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Developing Master Teachers:��Key Aspects of Potent Teacher Development

Doug Stump, Ed.D.

Southern Utah University

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Doug’s Background

  • 18 years in K-12 teaching and leadership (including school head at two schools)
  • 12 years faculty and higher education (undergraduate, graduate teaching, student affairs leadership)

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  • Southern Utah University faculty in the Educational Leadership. Director of Graduate Studies for Teacher Education

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Today’s Time Together

Takeaways from “Developing Master Teachers”

  • Understand key qualities of highly effective teachers
  • Understand the needs of three groups of teachers: novice, sufficient and master teachers
  • Review ways to build in mentorship and support within your school to develop teachers into master teachers

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Where is your school?

  • How many teachers work in your school?
  • How many would you designate as master teachers?
  • How many teachers are in their first 3 years of teaching?
  • What issues with teaching practice have come up this year?

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The impact of teaching effectiveness

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Your school is only as good as your worst teacher

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Defining the Teaching Issues in Your School

A school is a place of learning

Wide gaps in teacher effectiveness can create systemic issues:

  • Performance data
  • Classroom assignments /Parental preferences
  • Fortress behavior from teachers

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Qualities of Highly Effective Teachers

  • Design engaging, high-impact lessons
  • Connect classroom activities to curriculum
  • Exceptional at pacing classes
  • Caring and supportive of fellow teachers
  • Openly shares their ideas and what works

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Qualities of Highly Effective Teachers

  • Understands the importance of reaching each student within the class
  • Proactively communicates well with parents
  • Sets a positive tone
  • Participates in the daily functions of the school

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Qualities of Highly Effective Teachers

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Qualities of Effective Teachers, 3rd ed. James H. Strong

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Teacher Dispositions

Do you use Teacher Dispositions?

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Dispositions are the qualities, attributes and habits you want all teachers to demonstrate.

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It provides the bullseye for your teachers to hit – it’s a way to provide clarity to all teachers about your expectations as an administrator.

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Teacher Dispositions

  • Upholds the mission and vision of this school 
  • Always confronts conflicts and problems directly, demonstrating kindness and trust
  • Shows support and care for parents and consistently partners with parents on any issues 
  • Communicates continually and in a positive way with parents, sending out updates and is quick to convey good news
  • Shows no signs of favoritism, with students or parents 
  • Takes the time to know each child and invests in their lives 

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Teacher Dispositions

  • Fosters a safe, predictable, and supportive environment for students
  • Highly values the principles of Trust, Do No Harm and Assume Good Intent 
  • Reflect a high degree of regard for the profession through dress and conduct 
  • Honors the confidentiality of school, student and family information 
  • Embraces reflection and renewal as yearly practices to improve the craft of teaching 

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Novice, sufficient and master teachers

  • Sufficient Teachers do a very good job of teaching. They do many of the things listed here to adequately lead their students through the learning journey.

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  • You usually do not need to worry about their performance. They usually do not create problems that find their way to you. When this does happen, they are good about listening and fixing issues.

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Novice, sufficient and master teachers

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  • Sufficient teachers do not extend their influence to other teachers and have not perfected some of the qualities of a master teacher, such as good mentorship or exceptional family relationships.

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  • They do not participate in the over-arching mission of the school at a school-wide level.

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Novice, sufficient and master teachers

Novice teachers are typically within the first 3 years of teaching.

  • They demonstrate proficiencies, but have not mastered aspects of teaching like well developed lessons, pacing, etc.
  • Novice teachers require more supervision and guidance
  • Novice teachers are fragile – they need support and a system of finding success to ensure they persevere in the profession.

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Novice, sufficient and master teachers

Novice teachers:

  • Will make mistakes
  • Will say the wrong things to students and parents
  • Lack good assessment practices
  • May not see the broader and deeper issues of student success
  • Be too forceful or too relaxed with enforcing rules
  • Will show signs of significant stress – susceptible to negative influences

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Novice, sufficient and master teachers

Master teachers demonstrate all of the qualities reviewed

  • They are the teachers you want to stay until retirement
  • You want them to influence other teachers
  • They often want to be rewarded for their mastery through recognition
  • Moving into mentorship can be a way to reward master teachers and spread their influence

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Developing a system of robust development

Your master teachers are your best resource

  • Formalize a system of influence
  • Reward master teachers for this level of performance

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Mentoring Process

Defining role clarity

This isn't supervision or evaluation - this is skills development.  You want the mentor teacher to feel free to be involved and provide guidance without feeling the need to evaluate and report back. 

You want the novice teacher to build trust with the mentor teacher and know it is okay to mess up and try things out. �

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Mentoring Process

Invite Enthusiasm

 I LOVE TEACHING.  It's the best job in the world. 

I LOVE CLASSROOMS!  They are such amazing spaces! 

A novice teacher will feel overwhelmed, will cry, will sleep hard on the weekends, and will struggle. 

A mentor can be open about loving this job and sharing that love goes a long way in helping that novice teacher understand that the stress, uncertainty and anxiety does fade over time, and confidence, joy and skill builds over time. 

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Mentoring Process

Establish Norms 

This relationship can be a great way to teach new teachers how the school functions and how relationships among teachers should exist. 

We all know not all teachers are team players, enjoy their work or want to collaborate, but this mentor relationship can demonstrate what we desire within our school.

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Keys to Successful Mentoring

Identify Master Teachers to be Mentors

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Great test scores does not automatically qualify a teacher to be a mentor.

You want the teacher who embodies your teaching values.

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Keys to Successful Mentoring

Reward your Mentors. This is extra work.

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Time

Release from traditional teacher duties

Establish standards for mentor teachers different from others

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Keys to Successful Mentoring

Develop a written mentoring program

  • define roles and levels of engagement
  • establish deadlines and meetings
  • Maintain your observation/evaluation role
  • Include the mentor teachers on your hiring team

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Key takeaways

  1. How would you define the qualities of a highly effective or master teacher?
  2. How would you divide your teachers into the groups of novice, sufficient and master?
  3. How are these three groups served in your school?
  4. How could you build a mentor program within your school?

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