Profile of an Effective Teacher

Recruiting and Retaining Truly Effective Classroom Teachers
Part 1: Profile of an Effective Teacher
MODULE 1
Reflections on Marzano’s Domains
Marzano Domain
First-Year Teaching Performance
Reflection
Current Teaching
Performance
Reflection
Selection of Content
6
8.5
Selection of Instructional Strategies
5
9
Use of Assessment for Learning
6.5
8.75
Classroom Management
4
8
Student Motivation
8
8
Haberman Dimension
First-Year Teaching Performance
Reflection
Current Teaching
Performance
Reflection
Persistence
7
8
Protecting Learners and Learning
8
8.5
Application of Generalizations
5
7
Approach to At-Risk Students
7
9
Professional Versus Personal Orientation to Students
7
8.5
(Reaction to) Burnout
5
4
Fallibility
5
6
Compose two well-developed paragraphs of a minimum five sentences each – one in which you rate and explain your performance as a first-year teacher and the other in which you rate and explain your current teaching performance.
Upon reflection, my first year of teaching was characterized by a mixture of eagerness to get started and excel as an educator balanced with a healthy dose of terror at facing a classroom full of the unfamiliar faces of young learners who may or may not like me. This sense of trepidation was further exacerbated by the climate in my school district which did not place a high priority on continuous improvement or the thoughtful selection of common core standard-based curricular offerings which could accurately reflect student achievement levels. In addition, although new teachers were provided with substantive and ongoing support from school administrator and staff including the assignment of experienced mentors to facilitate the transition into classroom instruction, there were some constraints involved that compelled me to reevaluate my personal and professional orientations to my students. For example, there was an overarching feeling communicated by some teachers that my enthusiasm for teaching was misplaced and would soon be replaced with a more jaded attitude about the profession that would have an effect on my persistence in seeking to excel at teaching as well as the adverse mental and physical effects that burnout can have on new teachers.
The modest improvements in my scores that are reflected in my current teaching performance evaluation were based on the progress that I made during my initial forays into the classroom where I gained the hands-on experiences that I needed to counter the above-described concerns. One of the main issues that stands out in my mind is the new sense of confidence I developed after successfully applying appropriate positive and negative classroom management strategies (“These strategies really work!” I recall thinking). Perhaps even more importantly, though, my most recent performance evaluation also reflects the realization that my peers were not trying to discourage me during my first year of teaching but were rather attempting to pragmatically prepare me for what would inevitably follow in an effort to steel me against burnout. Likewise, I also came to realize that my selection of teaching strategies had improved based on the dictum that if students are not learning the way they are being taught, they must be taught the way they learn. In sum, an honest self-assessment is an essential step in the reflection that is needed to continuously improve as an educator.
b) Review data on your current students’ performance. Based on that data, what are your current strengths and weaknesses as a teacher? Compose a well-developed paragraph of a minimum 5 sentences about your strengths and another about your weaknesses. Cite the data that supports your decision making.
It is always tempting to maintain that my greatest weakness is that, “I care too much,” but it has become increasingly apparent that this is not possible for classroom teachers. Indeed, my initial eagerness to really make a difference in young learners’ lives was gradually replaced with the practical realization that it is vitally important to combine this level of care with evidence-based practices and thoughtful assessments that accurately reflect student learning to the maximum extent possible in order to achieve optimal educational outcomes. In addition, another strength I was able to draw on during the earlier phases of my teaching career include the recognition that young people are not “little adults” but they do possess some important critical thinking skills and life experience that facilitate their participation if teachers reach out. The fact that my students have improved an average of a full letter grade indicates that these strengths made a difference. Finally, based on the lessons learned during my higher education and cautions from my peers concerning the dangers of burnout, especially for new teaches, I was careful to pursue a healthy work-life balance that helped me cope with the daily rigors of classroom teaching.
c) Think about the most effective teacher you have ever known. Compose a well-developed paragraph of a minimum five sentences that identifies the teacher and why he/she was the most effective. Use Marzano’s domains and Haberman’s dimensions to help you describe this teacher.
The most effective teacher I ever knew taught a high school American history class. The teacher, “Mrs. Walker” (she insisted on the “Mrs.” address) was diminutive in stature but gigantic in intellect and her passion for teaching. My classmates and I were fully prepared for yet another semester of mind-numbingly boring date-filled lectures but we were in for a major surprise because Mrs. Walker told us in no uncertain terms that we were going to learn the interesting parts about American history. Although Mrs. Walker never dressed up as Ben Franklin or a cowboy and she never did anything that could be classified as “zany,” American history positively came to life in her classroom in ways that reflect Marzano’s emphasis on school climate as being conducive to effective learning. Remarkably, American history became our favorite hour of the day despite the class being comprised of ethnic minorities, many of whom were from immigrant families with diverse backgrounds, an outcome that speaks highly of Mrs. Walker’s ability to transcend the fundamental constraint of relevance. For instance, Haberman (1995) maintains that truly effective teachers must be able to forge and sustain a rapport with students from a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and Mrs. Walker exemplified this important attribute.
d) Does your school or school district have a definition of an effective teacher? If so, what is the definition? If not, based on your learning in this module, reflect on the need for a definition.
At present, my school district does not have a formal definition of an effective teacher in place but my school does have an informal definition codified in the school’s mission statement as discussed further below. Moreover, there is a real need for this type of definition at the district level as well. For example, conventional wisdom holds that businesses of all sizes and types must ensure that all employees have job descriptions that outline the responsibilities that actually correspond to the work they perform on a daily basis so that performance assessment are based on mutually shared criteria and educators are no exception.
e) Based on your analysis so far and your learning from the presentations and readings, who are you looking for when your hire a new teacher? What is your definition of an effective teacher? What does an effective teacher know and do? Describe this effective teacher in a well-developed paragraph of a minimum five sentences. You will keep this definition at the forefront of your thinking as you complete the Modules 2-4 Application assignments, so make sure you create a solid profile.
The definition referred to in the above-mentioned school mission statement indicates in part that effective teachers set high standards and expect the most from their students. This informal definition is highly congruent with the findings that emerged from a study by Walker (2008) who found that one of the most important characteristics of effective teachers is their unwavering belief in the abilities of their young charges. In this regard, Walker (2008) advises that, “The most effective teachers set no limits on students and believe everyone can be successful and hold the highest standards, consistently challenge their students to do their best [and] build students’ confidence and teach them to believe in themselves” (p. 65).
In addition, other qualities that are important when hiring a new teacher include academic performance, of course, but it is also essential to take into account the career path that led new teachers to the profession from the outset. It is reasonable to posit that few aspiring teachers seek to enter the profession in order to become rich and famous, so it is also reasonable to suggest that superior grades in teaching curricula do not necessarily indicate that someone will excel at teaching. Moreover, a working definition of effective teachers in this context would include candidates who evinced a willingness to “go the extra mile” for their students in terms of being creative and having a sense of humor, attributes that are also cited by Walker (2008) as being among those qualities that distinguish truly effective teachers. In sum, effective teachers not only know their subject matter backwards and forwards, they are able to communicate this knowledge to young learners in ways they will remember it years from now just as I remember the American history lessons taught by Mrs. Walker.
Part 2: The Principal’s Role
Use the questions to guide your completion of a five-paragraph paper on the role of the principal in recruiting effective teachers.
• Think back again on your own experience as a first-year teacher. This time, consider your principal and/or other school administrators during that first year.
As noted previously, I benefited from the guidance and advice from an experience mentor during my first year of teaching. At the time, I was somewhat resentful at having a mentor assigned to me since I felt ready to begin teaching right away. This feeling of being ready to teach was notwithstanding my niggling self-doubts, fears and anxiety about actually being in front of young learners who did not know anything about me and trying to provide them with the knowledge they will need to enter the adult workforce. This resentment, though, was quickly replaced with a sense of gratitude that school leaders understood what new teachers typically experienced during their first year and how they could help them respond to these significant challenges.
In retrospect, the support that was provided me during my first year as a new teacher generally fulfilled my needs. The reflective process, however, did compel me to recall that I remained reluctant to share some of my concerns with my peers and mentor because I did not want to appear novice but this reluctance was unfounded since I now realize that my fellow educators all experienced many of the same reactions during the early phases of their teaching careers.
• Based on what you have learned so far in the course, what do you feel is the role of the principal and/or other administrators in the development of the skills and competencies of new teachers? What is their responsibility in developing effective teachers?
The “buck stops here” aspects of school administration underscore the importance of helping new teachers develop the skills and competencies they will need to educate their students effectively and appropriately. This responsibility extends to inculcating a school culture that places a high priority on learning the critical thinking skills young people need to compete in the 21st century marketplace. This responsibility has intensified in recent months due to the exigencies of responding to a once-in-a-century global pandemic, and it will remain firmly in place in and when the Covid-19 threat has been eliminated. In this regard, Baylor and Ritchie (2009) emphasize that, “The leadership underlying a school is of critical importance because the school culture begins to reflect new ways of teaching and learning. An important component of this change is a school leader who is dedicated to fostering a new culture with shared leadership and technology use” (p. 3).
• What recruitment practices for new teachers does your district or school currently have in place? Have you participated in any recruitment efforts? Explain.
To its credit, my school district uses an innovative new teacher recruitment strategy that partners with local community colleges and universities to identify potential teaching candidates early on in their academic careers.
• What should be the principal’s role in recruiting, hiring, and retaining effective teachers?
The principal’s key role in recruiting effective teaches is to set the standards and expectations for candidates and to provide the final hiring approval once new teacher applicants have been properly credentialed and vetted by human resource practitioners (Baker-Gardner, 2015). As noted above, though, principals also play a major role in forging the type of positive school culture that helps retain effective teachers (Baylor & Ritchie, 2009).
• What do you see as the ideal way to recruit, hire, and retain effective teachers? Explain.
Unfortunately, not only is there no “one-size-fits-all” approach that is equally effective for recruiting, hiring and retaining effective teachers, even the approaches that do work today may not work tomorrow. These constraints mean that school principals must remain vigilant for changes in the numbers of new teachers entering the pipeline as well as what factors distinguish truly effective teachers at any given point in time. For example, the most effective teachers at the fin de siècle would clearly be out of their element in today’s classrooms, but there are some steps that can be taken to help ensure optimal outcomes for this purpose including those identified by Haberman (1995) as follows: 1) the odds of selecting effective urban teachers for children and youth in poverty are approximately 10 times better if the candidates are over 30 rather than under 25 years of age; 2) there is no problem whatsoever in selecting more teachers of color, or more males, or more Hispanics, or more of any other "minority" constituency if training begins at the postbaccalaureate level; and 3) the selection and training of successful urban teachers is best accomplished in the worst schools and under the poorest conditions of practice (Haberman, 1995, p. 777).


References
Baker-Gardner, R. (2015). The role of the principal in new teacher induction. International Studies in Educational Administration, 43(3), 43-61.
Baylor, A. L.& Ritchie, D. (2009, June 4). What factors facilitate teacher skill, teacher morale, and perceived student learning in technology-using classrooms? Computers & Education, 593, 1-20.
Haberman, M. (1995, June). Selecting ’star’ teachers for children and youth in urban poverty. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(10), 777.
Marazano school leadership evaluation model. (2012, April). Palm Beach Gardens, FL: Learning Sciences Marzano Center for Teacher and Leadership Evaluation. Retrieved from https://sde.ok.gov/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/TLE-MarzanoLeaderModel.pdf.
Walker, R. J. (2008, Fall). Twelve characteristics of an effective teacher. Educational Horizons, 61-68.