When I googled "best practices in education" one of the sites I found was: http://www.ctserc.org/s/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=28. They defined best practices as "what works in a particular situation or environment". I would have to agree with that vague statement. We will never have the same class (even though it might be the same section of algebra) nor the same students. We must adjust our teaching styles and even curriculum to fit the needs of the class and students. Some classes may figure out the concepts at a quicker pace or some classes might have more constructivist type learners. As teachers we need to recognize this and work towards teaching to the students and not simply the material. We must get our students to understand the material and this might have to be done in multiple ways for different students and classes.
That site also gave nine standards for best practices in education. They are:
1: A Clear and Common Focus
In high-performing schools, administrators, teachers, students, and parents share and commit to clearly articulated and understood common goals based on the fundamental belief that all students can learn and improve their performance. There is clear evidence of school practices to support this belief.
2: High Standards and Expectations
High-performing schools show evidence that each teacher believes “all students can learn and I can teach them.” Staff members are dedicated to helping every student achieve challenging state and local standards. All students are engaged in an appropriately ambitious and rigorous course of study in which the high standards of performance are clear and consistent and the conditions for learning are modified and differentiated. This results in all students being prepared for success in the workplace, postsecondary education, and civic responsibilities.
3: Strong Leadership
School leadership is focused on enhancing the skills, knowledge, and motivation of the people in the organization and creating a common culture of high expectations based on the use of skills and knowledge to improve the performance of all students. Leadership fosters a collaborative atmosphere between the school and the community while establishing positive systems to improve leadership, teaching, and student performance.
4: Supportive, Personalized, and Relevant Learning
In high-performing schools, supportive learning environments provide positive personalized relationships for all students while engaging them in rigorous and relevant learning.
5: Parent/Community Involvement
In high-performing schools, parents and community members help develop, understand, and support a clear and common focus on core academic, social, and personal goals contributing to improved student performance and have a meaningful and authentic role in achieving these goals. The school community works together to actively solve problems and create win-win solutions. Mentoring and outreach programs provide for two-way learning between students and community/business members.
6: Monitoring, Accountability, and Assessment
In high-performing schools, teaching and learning are continually adjusted on the basis of data collected through a variety of valid and reliable methods that indicate student progress and needs. The assessment results are interpreted and applied appropriately to improve individual student performance and the instructional program.
7: Curriculum and Instruction
High-performing schools have aligned curriculum with core learning expectations to improve the performance of all students. Students achieve high standards through rigorous, challenging learning. Staff delivers an aligned curriculum and implements research-based teaching and learning strategies. Students are actively involved in their learning through inquiry, in-depth learning, and performance assessments.
8: Professional Development
Ongoing professional development aligned with the school’s common focus and high expectations to improve the performance of all students is critical in high-performing schools. These professional development offerings are focused and informed by research and school/classroom-based assessments. Appropriate instructional support and resources are provided to implement approaches and techniques learned through professional development.
9: Time and Structure
High-performing schools are flexibly structured to maximize the use of time and accommodate the varied lives of their students, staff, and community in order to improve the performance of all students. The structure of programs extends beyond the traditional school day and year as well as beyond the school building. The program draws on the entire community’s resources to foster student achievement.
I think all nine are very important in terms of best practices in education. The one that stands out to me the most is number 8, professional development. I think it is easy to fall into a routine with jobs and that teachers sometimes think that since they are the ones in front of the students that they know best, but this one emphasizes that teachers are also learners. Teachers should learn new methods and see if they can work, and if they don't, that is okay too. Teachers that seek professional development I think try and stay above the curve and are not seeking to be sedentary in their careers and search for methods to improve their teaching which in return will help their students.
Best practices in instruction:
Marzanohas instructional strategies that I found to be pretty useful. They are Identifying Similarities and Differences, Nonlinguistic Representations,
Summarizing and Note Taking, Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback, Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition, Generating and Testing Hypotheses, Homework and Practice, Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers, and Cooperative Learning.
I think summarizing and note taking and objectives and providing feedback are the instructional strategies that stand out. I think note taking and and summarizing are extremely important even for a math class. I think these help students remember the information that they learned better and that they have a go to reference guide that is theirs forever. High school and middle school students do not typically get to keep their textbooks or write in them so having a journal or a place to take notes and summarize the lectures and text they've read can be highly valuable.
The instructional strategy of setting objectives and providing feedback I think are also very important because it establishes the direction teachers want to go in their class. When students enter a classroom they expect teachers know what they are talking about and that they have a plan for the class and their students. Teachers that go into a classroom without a game plan for the most part do not do as good of a job (in my opinion) as teachers with direction. In addition to having objectives teacher providing students feedback on their homework, tests and papers (maybe not papers for a math class) help students identify areas where they are succeeding and also areas that need to be worked on. Also if multiple students are struggling in the same area teachers can focus more attention in that area or even potentially try and spin the material in a different way so that students understand it because the teacher might not be clear in teaching that particular area.
I think as a teacher it is important to work towards best practices in our teaching styles and material. Best practices are not set in stone and can be adapted and differentiated in different subject areas, classes, and even students.
Citations:
http://www.ctserc.org/s/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=2
http://www.tltguide.ccsd.k12.co.us/instructional_tools/Strategies/Strategies.html
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