New research shows best teachers seek professional challenge, even if at disadvantaged schools
Media Release, Monday 7 April 2008
The most effective teachers are attracted by opportunities for professional autonomy, school responsiveness to student needs, and the prospect of responsibility, while the least effective teachers are averse to change and challenge, according to new research from the University of Melbourne.
The research also shows that effective teachers are driven by a sense of themselves as professional educators, and value the chance to use and develop their skills.
Dr Suzanne Rice, a Research Fellow in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning, says the findings have implications for the role of innovation in disadvantaged schools, and could help systems attract and retain good teachers in the least-favoured schools.
“By understanding what drives effective teachers, we are better positioned to reward them and maintain their interest,” says Dr Rice. “If we attach rewards and opportunities that matter to the professional lives of good teachers in the most disadvantaged schools, we have a better chance of attracting - and keeping - them in schools where they are most needed and where they are likely to have a strong impact on students’ learning.”
Key findings from the research show that:
• The most effective teachers placed more importance on professional and educational factors, such as promotion opportunities, the provision of curricula suited to a school’s students, and professional development opportunities, than less effective teachers when deciding where to teach.
• The most effective teachers sought increased responsibility, opportunities to implement change and the chance to extend themselves professionally.
• The least effective teachers tend to be much more driven by factors outside the workplace, such as family needs or the location of a school in deciding where to work.
• The least effective teachers sought fewer responsibilities, less change, and, among secondary teachers, placed more importance on a selective intake of students as a means to hold them in a school.
More information:
Dr Suzanne Rice, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Tel: 8344 5469
Email: srice@unimelb.edu.au
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