Education researcher John Hattie from the University of Auckland author of ‘Visible Learning’ carried out a synthesis of more than 800 meta-analysises of what variables influence academic achievement. Basically it is a mega-study of what works and what doesn’t in education and he gives each variable a score for effectiveness.
He provides a metaphor of education as an arch: On one side there is the “supply side of education the provisioning of a good education to the childen of a community by the teachers who receive professional development and coaching and a school governance that mandates the school leader as first and foremost a leader of instruction.” On the other side there is the “demand side of education: students who are ready to learn and supported by their parents and community to engage in learning where school attendance is mandated through contitional welfare.”
The keystone at the top of the arch uniting supply and demand is what goes on between the teacher and the student.
There are many dimensions to this relationship but effective instruction is at the heart of the matter. It is the keystone of education. Effective instruction makes quality teaching and should be the focus of teacher quality.
Hattie’s analysis identifies variables that make for effective instruction ranked in order from most effective to very little effectiveness (close to 0) to having a negative effect (negative). Here is a sample from his list of 138 variables:
1.Student expectations 1.44
2.Teacher clarity 0.75
3.Feedback 0.73
4.Spaced practice 0.71
5.Not labelling students 0.61
6.Phonics instruction 0.60
7.Direct instruction 0.59
8.Positive view of own ethnicity 0.32
9.Classroom size 0.21
10.Teacher education 0.12
11.Providing formative evaluation to teachers 0.9
12.Whole language instruction 0.06
13.Welfare reform policies -0.12
14.Television -0.18
15.Mobility -0.34
Some Australian schools and teachers are taking Hattie’s meta-study very seriously and starting to apply it to the quality of teaching in their schools. Here is an example of what one school administrator writes preparing to tackle a new role in leadership:
Visible Learning is a synthesis of a vast amount of research relating to student achievement. All Heads of Department at my school to guide us in our faculty leadership.
Within the introductory chapter Hattie states the challenge within education is that there is too much conversation about curriculum assessment learners time and resources. There is insufficient conversation about teaching. For most of us teaching is a private matter occurring in “our space” unwitnessed unquestioned and unchallenged.
We need to permit learners to challenge and question the teaching and learning process. We need to permit colleagues to witness and question our teaching and learning practice. As a leader I need to establish opportunities for this to occur in a non-threatening collaboratively productive environment.
There needs to be a consensus on the indicators of teaching success and therefore indicators of teaching failure. Focussing on Hattie’s definition of teaching success as how the teacher reacts to learning will serve to focus this discussion. The following points are critical;
[ul]How are teachers notified of teaching success and failure?
What processes are in place to deal with this?
Is there a framework to base this on?
How is this knowledge shared to benefit the teaching community? [/ul]
It is imperative that the concept of teaching failure then be constructed.
I need to;
1.Establish a process for staff to gain information on specific student needs.
2.Establish and implement a process for staff to gain information on personal practice preferences.
3.Establish a “shared knowledge” community to facilitate the open sharing of practice.
4.Develop context specific definitions of teaching success and failure.
5.Establish processes for teachers to be notified of teaching success and failure.
6.Establish a process for teachers to share these successes based on Hattie’s definition of teaching success.
7.Establish a process for sharing this with the faculty first whole staff second.
With every challenge comes opportunity.