Module 2: Foundations of

Effective Teaching
Characteristics of Effective Teachers
Watch
Week 2 Lecture

Read
Becoming a Teacher Chapter 1: Being a Teacher

Becoming a Teacher Chapter 2: Teacher Values

Becoming a Teacher Chapter 3: Personal Values and Attitudes

Teaching Attributes
Reflect
Think back to last week when you identified at least one 'effective' teacher you
remember from your own schooling. Why were they effective?
Write a brief reflection about the teacher. You will share aspects of your
reflection in tutorials this week. What attributes of these effective teachers
would you hope to emulate in your own teaching career?

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 1

 Online Activity

What You Bring to Teaching

Reflection
Take some time to reflect on your motivations for becoming a teacher. You will
have the opportunity to share these ideas in your tutorial groups.
Your motivations inform your teacher persona or teacher ‘world view’.
Your motivations and aspirations associated with being a teacher will inform
your:

School preferences

Relationships with colleagues, students, families, the school community

Curriculum design and enactment

Preferred pedagogies

Specialisations

Approaches to and beliefs about assessment

Classroom organisation and physical space

Classroom behaviour support and management

Pastoral support for students

Involvement in the extra-curricula life of the school.

Teaching as a Profession
Darling-Hammond and Bransford (2008) have described three central areas of
importance for effective teachers:

1. Knowledge of learners: A good teacher knows something about the ways

young people learn and develop within different social contexts.
2. Knowledge of the subject matter they are teaching: An effective teacher
must have a developed understanding of the curriculum content that is to be
taught.
3. A theoretical and practical knowledge of the teaching process itself: This
teaching process is made up of a wide variety of elements, from developing

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 2

 good behaviour management strategies to questions about how to effectively
assess young people, and so on.

Key Practices in Teaching a Cycle

In order to focus on individual students' learning needs, development and
growth, effective teachers engage in key practices during each teaching-
learning cycle.
These key practices include:

Planning for teaching using evidence

Implementing teaching and learning strategies

Assessing and using feedback and professional judgement

Reflecting on teaching and learning

Appraising and evaluating the impact of teaching.

Planning for Teaching Using Evidence

Effective teachers collect, interpret and use evidence to ascertain students'
existing knowledge and skills and establish the next stage in their learning.
Teachers use official curriculum and other relevant resources to plan teaching
and learning activities and sequences that address the students' learning
needs and support their learning development.

Implementing Teaching and Learning Strategies

Effective teachers use a range of teaching strategies that connect to and build
on students' existing knowledge and skills.

They acknowledge student diversity by catering to different interests,

backgrounds and learning styles.
They modify and make adjustments to planned activities based on the ongoing
collection of classroom evidence.

Assessing and Using Feedback and Professional Judgment

Effective teachers use a range of monitoring and assessment strategies
suitable to purpose and context.

They provide meaningful, constructive and targeted feedback to support their

students' learning development.

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 3

 They use professional judgement and expertise to evaluate students' work
against the curriculum and achievement standards.

Reflecting on Teaching and Learning

In Module 1, you were introduced to the importance of teacher reflection.
Reflecting on teaching and learning is crucial to teacher effectiveness.
In a teaching cycle, reflection involves teachers considering what worked, what
may not have worked, and why. This enables teachers to think about what they
will implement in their future teaching.

Appraising and Evaluating the Impact of Teaching

This practice requires teachers to evaluate the impact of their teaching on
student learning using evidence.

Teachers consider why specific approaches and strategies had particular

impact on individual students' development.

Teachers consult learning theory and research to support their evaluation and
appraisal.

Reflection
Consider why each of the above practices is important in an effective teaching
cycle.

Using Evidence for Effective Teaching

Observations of teacher practice, student actions and classroom dynamics

Official curriculum documentation

Lesson plans and school/classroom based curriculum documents

Reflective journal entries

Records of classroom talk and patterns of interaction

Records of learning

Interactions (formal and informal) with colleagues

Analysis of work samples

Assessments (formative and summative)

Standardised test data (for example, NAPLAN)

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 4

 School policy documents

Research and evidence-based academic sources.

Observing Teaching and Learning to Build

Effectiveness
The purposes of observation include identifying and analysing:

effective teaching strategies

classroom dynamics and the ways in which students interact with one
another and the teacher

the ways in which individual students respond to and learn from different
approaches

the organisation of classroom space for particular purposes and activities

the ways in which whole lessons and specific activities are timed,
sequenced and organised

specific practices such as greeting students, introducing the lesson/topic,

questioning, giving feedback, and closing the lesson.

the use of resources including technology to enhance learning.

Prior to observing your supervising teacher and other teachers, you might
discuss the focus for the observation during a particular lesson, for example,
the structuring of group work or the use of different levels of questioning.

Examples of Classroom Observation Tools

Written records and descriptive observations. No assumptions or your own
judgments, merely what you see and hear happening.

Verbal flow observations that record the frequency and models of

interaction between teacher and students and students with other students.

Establishing Learning Environments

Activity
Look closely at the images of classroom learning environments. Respond to
each image using these prompts:

What do you see? Note down only what is in each image.

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 5

 How would you describe the kind of teaching and learning that appears to
be happening here? What is the teacher doing? What are the students
doing?

What practices might the teachers in these images be using to ascertain

students’ existing skills and new learning?

Which of the learning environment images resonates with you most? Why?

In your experience, what elements contribute to a positive and effective

learning environment?

How would your perfect learning environment be organised and structured?

Aspects of Positive Learning Environments

3 key components of a positive learning environment:

Proactive Strategies
Churchill et al (2018) highlight these factors in the creation of a 'learning
community':

Safety

Support

Inclusion

Challenge

Engagement

Similarly, De Nobile et al (2017, p.12) in Positive Learning Environments:

Creating and Maintaining Productive Classrooms discuss proactive strategies
involving:

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 6

 Classroom climate: relationship-building, trust-building

Classroom culture: respect, safety, listening to the opinions of others;

celebrations; acknowledgement of achievements

Physical environment: organisation of furniture; displays; books; resources

Instructional practice: pedagogy; group organisation; curriculum foci;

choice of language.

Reflect
What ‘proactive’ strategies might you implement at the commencement of a
school year to address each of the aspects outlined by Churchill et al and De
Nobile et al?

Classroom Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills in the classroom include:

Verbal communication

Non-verbal communication

Active listening

Collaboration

Negotiation

Problem-solving

Respect

Empathy

Reflect
Consider each of the interpersonal skills listed above. As an effective teacher,
how would you model these skills? Try to give an example for each.

Classroom Talk
Verbal Communication

Mercer and Hodgkinson (2008) have commented that "classroom talk is not
merely a conduit for the sharing of information, or a means of controlling the

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 7

 exuberance of youth; it is the most important educational tool for guiding the
development of understanding and for jointly constructing knowledge".

Teacher Talk
Effective teacher verbal communication is important for:

Establishing rapport and relationships with students - both in and outside

the classroom.

Validating students' participation, responses and learning.

Questioning and leading discussions.

Giving feedback.

Building knowledge through direct instruction or talk accompanying

demonstration.

Providing instructions.

Modelling positive interactions with others.

Modelling tasks and the pronunciation of key terminology.

Signalling different stages of a lesson.

Student Talk
As teachers, we want to encourage students to be confident users of verbal
communication in the classroom through:

Student exploratory talk: problem-solving through talk; 'thinking out loud'.

Student to student one-on-one: 'think-pair-share'.

Small group discussion.

Whole class discussion.

Formal talk: speeches; debates; oral presentations.

Use and correct pronunciation of technical terminology to show

understanding of concepts.

EAL/D Learners: Speaking and Listening

Purpose

Activity

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 8

 Step 1: Access the Literacy Teaching ToolkitLinks to an external site. (Victoria
State Government, n.d.).

Step 2: Explore the toolkit and identify the key strategies to support literacy
development for EAL/D learners.
Step 3: Record three points of practical advice that you can use.

Oral Language Strategies

You might like to use the table below as the basis for observing and identifying
oral language strategies during your Professional Experience placements.
Consider how each of the strategies may foster classroom relationships or
encourage learning.

Addressing students by name - validation, building rapport

Pauses, stress, emphasis and repetition

Exploratory language (asking students to think out loud, to encourage them

to make sense of a topic/concept)

Use of imperatives (‘Tell me your response’, ie a command)

Prefacing questions (to engage students prior to discussing the actual

topic/content)

IRF – Initiation/Response/Feedback (teacher initiatesquestion/student

gives response/teacher gives feedback)

Elaboration and clarification (reiterating and validating student response;

building on student responses, while modelling more technical or precise
language; ensuring students’ understanding)

Pressing (‘What do you mean by that?’, ‘Put that altogether’, ‘What is the
term we use for that?’)

Giving instructions using procedural cues (‘firstly’, ‘then’, ‘finally’, etc)

Anticipating queries (‘So before you ask me …’)

Cues and prompts (‘When did we discuss this before today?’; ‘Remember
back to…’)

Inclusive language (‘We are going to work on this task today.’)

Authentic questions – links to real life (‘Where have you noticed this
happening in your suburb?’)

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 9

 Students present/teacher interaction and feedback (for example, after
group presentations)

Demonstrations accompanying instructions (for example, during a Science,

PE, Art or Home Economics practical class)

Other?

Dialogic Classrooms
In a dialogic classroom, classroom talk is aimed at building collective
knowledge and problem solving.

Rather than teachers initiating all the questions and feedback, students are
encouraged to:

Pose questions to one another.

Paraphrase and rephrase each other's responses

Critically appraise others' responses

Provide examples and evidence to support and critique arguments and

responses

Reflect on and articulate the purpose and process of the discussion.

In modelling dialogic discussion, teachers may provide scaffolds such as

question starters to support students' interactions:

Building, exploring and clarifying

Could you clarify the point about…?

Would you explain that again?

I’d like to build upon what {name} said

I’d like to re-phrase that point

Could we go back to the point {name} made?

I agree/disagree with {name} because…?

Comparing and searching for alternatives

Why do you think….?

What would happen if….?

Is there another example of…?

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 10

 How is this similar/different to…?

What would happen if…?

Reflecting

What made this talk session successful?

What thinking did I contribute to the group?

How did this talk session change my thinking?

Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication includes:

Facial expressions to denote greeting, approval, encouragement.

Eye contact.

Active listening.

Gestures, movements and signals, for example to highlight key concepts,

emphasis, moderate behaviour.

Body language, stance and posture, for example standing behind chatting
students to encourage listening.

Use of space for inclusion, safety, collaborative activities.

Organisation and distribution of resources, for example, the return of

assignments at the end of a lesson.

Visual and multimodal signalling, for example, the use of icons or fonts in a
powerpoint to denote important terms or to signal that students should note
down specific points.

Ethical Practice and Professional Conduct

Reflect
Reflect on why is it important for professions to have Codes of Conduct and
Codes of Ethics

Note some of the ethical and legal responsibilities of teachers as addressed

in the relevant codes and APSTs.

Reflect

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 11

 Consider how you will develop and maintain appropriate and professional
relationships with students.

Module 2: Foundations of Effective Teaching 12