What Makes a Good Teacher?

What Makes A Good Teacher? Edited by Amy Wevill and Edward Wild Professor Anne Bamford OBE • Smita Bora • Tori Cadogan • Professor Neil Carmichael Christine Counsell • Clare Flintoff • Professor Barnaby Lenon CBE • Tracie Linehan Libby Nicholas • Will Orr-Ewing • Sir Anthony Seldon • Neil Strowger Professor Samantha Twiselton OBE • Karen Wespieser MBE 1 2 Contents Preface 4 Professor Neil Carmichael, Senior Adviser, Wild Search and Chief Executive, UCEC Introduction 5 The Characteristics of Good Teachers 7 Professor Barnaby Lenon CBE, Chairman, Independent Schools Council The Four Important Qualities of a ‘Good’ Teacher 8 Libby Nicholas, Managing Director, Dukes Education The Accomplished Teacher 12 Professor Anne Bamford OBE, Strategic Director of the Education and Skills, City of London Teaching Changes Lives 14 Smita Bora, Education Consultant and Private Tutor What Makes A Good Teacher – The Parent Perspective 16 Karen Wespieser MBE, Chief Operating Officer, Teacher Tapp and Parent Ping What Makes Someone an Expert Teacher and Why Does It Matter? 19 Professor Samantha Twiselton OBE, Director of Sheffield Institute of Education Teaching Is A Deeply Human Vocation 22 Clare Flintoff, Chief Executive, ASSET Education What Makes A Great Teacher? ‘Barba Non Facit Philosophum’ 24 Neil Strowger, Chief Executive, Bohunt Education Trust I Challenge All Teachers 27 Tracie Linehan, Chief Executive, BeyondAutism Teachers of What? The Subject Dimension in Great Secondary Teaching 29 Christine Counsell, Independent Education Consultant Three Ways Good Teachers Go Astray 31 Will Orr-Ewing, Founder and Director, Keystone Tutors The Worst Teachers 34 Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Buckingham What Makes A Good School? 37 Tori Cadogan, Education Editor, Tatler About the Authors 39 About Wild Search 44 About Partners 45 A Selection of Wild Research Publications 46 3 Preface Professor Neil Carmichael Some seventy years ago, two unconnected nations – Finland and the Republic of Korea – emerged from a period of massive conflict and internal strife to make, essentially, the same decision about their future. The choice they made was simple, rational and strategic; to provide the best education for the one resource still available, their people. At a stroke, teaching as a profession was placed at the heart of national life and the strong sense of trust in teachers that was soon embedded has never wavered. Today, both education systems have been widely applauded and emulated where possible. So, the first key requirement for having good teachers is to understand just how valuable they are and, obviously, all contributors to this publication would agree. To be a teacher is to be a learner. The best teachers are those who are confident enough to create an environment where the love of learning is everywhere. This is where school leadership matters and why the autonomy of institutions can make the difference between ‘steady as she goes’ and exceptionally high standards. The maxim being, where the teacher thrives, the pupils can also thrive. Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, builds on this point by noting schools can enjoy ‘independence’ within a variety of political and administrative systems, and cites the contrast between China and England where, in both cases, autonomy of schools is now encouraged. Jean-Jacques Rousseau – the leading Enlightenment thinker in education – pointed to the need for ‘the attainment of fullest natural growth of the individual, leading to balanced, harmonious, useful and natural life’. This still embraces much of what we might understand as the outcome of great teaching. We see this in the pages ahead. With the consequences of COVID still raging, the importance of the teacher is coming into sharper focus. As classrooms fill up again and the buzz of ideas returns, the power of knowledge and skills as orchestrated by the teacher will remind us all why the profession matters so much. 4 Introduction The question What Makes a Good Teacher? is one which those in education – teachers, parents and students – should keep asking. The answers which this report provides come from a range of different perspectives in terms of the types of schools, age ranges and levels. All contributors share a belief that the quality of teaching and learning matters at every stage in the educational process. The question they answer has never been more relevant than in 2021, as we reach the end of a twelve month period in which schools, colleges and universities have had to adapt rapidly to online and blended learning and teachers have had to master new media and skills and take on responsibilities which they have never had to address before. Challenge and change are often healthy and beneficial. It remains to be seen whether aspects of the challenges of 2020/1 have been beneficial or whether any of the changes will be made permanent. The qualities of resilience, determination and innovation have all been in demand amongst teachers and we are delighted that we have been able to bring together some reflections and insights from those who have been or are currently in the midst of these challenges. The qualities of a good teacher are discussed in this report by Professor Barnaby Lenon CBE, chair of the ISC and former head of Harrow and Libby Nicholas, Managing Director of Dukes Education, among others. Depth of knowledge, the ability to see the bigger picture and to continually develop themselves are important qualities noted, as is patience and a drive that is neither financially nor ego driven. Human qualities and creating warm and supportive environments are important to Clare Flintoff who runs ASSET Education. Neil Strowger, chief executive of the Bohunt Education Trust points to studies that demonstrate that aspirations are not only nice to have, but have real impact on outcomes. Smita Bora draws on her experiences of teaching in developing countries and as a state school head in one of the country’s most deprived areas to emphasise the importance of keeping an eye on the endpoint, providing children with the “passport to their future”. Karen Wespieser shares the results of her Parent Ping study into what parents consider a good teacher to be, with interesting insights on how it differs for men and those who are also teachers. With her expertise in teacher training, Professor Samantha Twiselton OBE addresses how good teachers are created, and the stages they go through on that journey. The deep understanding of the fundamentals of teaching that are gained from experience within SEN teaching is discussed by Tracie Linehan, Chief Executive of BeyondAutism. 5 Flipping the question on its head and considering when good teaching goes bad Keystone Tutors founder Will Orr-Ewing and the educationalist, Anthony Seldon point to qualities such as low expectations, being over prescriptive or simply becoming tired and bored as those to watch out for. The importance of being rooted in the subject being taught and constantly reengaging with it is highlighted by Christine Counsell. Aligned with this, Professor Anne Bamford OBE further points to the role of the school in developing good teachers by giving them the space to connect their subjects with real world experiences. Finally, Tatler’s education editor, Tori Cadogan addresses what makes a good school – the ability to attract, nourish and retain good teachers being critical. We hope that you will find this report stimulating and rewarding. Whatever your interest, whether you are an experienced teacher, a new entrant to the profession, a student or a parent we are sure that there will be a contribution which you will enjoy reading. 6 The Characteristics of Good Teachers Professor Barnaby Lenon CBE, Chairman, Independent Schools Council 1. Good subject knowledge. 2. Forceful enough character to maintain control. 3. But a warm person beneath the exterior. 4. A sense of humour the pupils really appreciate. 5. High expectations of every pupil. Ambitious for them all. 6. Very hard working. 7. Very organised. 8. A clear sense of what works and doesn’t work in the classroom. 9. Always patient. 10. Pupils look to them if they are in difficulty – and the teacher cares. 7 The Four Important Qualities of a ‘Good’ Teacher Libby Nicholas, Managing Director, Dukes Education Teaching is a serious and beautiful fine art - the responsibility to instil knowledge and in so doing, gifting understanding and changing lives is a huge responsibility and a great privilege. There are therefore, few employments more fulfilling. When we decide to enter the teaching profession, we know we are not seeking financial gain or an easy life, but rather we want to do a good life’s work. We believe our love, our empathy, our endless patience and our passion for knowledge and learning equips us, more so than our peers, to bear this moral responsibility and to make as much of a success of this art as we are humanly able. Anyone who goes into education to make money will be disappointed. It is simply not suited to that end. But when one’s purpose is to do good, to perform alchemy and therefore magic (in the most modern sense of the word), then there is no more worthwhile profession. Teachers, quite simply, are magicians and as professionals our hearts are truly in our work. The moral responsibility weighs heavily, teaching is often difficult and the hours are long. So, what type of person is best suited to this calling? The American scholar G Palmer, writing in his 1910 essay “The Ideal Teacher” argued that there are four characteristics needed and 110 years later, I think these remain wholly relevant today. They are a good place to start when trying to answer the complex question of ‘what makes a great teacher?’. An aptitude for vicariousness Palmer says that teachers must have “an aptitude for vicariousness”.

Load more