Teacher v. Teaching Quality
Imagine this scenario:
A school employs a woman who is woefully inept as a teacher. Her plans are disconnected and unrelated to the curriculum. She regularly hands out "packets" that the kids work quietly on for months at a time.
After joining a team of committed colleagues, her instruction changes for the better....but only because they were planning together and she was drawing from their base of knowledge. At first, the team didn't mind because they knew that her kids were better off. But over time, having to plan for another person unable to bring anything of value to the table grew frustrating.
The school principal knows that this teacher struggles, but can't pressure her with poor evaluations because in his classroom observations, he "sees" good instruction. He knows that this instruction is a direct result of the support this teacher receives from colleagues and is happy that her students are benefitting from the collaborative relationship---but he also knows that the other teachers on the team are growing weary of supporting a colleague with little return.
Does this highlight a disconnect between "teacher quality" and "teaching quality?"
I guess there are two ways to look this scenario:
1. Poor teacher can actually deliver high quality instruction if the right kinds of supportive conditions are in place, making a positive impact on the lives of children.
2. Supportive conditions mask the inability of poor teachers, leaving those in supporting roles exhausted and frustrated.
Where is the middle ground?
Imagine this scenario:
A school employs a woman who is woefully inept as a teacher. Her plans are disconnected and unrelated to the curriculum. She regularly hands out "packets" that the kids work quietly on for months at a time.
After joining a team of committed colleagues, her instruction changes for the better....but only because they were planning together and she was drawing from their base of knowledge. At first, the team didn't mind because they knew that her kids were better off. But over time, having to plan for another person unable to bring anything of value to the table grew frustrating.
The school principal knows that this teacher struggles, but can't pressure her with poor evaluations because in his classroom observations, he "sees" good instruction. He knows that this instruction is a direct result of the support this teacher receives from colleagues and is happy that her students are benefitting from the collaborative relationship---but he also knows that the other teachers on the team are growing weary of supporting a colleague with little return.
Does this highlight a disconnect between "teacher quality" and "teaching quality?"
I guess there are two ways to look this scenario:
1. Poor teacher can actually deliver high quality instruction if the right kinds of supportive conditions are in place, making a positive impact on the lives of children.
2. Supportive conditions mask the inability of poor teachers, leaving those in supporting roles exhausted and frustrated.
Where is the middle ground?
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