Quality Teaching 1

Quality Teaching:

Creating a Toolbox for Keeping Up with the Multiple Dynamics of Education

Lauren VerMeulen

Michigan State University

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It is difficult to put a true definition to what quality teaching actually is, and instead much

easier to express what it is not. Again, quality teaching is not throwing a textbook at a student

(literally or figuratively) and telling them to read it and answer questions. Quality teaching is not

lecturing students for a full hour and expecting them to take notes. Quality teaching is not

labeling students and hereby capping their potential from the get-go. The list goes on.

Fenstermacher and Richardson truly said it best in saying that “Perhaps we cannot define quality

teaching, but we know it when we see it” (Fenstermacher and Richardson 2005). The reality is

that quality teaching is dynamic—it’s ever-changing. It is the ability to adapt to the environment

in a given moment and make the necessary changes to ensure learning. This task is much more

difficult to express in word than it is to experience. This being said, another important aspect of

quality teaching is the acceptance that it is ever-changing, and taking that as a challenge to

improve our skills as educators as time goes on. While quality teaching is ever-changing, so is

the world of education. Quality teaching is keeping up with these changes and striving to be the

best possible teacher for our students. Every teacher should have a “toolbox” of strategies for

dealing with the multiple situations that arise every day. As mentioned by Sharon Feiman-

Nemser, “Good teachers know about a range of approaches to curriculum, instruction, and

assessment; and they have the judgement, skill, and understanding to decide what to use when”

(Feiman-Nemser 2001). The range of tools in their toolbox should come from personal

experience, action research and collaboration with fellow colleagues.

Every teacher has a unique position within their profession, because not only do they

have experience as a teacher, but they also have experience as being a student under other

teachers. Everyone experiences teachers in one way or another, but when teachers reflect on

quality teaching we reflect not only on quality teaching that we have lead, but on quality
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teaching that we have experienced through a student perspective. Many teachers can think of at

least one other teacher who has inspired us to be a better teacher ourselves and who sticks out as

a role model for us. Personal experiences with our own teachers help us grow and have an image

in mind when we think of what quality teaching is. For example, a teacher who takes risks in his

classroom to create a memorable lesson for his students to truly embrace the feelings during a

historical time period. The intense planning involved to create this feeling reflects a thorough

understanding of both teaching as well as his students. Another example of personal experiences

can be the teacher who inspires others to be like her through her careful building of relationships

with her students and showing that she cares. As McBee mentions, in “What it Means to Care”,

“As teacher educators, we should begin by intentionally and explicitly modeling a genuine

approachability and respectful reciprocity in our relationships with out learners” (McBee 2007).

By stopping students in the hallway to simply as how they are doing, she demonstrates quality

teaching through building relationships which motivate students to try if even just to make her

proud. The relationships that she builds allows for her to challenge students to be the best they

possibly can be, but she can be critical because she had made the strong effort to build

relationships with her students that they trust her. Both of these are my personal examples of

what sticks out in my mind of when I have experienced quality teaching first-hand.

Another way to build a personal toolbox is through teacher inquiry, or action research. As

Yendol-Hoppey refers to Carr and Kemmis (1986), “[Action research] has many benefits: (1)

Theories and knowledge are generated from research grounded in the realities of educational

practice, (2) teachers become collaborators in educational research by investigating their own

problems, and (3) teachers play a part in the research process, which makes them more likely to

facilitate change based on the knowledge they create” (Yendol-Hoppey 2014). Through action
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research, teachers are able to take a step back to reflect on a particular inquiry that they have in

their classroom. They are then able to engage in data collection and analyzation to take a deeper

look into the issue at hand. Quality teachers take the time to understand what they are

experiencing in their classroom and furthermore, they investigate the reason behind these

experiences. Through this inquiry process, teachers learn much about not only themselves as a

teacher, but their inquiry through the eyes of other teachers as well. Often times, one inquiry

leads to another inquiry which brings up a continuous cycle of reflecting and processing new

information, which promotes growth all along the way.

A final way in which teachers can broaden their range of tools to achieve quality teaching

is through collaboration with colleagues. As Richard DuFour mentioned in his article, “The

powerful collaboration that characterizes professional learning communities is a systematic

process in which teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice.

Teachers work in teams, engaging in an ongoing cycle of questions that promote deep team

learning. This process, in turn, leads to higher levels of student achievement” (DuFour 2004). It

is commonly mentioned how we are only as good as those we surround ourselves with, and in

teaching it is no different. Teachers have the opportunity to learn from each other and to build

not only on personal experience, but on the personal experience of others as well. All of the

clichés about two minds being greater than one, absolutely apply to the world of education. The

value in using other teachers as resources proves to be undeniable, especially for younger

teachers who are in the beginning stages of their career. Veteran teachers have the wisdom and

experience to help mold the newer teachers, especially when it comes to teaching experiences

that come with age, such as classroom management. This being said, the reverse is also of value

as younger teachers are fresh out of their programs and equipped with the newest phenomenon in
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the world of education. The blend between youth and tradition can be extremely powerful, and

one without the other will struggle to survive. As newer teachers who are still looking to

establish themselves in their classrooms, collaborating with veteran teachers gives them direction

and a sense of what works and what does not. Ask any veteran teacher, and he or she will have

certain routines that they stick to, because it works year after year. However, many veteran

teachers also turn to younger teachers to look for new strategies for lessons to relate better to the

students. Again, as the times change, so does education, and things that once were outstanding

lessons might become less relevant as years pass. Allowing professional development time for

teachers to collaborate and share resources can only help both teachers and students. Being open

to this collaboration is one of the qualities needed for a quality teacher.

In conclusion, there is no direct definition to what quality teaching actually is, but rather

it is a variety of actions that a teacher takes in order to be the best teacher that they can possibly

be. Ultimately, quality teaching is processing data collected through a wide variety of

experiences. Quality teacher stems from personal experiences that a teacher has as a student

themselves, through the reflection and analytical process of actions research or teacher inquiry,

and through collaboration with fellow teachers. Because of the variety of facets in which a

teacher truly demonstrates quality teaching, it is obvious that quality teaching is a very dynamic

topic, however the result is always that quality teaching is going through whatever means

possible to create a repertoire of resources and strategies to survive everyday life as a teacher.

Each day presents itself with new situations, and quality teacher is setting yourself up to be

prepared to deal with these situations by pulling from the ever-handy tool box.
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References

DuFour, R. (2004, May). What is a Professional Learning Community? Educational

Leadership, 61(8), 6-11.

Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001, December). From Preparation to Practice: Designing a Continuum to

Strengthen and Sustain Teaching [Electronic version]. Teachers College Record, 103(6),

1013-1055.

Fenstermacher, G. D., & Richardson, V. (2005). On Making Determinations on Quality

Teaching. In The Teachers College Record (Vol. 107, pp. 186-213).

Fichtman Dana, N., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2014). The Reflective Educator's Guide to

Classroom Research (3rd ed., p. 8). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

McBee, ., & Haskell, R. (2007). What It Means to Care:How Educators Conceptualize and

Actualize Caring. In Action in Teacher Education (Vol. 29, pp. 33-42). N.p.:

Association of Teacher Educators.