WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A GREAT TEACHER?

According to the research cited in the New York Times report, a student with a weak teacher for three consecutive years would score, on average, 50 percentile points behind a similar student with a strong teacher for those years. Even in the same building, the gaps in student performance were huge between students who had poor teachers and those whose teachers were excellent.

But what makes a good teacher? In a recent interview, In the video on the left, Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday shared his thoughts on the characteristics of great teachers.

What is your definition of a great teacher? For personal reflection or discussion within a professional learning community, answer the following questions:

• Who was the very best teacher you had?
• What did he or she do that was special to you?
• Why was this important? (How did this shape your learning? How did this help you grow as a person? How did this make you feel?)
• How was this teacher influential in your life?

You can write your thoughts in the space below. When you are finished, click save. At the end of the module you will be able to print what you have saved.

KENTUCKY MODEL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

Module 1 introduced the Kentucky Model Curriculum Framework which, among other things, provides schools and districts with models for guiding instruction and learning.

The Kentucky Model Curriculum Framework provides the knowledge, skills and competencies teachers must have for students to learn in the 21st-century classroom. Here's a summary of those teacher behaviors and responses:

Understand students: Meet students' unique needs, be responsive to diverse cultures; create a supportive learning environment; and understand that students are "digital natives"—born during a time when the internet and cell phones were the norm.

Meet students' instructional needs: Make connections to prior learning and experiences; decrease barriers to learning; differentiate instruction based on students' individual needs; provide opportunities for students to learn through their own inquiry into what interests them; and blend traditional instruction with online learning.

Respond appropriately to instructional delivery: Encourage reflective thought and action as part of the learning process; intervene effectively and immediately when needed.

Do the following activity from the Kentucky Model Curriculum Framework.

Think back to a learning experience that presented difficulty for you. What made your learning experience easier? Note which factors below influenced your ability to overcome the difficulty and write your ideas about why or how these factors were helpful:

• Relationship
• Resiliency
• School Climate
• Barriers to learning
• Engagement
• Relevance
• Social and life skills
• Structure and support for learning
• Positive behavior supports

You can write your thoughts in the space below. When you are finished, click save. At the end of the module you will be able to print what you have saved.

SUPPORTING TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Some of the most effective professional development doesn’t require money, travel, or the presence of an “expert from somewhere else.”

“… professional development should be targeted and directly related to teachers’ practice. It should be site-based and long-term. It should be on-going—part of a teacher’s work week, not something that’s tacked on.” (James W. Stigler, 2002)

High quality and meaningful professional development is targeted based on where the teacher is in his or her professional continuum and on student achievement data.

In the first video on the left, Gene Wilhoit talks about quality professional development that extends throughout a teacher’s career.

Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs, are forming in schools across the nation where teachers meet regularly to analyze student progress and advise one another on strategies to try out. And PLCs are growing to include principals and superintendents.

The second video features Terry Holliday and Jana Beth Francis, Daviess County district assessment coordinator, discussing the benefits of PLCs in an excerpt from Education Matters.

A video of a teacher PLC meeting was featured in Module 4. Use the third link on the left to watch that video again if you would like.

In the final video, members of a PLC for principals in Daviess County are working together to improve critical thinking skills in students at all levels.

It’s important for PLCs to meet on a regular basis and allow everyone in the group to have opportunities to share their work. Imagine you are organizing a PLC for your school and answer the following questions:

Who will be involved? Who will present? What kind of work will we do? When and where will you meet? Who will facilitate? Will it always be the same people, or will responsibilities rotate among all group members?

You can write your thoughts in the space below. When you are finished, click save. At the end of the module you will be able to print what you have saved.

MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS IN SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS

The goal of Kentucky’s new evaluation system is to find, support and retain the most effective teachers and leaders for Kentucky children. The Professional Growth and Evaluation System will reflect the collaborative work of educators at all levels. The system will be built around several resources, including the current Kentucky Teacher Standards.

The new system for evaluating teachers and principals is similar to the new balanced assessment and accountability system for students in that its primary focus is on growth. It will include formative assessment with constructive feedback through multiple observations of teachers, both informally and using a common observation protocol. Evaluators will use artifacts that reflect student learning as well as other evidence of student growth. (Learn more about formative assessment in Module 4: Assessment Literacy.)

In the video on the left, Dr. Holliday addresses the new approach to evaluating Kentucky teachers and leaders.

The next video features the principal of North Washington Co. Elementary and Middle School and the superintendent of Washington Co. schools taped in September 2012. They talk about how teacher evaluation has changed in their district since Senate Bill 1 was passed into law.

For personal reflection or discussion within a professional learning community, answer the following question:

What would you include in a common assessment system for teachers? Principals?

You can write your thoughts in the space below. When you are finished, click save. At the end of the module you will be able to print what you have saved.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GREAT PRINCIPALS

The first video features Gene Wilhoit, former Kentucky commissioner of education and the current executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. He talks about the importance of the role of principals in schools and their evolution from building manager to instructional leader.

In the second video, current Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday shares his thoughts on the principal’s impact on school quality.

Located in the Portland neighborhood in downtown Louisville, Atkinson Elementary has a very high incidence of poverty—more than 98 percent of its students receive free or reduced lunch. The school is racially balanced, and most of the students live in the same community where they go to school. Despite the outside challenges facing its students, Atkinson has a positive climate and culture that leads to student success.

As an instructional leader, then principal Dewey Hensley ensures that the faculty and staff share a collective vision and mission for the school. He makes time for teachers to meet together to review data, evaluate student work, share strategies, and learn from each other. He taps into the expertise of gifted teachers to act as mentors and instructional models. And he provides teachers with regular professional development and guidance.

One example of his instructional leadership, illustrated in the third video, is a writing workshop he conducts for the teachers during the summer. As a former teacher of English and co-director of the Louisville Writing Workshop, Dr. Hensley is able to share his expertise in writing instruction with teachers. (Dr. Hensley has since left Atkinson and is currently Chief Academic Officer for Jefferson Co. schools.)

RESOURCES

For principals, academic officers, and others who monitor and approve professional development credit, we have provided a list of the tasks required for each module. This provides an excellent opportunity for those monitoring and approving PD for credit to gauge participants’ engagement and understanding of the material.

Facilitator Guide for Module 3 (PDF)

This website includes information and activities designed to serve as a guide for schools and districts to implement a curriculum that prepares students for the 21st century economy.

The discussion focuses on recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining teachers in Kentucky. It also focuses on teacher effectiveness - what it is, how it's measured, and how to help teachers achieve it. (A 2010 KET Production)

Produced in partnership with KET and the KDE Early Literacy Branch, this DVD-ROM resource showcases strategies that content area teachers can use to help students who struggle with literacy. It features more than 90 video clips shot in classrooms across Kentucky. KDE is providing a free copy of this resource to every public school in the state.

This resource is another KET/KDE collaboration available on CD and the web. It includes interviews with principals, literacy coaches, curriculum specialists, state educational cooperative literacy consultants, and teachers in an effort to capture the type of leadership described in research-based standards.

MODULE 3 REVIEW

Directions:

When you're ready, click the link below to open the review for Module 3. The review will consist of five questions. You need to answer at least four of the five questions correctly in order to get credit for this module.

SB1 Module 3 Review Quiz

Interactive

View

If you pass the quiz, you will be directed to an online survey about the module you just completed. At the end of that survey, click on the link to access a Certificate of Completion ready for printing. If you do not pass the quiz, you will be directed back to this module for a review of content.

If you have any technical problems or questions, please contact Brett Smith, KET Professional Development Division, 800-432-0951, ext. 7268 or bsmith@ket.org.

(Note: If you have trouble opening the survey, please disable the pop-up blocker in your browser preferences menu.)

For more information about Module 3, contact:

Michael D. Dailey
Director, Division of Next-Generation Professionals
Office of Next-Generation Schools and Districts
500 Mero Street, 17th Floor CPT
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: (502) 564-1479
Michael.Dailey@education.ky.gov