Modeling

Performance Goals | Action Steps

All students in institutions of higher education deserve to be taught by faculty members who use research-based best teaching practices for learning. Thus, the aspiration for all faculty to model best practices in their teaching is viewed as not only essential to ensure the highest levels of teaching quality across all disciplines but also as a foundational component for the students intending to become teachers themselves.

New teachers tend to employ the teaching styles used by those who taught them. It is important, therefore, to ensure that faculty members who instruct pre-service teachers employ research-based teaching in their classrooms and clinical settings.

Modeling of research-based practices and quality instruction may represent our most effective means of transferring this knowledge and these skills and attitudes to pre-service teaching candidates.Modeling of teaching strategies has resulted in significant changes in instructional practices of pre-service science teachers, including changes in attitudes and use of technology.

Changes in other important teaching practices and attitudes, including those related to inclusion, diversity, and individualization, also are amenable to modeling by instructors. However, environmental barriers such as lack of instructional time and administrative support may mitigate these changes and may need to be addressed to ensure transfer of practices to the school setting.

Performance Goal

Content, pedagogical, and clinical faculty model evidence-based teaching practices appropriate to their disciplines.

Action Steps

• Base Teaching Quality efforts on evidence-based teaching practices.
• stablish Teaching Quality Seminars on each higher education institution campus.
• Combine ongoing campus efforts with TQ Seminars.
• Require faculty (higher education) job searches to include “commitment to evidence-based teaching practices.”
• Require every tenure and promotion dossier to include evidence of professional development in evidence-based teaching.
• Place student teachers only with those clinical/cooperating teachers in K-12 who have demonstrated evidence-based teaching.
• Fund TQ Seminars.