QUIZ QUESTIONS FOR WOULD-BE TEACHERS

• Do you love children (and/ or brooding teenagers)?
• Do you have infinite patience?
• Are you passionate about learning?
• Is work more about personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment than a paycheck?
• Can you handle dealing with bodily functions on a daily basis?
• Do you have school spirit?
• Do you like the hearing your last name being yelled at you all day?
• Can you write legibly on a chalkboard/ whiteboard?
• Do you have excellent time management skills and the ability to be flexible?
• Will it annoy you if everyone assumes that you leave work at 3:00 and bask in the sun all summer?

(First realization of teaching: this is not all true!)

© Enchanted Learning Ltd. 2015

THE DYNAMIC MODEL OF EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS (Creemers & Kyriakides, 2006)

(1) Orientation    

·         Providing the objectives for which a specific task/lesson/series of lessons take(s) place

·         Challenging students to identify the reason why an activity is taking place in the lesson.

(2) Structuring 

·         Beginning with overviews and/or review of objectives

·         Outlining the content to be covered and signalling transitions between lesson parts

·         Drawing attention to and reviewing main ideas

(3) Questioning  

·         Raising different types of questions (i.e., process and product) at appropriate difficulty level

·         Giving time for students to respond

·         Dealing with student responses

(4) Teaching Modelling

·         Encouraging students to use problem-solving strategies presented by the teacher or other classmates

·         Inviting students to develop strategies

·         Promoting the idea of modelling

(5) Application  

·         Using seatwork or small-group tasks in order to provide needed practice and application opportunities

·         Using application tasks as starting points for the next step of teaching and learning.

(6) The Classroom as a Learning Environment 

·         Establishing on-task behaviour through the interactions they promote (i.e., teacher–student and student–student interactions)

·         Dealing with classroom disorder and student competition through establishing rules, persuading students to respect them and using the rules.

(7) Management of Time

·         Organizing the classroom environment

·         Maximizing engagement rates

(8) Assessment  

·         Using appropriate techniques to collect data on student knowledge and skills

·         Analysing data in order to identify student needs and report the results to students and parents.

·         Teachers evaluating their own practices.

©Enchanted Learning Ltd 2015

Elements of teaching effectiveness (good pedagogy)

Six principles of teacher feedback

Sustained professional learning is most likely to result when:

1. The focus is kept clearly on improving student outcomes;

2. Feedback is related to clear, specific and challenging goals for the recipient;

3. Attention is on the learning rather than to the person or to comparisons with others;

4. Teachers are encouraged to be continual independent learners;

5. Feedback is mediated by a mentor in an environment of trust and support;

6. An environment of professional learning and support is promoted by the school’s leadership.

© Enchanted Learning Ltd. 2015

The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)

CLASS (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) is an evaluation framework for classroom observation that identifies three main domains and a number of dimensions within each:

Emotional Support

Classroom climate (positive and negative) – warmth, respect, enjoyment, enthusiasm Teacher sensitivity to student needs regard for student perspectives – respect for student autonomy, interests, motivations

Classroom Organization

Behavior management Productivity – time management, maximizing opportunity to learn Instructional learning formats – activities that maximize engagement

Instructional Support

Concept development – focus on higher order thinking Quality of feedback Language modelling – questioning, expanding, use of vocabulary

© Enchanted Learning Ltd. 2015

Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction

Rosenshine (2010, 2012) has summarised at least 40 years of research on effective instruction with a key set of principles that maximise its impact. The starting point for this evidence base is a set of correlational studies linking particular observed classroom teacher behaviours with higher student outcomes. For each of these principles there is also experimental evidence showing that attempts to train teachers in adopting these behaviours can result in changes in teacher behaviours and improvements in student outcomes.

In outline the ten principles are:

1. Begin a lesson with a short review of previous learning

2. Present new material in small steps, with student practice after each step

3. Ask a large number of questions and check the responses of all students

4. Provide models for problem solving and worked examples

5. Guide student practice

6. Check for student understanding

7. Obtain a high success rate

8. Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks

9. Require and monitor independent practice

10. Engage students in weekly and monthly review

 ©Enchanted Learning Ltd 2015

 

 

 

 

Characteristics of Highly Effective Teachers of Numeracy, from Askew et al

Highly effective teachers were characterised by beliefs about

What it means to be numerate:

§  having a rich network of connections between different mathematical ideas

§  being able to select and use strategies, which are both efficient and effective.

They used corresponding teaching approaches that:

§  connected different areas of mathematics and different ideas in the same area of mathematics using a variety of words, symbols and diagrams

§  used pupils' descriptions of their methods and their reasoning to help establish and emphasise connections and address misconceptions

§  emphasised the importance of using mental, written, part-written or electronic methods of calculation that are the most efficient for the problem in hand

§  particularly emphasised the development of mental skills.

How children learn:

§  almost all pupils are able to become numerate

§  pupils develop strategies and networks of ideas by being challenged to think, through explaining, listening and problem solving.

They used teaching approaches that:

§  ensured that all pupils were being challenged and stretched, not just those who were more able

§  built upon pupils' own mental strategies for calculating, and helped them to become more efficient.

The role of the teacher:

§  discussion of concepts and images is important in exemplifying the teacher's network of knowledge and skills and in revealing pupils' thinking

§  it is the teacher's responsibility to intervene to assist the pupil to become more efficient in the use of calculating strategies.

These teachers used teaching approaches that encouraged discussion, in whole classes, small groups, or with individual pupils.

Less effective teachers believed in the importance of either

§  pupils acquiring a collection of facts and standard methods, and that pupils varied in their ability to remember these. They used teaching approaches that:

o   dealt with areas of mathematics discretely

o   emphasised teaching and practising standard methods and applying these to abstract or word problems without considering whether there were alternative more efficient ways of solving a particular problem.

or

§  developing numeracy concepts using practical equipment and waiting until pupils were ready to move onto more formal methods. They used teaching approaches that emphasised pupils working things out for themselves, using any method with which they felt comfortable.

 

©Enchanted Learning Ltd 2015

 

IGCSE

THE INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION (IGCSE) IS THE GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED QUALIFICATION FOR STUDENTS AGED 14 TO 16, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WISH TO BEGIN THEIR EDUCATION ABROAD EARLY. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES EXCELLENT PREPARATION FOR A-LEVELS, IB DIPLOMA, AND OTHER PATHWAYS TO UNIVERSITY.

WHAT IS THE PROGRAM?

One or two years of study that prepares you for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), a respected qualification for high school students.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Students aged 14 to 16 who wish to progress to an IB Diploma or A-Levels preparation program.

WHAT QUALIFICATION DO YOU EARN?

IGCSE Certificate, based on examination results in a range of 5 academic subjects.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Completion of an elementary school education and documented proficiency in English. 

ENGLISH REQUIREMENTS

IELTS 4.5 / TOEFL 103 CBT / 34 IBT / SLEP 43 minimum or the equivalent on the free EF Academy test.

PROGRAM LENGTH

2 years (6 terms)

©Enchanted Learning Ltd 2015