Thursday, July 3, 2014

My Non-Negotiables for Great Teaching

Often enough, I'm in conversations about how I know what good teaching looks like, and although I've used effective tools like Danielson's Framework for Teaching and Saphier's Skillful Teacher framework, fulfilling those expectations isn't the answer I go with.  Here's a stab at the big picture of what I consider non-negotiables for great teaching.



An understood purpose
                      (link)

                     (link)

Contagious Passion
                      (link)

I'd love your questions, comments, and/or additions? How do you know when you're seeing great teaching?
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 3, 2014 at 4:11 AM

    David these are all great! I love how in the first section you refer to teaching as artistry. I think this is so true and that when it becomes scripted we lose that. Watching great teachers is like watching a great artist or performer at work. Your second section hits the nail on the head when you say that wasting time is a waste. We owe it to students to make what they do meaningful. They are becoming smart consumers that will not give us the time of day if we don't respect their time. Finally, your point about how the energy must flow from the kids to the teacher is great! We must feed off of them and give them voice. Thanks for sharing this!

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  2. David HochheiserJuly 3, 2014 at 8:07 AM

    Thanks for the validation, Jon. I've been boiling the list up and down for a while and hope it helps people do right for students.

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  3. UnknownJuly 4, 2014 at 5:30 AM

    David, I love the way you focused on three big ideas: "Contagious Passion" really resonated with me. It made me think of the many sitcoms/movies that depict high school as a mind-numbing, meaningless experience--and how, sadly, that is the reality and we've just "done it that way" for too long. You remind us that learning can be intentional, personal, and necessary. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. David HochheiserJuly 4, 2014 at 7:15 AM

    Have you ever seen the movie "teachers" with Nick Nolte and Ralph Macchio? There's an escapee from a mental ward who ends up subbing at the school, and he's got the classes energized with costumes and over-the-top presentations. Pedagogy doesn't have to be full of circus routines, but it must engage the students' hearts and minds.

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