at risk
– Less important for more advantaged pupils
World-Class teaching• So teaching matters, but what is world class
teaching?
• Evidence from effective teaching research (Muijs & Reynolds, 2010)
• A suite of methods adapted to pupils and outcomes, but based on a set of key principles.
Principle 1: Direct Instruction• Good grasp of basic skills and foundation in knowledge
Direct instruction is the best method of attaining these skills
• Teacher-led
• But plenty of interaction
• Careful lesson build-up
• Short chunks and practice
• Especially important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds
Principle 1: Direct Instruction• Clear signifiers
• Keep engaged
• Sufficiently rapid pace
• Different activities
• Attaining mastery is key
• Very detailed findings on e.g. minimum wait time
Principle 2: Metacognition• Two main elements: knowledge of cognition and cognitive
skills (Shraw et al, 2006)
• Knowledge of cognition:
– declarative knowledge: knowledge about oneself as a learner
– procedural knowledge: knowledge about strategies and procedures
– conditional knowledge: why and when to use a particular strategy.
• Cognitive skills:
– planning
– monitoring
– evaluation
Principle 2: Metacognition• Importance of self-regulated learning and meta-cognition
• This does not necessarily occur naturally, so intervention needed.
• How to approach:
– Embed with subject content
– Tell learners why it matters
– Training must be prolonged
– Instruction and feedback important
– Open-ended tasks
Principle 3: Feedback and assessment• Key importance of formative assessment (Black &
William, 2…, Hattie, 2012)
• Needs to be frequent and specific
• Sufficiently detailed for pupils
• Developmental tool for teachers
• Praise must be contingent
• Allows targeting
Principle 4: World-class teaching requires world-class teachers
• Recruitment and quality of teacher education important
• Lifelong learning: CPD is key
• Teacher education needs to be tailored to teacher level
– Four levels according to Charalambous & Kyriakides, 2012
– Start with DI
– Facilitating SRL comes later
• Professional learning as a cycle of inquiry (Timperley et al, 2012)
What knowledge and skills do our students need to meet important
goals?
What knowledge and skills do we as professionals need to meet the
needs of our students?
What has been the impact of our changed actions on outcomes we
value for our students?
Engage students in new learning
experiences
Deepen professional knowledge and refine
professional skills
Figure 1
Teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle to promote important outcomes for students
Future developments in teacher effectiveness research
• Cognitive science
• Big data
• New technologies
Cognitive Science• Rapidly evolving field
• Transfer to classroom practise is not straightforward
• Findings do have important implications around
– Structure of memory
– Modular and pattern-making properties of the brain
– Learning has significant emotional components
• Role of genetics
Big data• The ability to collate large amounts of data on
pupils’ learning
• The ability to use this data to inform decision-making
• Target-setting and performance management
• Personalised learning
New technologies
• Mobile technology
• The flipped classroom
• Blended learning
• But: what is the evidence?
Teacher effectiveness and policy
• Teacher effectiveness research has always been about how we teach, but let’s not forget that what we teach matters too…
Conclusion• Teaching is key to student outcomes
• Four principles of world-class teaching:
– Direct instruction in basic skills and knowledge
– Developing self-regulated learning and metacognitive skills
– Feedback and target-setting
– Teacher development
• We know a lot, but often don’t apply what we know!
• Need for rigorous evaluation of new developments and methods
