Qualities of Effective Teachers
2nd Edition
by James H. Stronge
As summer had arrived it was time to think about tackling the bucket list I had created for summer reading. Being a life long learner and avid reader of many genres in my personal reading, as well as the various texts in my professional reading, I noticed I had books in my personal library that were "must haves" in the moment that I never had the time to read. I came across James H. Stronge's book Qualities of Effective Teachers. While I consider myself to be an effective teacher, there is always that wonder of what others deem to be a "effective". I began to flip through the pages and came across a quote that captured my attention, "Implementing instruction is like opening night at the theater, where all the behind-the-scenes work is hidden and only the magic is seen by the audience." Wow! This quote seemed to resonate with me as it grabbed me with its poetic delivery. I put my reading list aside, sat on the floor next to my bookcase and began to read.
Its funny how when I read a professional text such as this my mind tends to place people I've taught with within the different scenarios given. So what does makes an effective teacher effective? The book opens with discussing teachers as individuals and as professionals and then proceeds to focus on aspects of the role of a teacher including practices and responsibilities. I was a bit intrigued when I read the section on "Educational Coursework and Effective Teaching". It made me think about the current state of education, with all of the hoops educators must jump through and mandates which seem to be impacting how many teaching candidates there are in the colleges today. Stronge wrote, "Studies support the finding that fully prepared teachers understand how students learn and what and how they need to be taught." While I do believe a solid teacher preparation background is necessary, I also believe it is not until you have experienced the daily happenings in a classroom that a teacher begins to learn what is needed to be fully prepared. I've had colleagues who came with glowing credentials from coursework, but had little to no idea of how to deal with the behavioral or emotional characteristics of the students in their classroom. Later in the chapter, teaching experience and teacher effectiveness are discussed where it is stated that, "Experienced teachers differ from rookie teachers in that they have attained expertise through real-life experiences, classroom practices, and time."
The book is research based and is broken into two parts. Part 1, "What it means to be an effective teacher" discusses topics such as prerequisites for effective teaching, teachers as individuals and professionals, and breaks into effective planning, organization, implement instruction, and monitoring instruction in regard to student progress and potential. Part 2, "Teacher Effectiveness: Resources you can use" is broken into three sections respectively, "Teacher Skills Assessment Checklists", "Teacher Responsibilities and Teacher Behaviors", and an "Annotated Bibliography".
What I really liked about this book was how it provided insight into the importance of a teacher's attitude toward teaching, as well as the importance of incorporating reflection into a teaching practice. Thought provoking resources are found in Part 2, Section I "Teacher Skills Assessment Checklists". Included are checklists for "The Teacher as a Person", "Classroom Management and Organization", "Planning and Organizing for Instruction", "Implementing Instruction", and "Monitoring Student Progress and Potential". In Section II, "Teacher Responsibilities and Teacher Behaviors", Stronge lists "Positive Qualities" and "Red Flags of ineffective Teaching" under various categories such as "Classroom Management and Organization" and "Planning and Organizing for Instruction". I found the checklists to be useful in reflecting upon my own practice.
Overall I would highly recommend reading this title. However, I read the 2nd edition, and there is now a 3rd edition available that offers updated resources (link to the book provided).
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