Effective teaching
necessitates making difficult and principled choices, exercising careful
judgment, and honoring the complex nature of the educational mission. In
addition to the technical knowledge and skills teachers have to use in
their daily practice, they must also be aware of the ethical dimensions of
their profession. In this light, the primary mission is to foster the
development of skills, dispositions, and understanding, while
acknowledging thoughtfully and responsibly a wide range of human needs and
conditions. Thus, teachers must master a repertoire of instructional
methods and strategies, yet remain critical and reflective about their
practice. Their professional responsibilities focus on educating students,
in addition to participating in wider activities within the school and in
partnership with parents and the community.
Based on the latest developments in pedagogy, teaching has become more
than an activity that conserves valued knowledge and skills by
transmitting them to succeeding generations. Therefore, teachers also have
the responsibility to challenge existing structures, practices, and
definitions of knowledge; to invent and test new approaches; and, where
necessary, to pursue organizational change in a constant attempt to
improve the school. As agents of the public interest in a democracy,
teachers through their work contribute to the dialogue about preserving
and improving society, and they initiate future citizens into this ongoing
public discourse.
The professional
teaching standards represent the teaching profession’s consensus on the
critical aspects of the art and science of teaching (pedagogy) that
characterize accomplished teachers in various fields. Cast in terms of
actions that teachers take to advance student outcomes, these standards
also incorporate the essential pedagogical knowledge, skills,
dispositions, and commitments that allow teachers to practice at a high
level. These standards rest on a fundamental philosophical foundation
comprised of five core propositions:
- Teachers are committed to students and
their learning.
- Teachers know the subjects they teach
and have the necessary pedagogical knowledge.
- Teachers are responsible for managing
and monitoring student learning.
- Teachers think systematically about
their practice and learn from experience.
- Teachers are members of learning
communities.
Effective teachers
display skills at creating curricula designed to build on students'
present knowledge and understanding and move them to more sophisticated
and in-depth abilities, knowledge, concepts, and performances. They
calibrate their responses to the interests and ability level of students,
designing activities to the latter's "proximal zone" for
learning and development. In addition, these educators employ a range of
instructional strategies and resources to match the variety of student
skills and to provide each student several ways of exploring important
ideas, skills, and concepts. They understand how to work as facilitators,
coaches, models, evaluators, managers, and advocates. Moreover, teachers
know how to utilize various forms of play, different strategies for
grouping learners, and different types of media and materials.
Teachers observe and
assess students in the context of ongoing classroom life. They are skilled
in collecting and interpreting a variety of types of evidence to evaluate
where each student is in a sequence or continuum of learning and
development. They know how to move from assessment to decisions about
curriculum, social support, and teaching strategies, to increase the
prospects for successful learning.
Teachers understand and
respect the diverse cultures, values, languages, and family backgrounds of
their students, use community people and settings as resources for
learning, and involve parents and families as active partners in the
students' total development.
Each moment presents the
opportunity for teachers to respond creatively to the unique challenges of
classroom life. They are highly sophisticated analysts who apply
observations of individual students and the overall environment to guide
their judgments and responses. They reflect on their own performance in
light of student progress, seek the views of colleagues and parents, and
think about trends, options, and the consequences of their options.
The
Five Propositions of Accomplished Teaching
The National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards seeks to identify and recognize teachers
who effectively enhance student learning and demonstrate the high level of
knowledge, skills, abilities, and commitments reflected in the following
five core propositions.
Teachers
are committed to students and their learning
Effective teachers are
dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students based on their
belief that all students can learn. Thus, they treat their learners
equitably by acknowledging individual differences among students.
Moreover, they adjust their practice according to these individual
differences based on observation and knowledge of their students'
interests, abilities, skills, knowledge, family circumstances, and peer
relationships.
Accomplished teachers
understand how students develop and learn. Therefore, these educators
incorporate the prevailing theories of cognition and intelligence in their
practice. In addition, they are aware of the influence of context and
culture on behavior. Under these general circumstances, teachers develop
students' cognitive capacity and their respect for learning. Equally
important, they foster students' self-esteem, motivation, character, civic
responsibility, and their respect for individual, cultural, religious, and
racial differences.
Teachers
know the subjects they teach and
have the necessary pedagogical knowledge
Accomplished teachers have a thorough understanding
of the subject(s) they teach and appreciate how knowledge in their subject
is created, organized, linked to other disciplines, and applied to
real-world settings. While faithfully representing the collective wisdom
of our culture and upholding the value of disciplinary knowledge, they
also develop the critical and analytical capacities of their students.
Effective teachers
master pedagogical knowledge used to convey and reveal subject matter to
students. They are aware of the preconceptions and background knowledge
that students typically bring to each subject and of strategies and
instructional materials that can be of assistance. In addition, they
understand and solve the possible difficulties likely to arise in the
classroom and modify their practice accordingly. Their instructional
repertoire allows them to create multiple paths to knowledge, in general,
and to the subjects they teach, in particular.
Teachers
are responsible for managing and
monitoring student learning
Accomplished teachers
create, enrich, maintain, and alter instructional settings, materials, and
strategies to capture and sustain the interest of their students and to
make the most effective use of time. They also strive to engage students
and adults in assisting their teaching as well as to enhance their
practice with their colleagues' knowledge and expertise.
Effective teachers command a wide range of generic
instructional techniques and use them appropriately. They manage
efficiently both the students and the learning environment. Thus,
instruction is organized and implemented to allow the schools' goals for
students to be met. Educators are able to set the norms for social
interaction among students and between students and teachers. Moreover,
they understand how to motivate students to learn and how to maintain
their interest even when facing temporary failure.
Accomplished teachers can assess the progress of
individual students as well as that of the class as a whole. They employ
multiple methods for measuring student growth and understanding and can
clearly explain student performance to parents.
Teachers think
systematically about their practice
and learn from experience
Effective teachers are models of educated persons,
exemplifying the virtues they seek to inspire in students--curiosity,
tolerance, honesty, fairness, respect for diversity, and appreciation of
cultural differences. They also exemplify the capacities that are
prerequisites for intellectual growth--the ability to reason and take
multiple perspectives, to be creative and take risks, and to adopt an
experimental and problem-solving orientation.
Accomplished teachers draw on their knowledge of
human development, subject matter and instruction, and their understanding
of their students to make principled judgments about sound practice. Their
decisions are grounded not only in the literature, but also in their
experience. They engage in lifelong learning that they seek to encourage
in their students.
Striving to strengthen their teaching, quality
teachers critically examine their practice, seek to expand their
repertoire, deepen their knowledge, sharpen their judgment, and adapt
their teaching to new findings, ideas, and theories.
Teachers are members of
learning communities
Exemplary teachers contribute to the effectiveness of
the school by working collaboratively with other professionals on
instructional policy, curriculum development, and staff development. They
can evaluate school progress and the allocation of school resources in
light of their understanding of state and local educational objectives.
They are knowledgeable about specialized school and community resources
that can be engaged for their students' benefit, and are skilled at
employing such resources as needed.
Accomplished teachers find ways to work
collaboratively and creatively with parents, engaging them productively in
the proper functioning of the school.
