hattie posting

I found it both inspiring and uncomfortable to read John Hattie’s article “Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?”
Inspiring because as a Novice teacher I can still live in hope that I might become an expert teacher and have ‘exceptional effects’ and uncomfortable because I saw myself as a teacher reflected in many descriptions of novice teachers.

I am not surprised that the student accounts for 50% of the variance of achievement. I am also not surprised that the teacher accounts for about 30%. Although simultaneously excited and alarmed by the power at my hands!

I am certainly passionate about my subject but I am also aware that I don’t think I am able to see the ‘essential representations’ without having the experience of having taught it already several times.

I am aware that I need to provide much more feedback to the students and that a great deal of my time is spent in classroom management and if asked how a lesson was, my response will be largely based on how much or little control I felt I had. I am certainly “attempting to dominate the situation”, something expert teachers apparently do not do.

I am also passionate about teaching the students to learn by participating but I have been afraid of showing emotionality about successes and failures in relation to this. I know that my classes would benefit from more praise being given.

I certainly respect the students and believe that they are all capable of learning but I think that this may often not come across to the students as I am trying so hard to keep control, the emphasis moves from learning to trying to create the learning environment.
Reference:
Hattie, J. (2003) Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?
Retrieved from Notre Dame University Portal School of Education March 1 2007

Hattie, J (2005) What is the Nature of Evidence That Makes a Difference to learning?
Retrieved from www.acer.edu.au/workshops/documents/HattieSlides.pdf