Sixteen Dimensions of Effective Teaching

There's been a great deal of discussion lately about "the effective teacher" and whether it's possible to measure teaching effectiveness. Obviously, great teaching can take many different forms. There is not one mold. If there were such a thing, schools would have great teachers coming out of their windows, which they definitely don't. Our schools are blessed with a high percentage of DEVOTED teachers, but devotion and effectiveness don't necessarily go hand in hand. A teacher can work hard but not possess the know-how to provide students a stimulating, inspiring, growth-inducing environment. But while all great teachers are not identical, they all resemble each other in a number of ways. I propose the following list and respectfully suggest that teachers evaluate their classroom practices against it. Probably no teacher employs all these best practices, but all great teachers employ the majority of them most of the time. So here are what I'll call:

                                  The Sixteen Dimensions of Effective Teaching

1. The Effective Teacher is a leader of a team (not an adversary or a judge)

2. The Effective Teacher plays with the rules (not by the rules, which were not written to facilitate learning)

3. The Effective Teacher compels with energy, enthusiasm and competence (not with threat or as a given of the position)

4. The Effective Teacher focuses on learning (not on grades or deadlines or obedience)

5. The Effective Teacher keeps students active (not passive or in their place)

6. The Effective Teacher demands a lot and grades on effort (not on level of achievement)

7. The Effective Teacher maintains multiple open roads to success and definitions thereof (not one)

8. The Effective Teacher designs lessons that are within reach of all and challenge all (not ones that target a single [low, middle or high] level)

9. The Effective Teacher uses the book in multiples ways (not one)

10. The Effective Teacher engages student participation in the teaching process (not just the learning process)

11. The Effective Teacher is open and positive (not always right or in control)

12. The Effective Teacher loves teaching and the subject and designs lessons that lure the students into a love of it (as opposed to those who are teaching simply because they were good at the subject in school or who like summers off and getting home by 4 pm)

13. The Effective Teacher covers material many times always connecting the current material to that which has been learned in previous lessons (rather than focusing exclusively on the new material)

14. The Effective Teacher asks students to think (not to memorize)

15. The Effective Teacher’s classroom is playful and energizing (not grave or alienating)

16. The Effective Teacher models the behavior desired of students (not “Do as I say, not as I do”)