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Quality Teaching Makes a Difference

Professor Jenny GoreInternational Middle Years of Schooling Conference August 2008

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Quality teaching in context

Authentic Pedagogy

Productive Pedagogy

Quality Teaching

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Dimensions and elements of the Quality Teaching model

Narrative Student direction Substantive communication

Connectedness Students’ self-regulation Metalanguage

InclusivitySocial support Higher-order thinking

Knowledge integration High expectations Problematic knowledge

Cultural knowledge Engagement Deep understanding

Background knowledge Explicit quality criteria Deep knowledge

Significance Quality learning environment Intellectual quality

Note: Highlighted elements do not pertain to the coding of assessment practice.

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Pedagogy matters

Pedagogy = Instruction + Assessment

Critical Elements?

– Techniques/Practices

– Intellectual Demands

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Rationale for Quality Teaching

Respect for Students and Teachers

Contemporary Intellectual Demands

– Work, Citizenship, Personal Affairs

Stimulates Professional Community

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Quality Teaching main messages

It is based on sound researchIt is a frameworkIt is genericIt builds on what teachers already know and doIt provides concepts and language with which to talk about practiceIt is a modelIntellectual Quality is centralThe dimensions work to support each other

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“Innovations often fail when educators focus only on the surface features of the innovation rather than the underlying mechanism[s] that will enable it to work.”

(Lewis, Perry and Murata, 2006, p.5)

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Underlying mechanisms

Comprehensive approach to teaching

Focus on curriculum decisions

Clear goals for and commitment to learning for all students

A supportive approach to teacher development

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Mathematics and Social Studies Authentic Student Performance

Authentic Authentic Performance Performance

Score: Score: Mathematics Mathematics and Social and Social

Studies Studies CombinedCombined

Classes with Low, Average, and High Authentic Pedagogy24 Restructuring Elementary, Middle, and High Schools

Classes with Low, Average, and High Authentic Pedagogy24 Restructuring Elementary, Middle, and High Schools

5.4

6.1

6.8

4

5

6

7

Low Authentic Pedagogy Class (1 SD below mean)Average Authentic Pedagogy Class (mean)

High Authentic Pedagogy Class (1 SD above mean)

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Writing and Mathematics Authentic Student Performance According to Authentic Intellectual Quality of Teachers’ Assignments 12 Chicago Schools

70

82 8071

64

82

1826 24

40

1626

0102030405060708090

Writing3rd Grade

Writing6th Grade

Writing8th Grade

Perc

entil

e R

anki

ng

CLASSROOMS WITH HIGH AUTHENTIC INTELLECTUAL QUALITY ASSIGNMENTS (top quartile)

CLASSROOMS WITH LOW AUTHENTIC INTELLECTUAL QUALITY ASSIGNMENTS (bottom quartile

Math Math Math

Source: Newmann, Bryk & Lopez (1998)

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High School Mathematics Conventional Achievement Gains

0

2

4

6

8

10

Grades 8 to 10 Grades 10 to 12

Low Quality AuthenticInstruction (1 SD belowmean)

Average QualityAuthentic Instruction(mean)

High Quality AuthenticInstruction (1 SD abovemean)

According to Levels of Authentic Instruction 1000 schools (NELS Survey)

According to Levels of Authentic Instruction 1000 schools (NELS Survey)

Gai

ns in

Ach

ieve

men

tG

ains

in A

chie

vem

ent

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High School Science Conventional Achievement Gains

0

2

4

6

Grades 8 to 10 Grades 10 to 12

Low Quality AuthenticInstruction (1 SD belowmean)

Average QualityAuthentic Instruction(mean)

High Quality AuthenticInstruction (1 SD abovemean)

According to Levels of Authentic Instruction 1000 schools (NELS Survey)

According to Levels of Authentic Instruction 1000 schools (NELS Survey)

Gai

ns in

Ach

ieve

men

tG

ains

in A

chie

vem

ent

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Elementary Students’ Gains in Reading and Mathematics on the ITBS

1.2 1.2

0.75 0.79

0

0.5

1

1.5

Reading Math

High Authentic QualityAssignments (topquartile)

Low Authentic QualityAssignments (bottomquartile)

According to Authentic Quality of Teachers’ Assignmentsin Writing and Mathematics in 46 Chicago Schools Gain Scores

Averaged Across Grades 3, 6, 8 for 96-97, 97-98, 98-99

According to Authentic Quality of Teachers’ Assignmentsin Writing and Mathematics in 46 Chicago Schools Gain Scores

Averaged Across Grades 3, 6, 8 for 96-97, 97-98, 98-99

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02468

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Lowest Scoring Classes Highest Scoring ClassesStud

ent A

uthe

ntic

Per

form

ance

S w Disabilities Students w/o Disabilities

Authentic Performance for Students with and without Disabilities in Classes with Low and High Scoring Assignments;4 Schools, Grades 9-12, 16 Teachers, 4 Academic Subjects

Source: King, Schroeder, Chaswszczewski, 2001

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High School Authentic Instruction and Conventional Achievement

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20

22

24

26

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8th Grade 10th Grade 12th Grade

HighSocioeconomicStatus Students

LowSocioeconomicStatus Students

For Low and High Socioeconomic Students from Low Authentic Instruction School

For Low and High Socioeconomic Students from Low Authentic Instruction School

Scie

nce

Scor

e (IR

T Sc

ale)

Scie

nce

Scor

e (IR

T Sc

ale)

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High School Authentic Instruction and Conventional Achievement

18

20

22

24

26

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8th Grade 10th Grade 12th Grade

HighSocioeconomicStatus Students

LowSocioeconomicStatus Students

For Low and High Socioeconomic Students from High Authentic Instruction School

For Low and High Socioeconomic Students from High Authentic Instruction School

Scie

nce

Scor

e (IR

T Sc

ale)

Scie

nce

Scor

e (IR

T Sc

ale)

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Relationship Between Intellectual Quality and Student Behaviour

0

1

2

3

1 2 3 4 5

QSRLS Classroom Observation ResultsQSRLS Classroom Observation Results

Inte

llect

ual Q

ualit

yIn

telle

ctua

l Qua

lity

StudentsStudents’’ Self RegulationSelf Regulation

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Relationship Between Intellectual Quality and Student Behaviour

0

1

2

3

1 2 3 4 5

QSRLS Classroom Observation ResultsQSRLS Classroom Observation Results

Inte

llect

ual Q

ualit

yIn

telle

ctua

l Qua

lity

EngagementEngagement

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Systemic Implications of pedagogy and achievementin NSW Public Schools (SIPA)

ARC Linkage Grant with NSWDET 2004-2007

Chief Investigators:James Ladwig, Jennifer Gore, Tom Griffiths and Wendy Amosa

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Research questions

Does teaching that exhibits the principles of Quality Teaching lead to improved student learning outcomes in the NSW context?;

What are the equity implications of the Quality Teaching model?; and

What forms of professional development are associated with teachers meeting the standards of the Quality Teaching model?

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Sample

36 schools selected for diversity across the following criteria:school location (urban/rural);socio-economic status;enrolments of students from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent;enrolments of students from non-English speaking backgrounds; andprior school engagement with Quality Teaching.

Longitudinal design 2004-2007

3 cohorts of students Years 3-6 (900), Years 5-8 (400), Years 7-10 (1200)

Focus on English, HSIE, Maths, Science and PDHPE

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Data sources

Student work and assessment task data (six collection points during study)

School field visit data (two observations per class per visit and interviews)

Survey of teachers (annual)

Release of school and student demographic and achievement data from the NSW DET

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Data gathered 2004-2007

Data source n

Student work samples 21349

SIPA questionnaires 3587

Classroom observations 665

Teacher and executive staff interviews 612

Assessment tasks coded 508

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Preliminary findings1. Intellectual Quality and Quality Learning Environment is better in

primary than secondary classrooms while the reverse is true for assessment tasks whereby secondary tasks are better on the same two dimensions than primary tasks.

2. There is no relationship between quality of tasks and quality ofclassroom practice for individual teachers

3. The quality of pedagogy at the class level is strongly related to the proportion of low SES and ATSI students in those classes

4. The quality of pedagogy is poorest for Indigenous and low SES students.

5. Prior achievement has an overwhelming influence on the quality of pedagogy students receive.

6. High QT tasks produce better student performances and significant narrowing of achievement gaps for ATSI and low SES students.

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More findings

7. Teachers’ sense of responsibility for their students’ learning is strongly correlated with the quality of their teaching

8. There is no relationship between the quality of teaching, using our measures, and years of teaching experience.

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Key points

all three dimensions matter

professional development in pedagogy matters

expectations matter enormously

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Conclusion from SIPA evidence

A commitment to social justice is essential if achievement gaps are to close, but teachers also need to know how to teach (construct tasks, deliver lessons, inspire and motivate, etc) and need to know what they are teaching if they are to help create high quality outcomes for all students.

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Some challenges facing (middle) schooling

• grasping at fads and quick fixes as tools for teachers, often with no evidence of their effects, in the face of a weak knowledge base for teaching;

• imploring teachers to teach well with inadequate specification of what good teaching looks like and how it can be achieved;

• mis-teaching, on the basis of little evidence, what makes a difference for different cohorts of students. That is, creating certain untested myths about what works in different contexts;

• confronting teacher dispositions. With data showing that students with lower prior achievement receive lower quality pedagogy, there are clear messages about the need to address teachers’ role in the production of social inequality.

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References

Amosa, W., Ladwig, J. G., Griffiths, T., & Gore, J. M. (2007). Equity effects of Quality Teaching: Closing the gap [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/07pap/amo07284.pdf.Gore, J. M., & Ladwig, J. G. (2006). Professional development for pedagogical impact [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/06pap/gor06389.pdf.Gore, J. M., Ladwig, J. G., Griffiths, T., & Amosa, W. (2007). Data-driven guidelines for high quality teacher education [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/07pap/gor07285.pdf.Gore, J. M., Ladwig, J. G., & King, M. B. (2004). Professional learning, pedagogical improvement, and the circulation of power [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/04pap/gor04814.pdf.Gore, J. M., Williams, C., & Ladwig, J. G. (2006). On the place of pedagogy in the induction of early career teachers [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/06pap/gor06387.pdf.Griffiths, T., Amosa, W., Ladwig, J. G., & Gore, J. M. (2007). Equity and pedagogy: Familiar patterns and QT based possibilities [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/07pap/gri07282.pdf.Griffiths, T., Gore, J. M., & Ladwig, J. G. (2006). Teachers’ fundamental beliefs, commitment to reform, and the quality of pedagogy [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/06pap/gri06386.pdf.King, M. B., Schroeder, J., & Chawszczewski, D. (2001). Authentic Assessment and Student Performance in Inclusive Schools. : Research Institute on Secondary Education Reform (RISER) for Youth with Disabilities Brief.Ladwig, J., Smith, M., Gore, J. M., Amosa, W., & Griffiths, T. (2007). Quality of pedagogy and student achievement: Multi-level replication of authentic pedagogy [Electronic Version]. Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/07pap/lad07283.pdf.Lewis, C., Perry, R., & Murati, A. (2006). How should research contribute to instructional improvement?: The case of lesson study. Educational Researcher, 35(3), 3-14.Newmann, F. M., Lopez, G., & Bryk, A. S. (1998). The quality of intellectual work in Chicago schools: A baseline report. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.