Concept of Teaching Effectiveness
Teaching effectiveness has been
accepted as a multidimensional construct since it measures a variety of
different aspects of teaching such as; subject mastery, effective
communication, lesson preparation and presentation (Onyeachu, 1996).
The
influence of teachers’ teaching effectiveness on the learning outcome
of students as measured by students’ academic performance has been the
subject of several studies (Adediwura and Tayo 2007; Adu and Olatundun
2007; Schacter and Thum 2004; Starr 2002). The above studies suggest
that effective teaching of a teacher is a significant predictor of
students’ academic achievement. Therefore effective teachers should
produce students of higher academic performance.
Poor academic
performance of students in Nigeria has been linked to poor teachers’
performance in terms of accomplishing the teaching task, negative
attitude to work and poor teaching habits which have been attributed to
poor motivation (Ofoegbu, 2004). It has also been observed that
conditions that would make for effective teaching such as resources
available to teachers, general conditions of infrastructure as well as
instructional materials in public secondary schools in Nigeria are poor
(Oredein, 2000). These prevailing conditions would definitely show a
negative influence on the instructional quality in public schools, which
may translate to poor academic performance, attitude and values of
secondary school students.
Although teachers’ strong effect would
significantly influence students’ academic achievement, other factors
such as socio-economic background, family support, intellectual aptitude
of student, personality of student, self confidence, and previous
instructional quality have been found to also influence students’
examination score (Starr 2002) either positively or negatively.
Blankstein (1996) stated that students’ grades and test scores are not
good indicators of the quality of teachers’ instruction.
Students’
competence in the evaluation of the effectiveness of their teachers has
been of great concern to researchers in education. However, studies have
shown that students’ ratings are valuable indicators of teachers’
quality (Barnett 2003; Pozo-Muno, Rebolloso & Fernandez, 2000).The
accuracy of school administrators’ evaluation of teachers’ effectiveness
has also been studied. Jacob and Lefgren (2006) found a positive
correlation between a principal’s assessment of how effective a teacher
is at raising students’ achievement and that teacher’s success in doing
so as measured by the value- added approach. The above study suggests
that administrator’s rating may also be one of a comprehensive
evaluation system to measure teachers’ effectiveness in secondary
schools.
The best teachers according to McCormick (1996) are
captivated by their subject matter drawn out of themselves by their
teaching, which will catch their excitement like the wake of a passing
train. The very best teachers do not tie students down; they pull
students along. They are as corny as it sounds—visionaries. Still, what
is most attractive about these idealists is how teachers love or come to
love their students. Unlike being a great scholar, being a great
teacher requires a passion for one’s field of study and for one's
students. After all, teaching is not just about ideas; it is about
engaging hearts and minds in the process of learning. Similarly, the
best teachers according to Brain (1998) are in the form of questions.
What are the qualities that combine to create an excellent, memorable
teacher? Why do some teachers inspire students to work three times
harder than they normally would, while others inspire students to skip
class? Why do students learn more from some teachers than others? If you
aspire to become a better teacher, these are important questions in
Brains’ words. Thus, Brains identified the issue of “emphasis on
teaching†as focusing on the four essential qualities that distinguish
exceptional teachers-knowledge, communication skills, interest, and
respect for students.
Biggs (2003) asserted that the very best
teachers are lifelong students, people who still know how little they
really understand about life and how much they have left to learn about
all the important questions. Additionally, McCormick (1996) posited
three feature of an excellent teacher. First, high-quality teachers have
a passion in their lives and a deep regard for their students. That is,
they love their students. Second, they lead challenging and demanding
lives that set high standards and inspire their charges. In other words,
they are prophetic. And third, they are always fully engaged in the
mystery of life, with hearts and minds full of wonder and awe, open to
learn new things and understand new realities.
Teachers need to be
curious, imaginative, empathetic, interesting, friendly and hardworking
in order to be effective in the classroom, thereby creating a learning
environment that enhances and strengthens the learning disposition of
the students. A good teacher is an interesting man or woman. As such he
or she will make the work interesting for the students, in just the same
way as he or she talks interestingly and writes an interesting letter.
Much teaching consists in explaining. One of the most important
qualities of a good teacher is “humorâ€. Many are the purposes it serves.
The most obvious one is that it keeps students alive and attentive
because they are never quite sure what is coming next. A teacher with a
poor memory is ridiculous and dangerous. A good teacher is a determined
person. It is very difficult to teach anything without kindness.
Quality
teaching taking on different characteristics in programs such as
Success for all for inner-city youngsters, in contrast to the schooling
offered advantaged students in middle-class suburbs. Good teaching
occurs when the standards of the field are upheld. If you are a
physician or a waiter, good practice includes washing your hands
frequently. If you are a teacher, good practice may include greeting
students warmly at the classroom door. Good is normative. It is what is
expected of people in a position. In contrast, effective teaching is
about reaching achievement goals. It is about students learning what
they are supposed to in a particular class, grade, or subject. A
high-quality teacher shows evidence of both good and effective teaching.
Fenstermacher and Richardson (2005) referred to these two qualities as
good and successful teaching, arguing that quality teaching means high
marks on both dimensions: By “good teaching†we mean that the content
taught accords with disciplinary standards of adequacy and completeness,
and that the methods employed are age-appropriate, morally defensible,
and undertaken with the intention of enhancing the learner’s competence
with respect to the content. By “successful teaching†we mean that the
learner actually acquires, to some reasonable and acceptable level of
proficiency, what the teacher is engaged in teaching.
Fenstermacher
and Richardson (2005) went on to point out that not all instances of
good teaching are successful, nor are all instances of successful
teaching good teaching. Indeed, considerations of successful teaching
took us into the domain of learning, where it became apparent that
successful learning (in the context of schooling) requires more than
teaching of a certain kind. Learning also requires willingness and
effort on the part of the learner, a supportive [school and community]
social surround, and opportunity to learn through the provision of time,
facilities, and resources. These features of learning add greatly to
the probability that teaching will be successful.
Highly qualified
teachers, then, provide evidence that certain qualities of teaching are
frequently present in the everyday experiences of their students. The
teacher’s competence, proficiency, ability, and talent—the many synonyms
for having qualifications are demonstrated in the logical,
psychological, and moral acts of teaching, along with evidence that
desirable kinds of learning are taking place.
According to Murad and
Rajesh (2010) quality in education has the following dimensions:
consistency: Here the educational processes involve specifications
through zero defect approach and a quality culture. But the limitations
are in achieving consistent standards and conformity to those standards.
