What Makes a Great Teacher?

Abstract

his office, Thomas Guskey has a poster of a photo from 1989. the photo, one student is standing in front of four tanks in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Guskey, the photo symbolizes courage--the same courage that educators need to call upon. Guskey, the keynote speaker at the 2008 Phi Delta Kappa Summit on High-Performing Educators, urged attendees to become good leaders so they can lead the changes in education. But he warned that forging this path would take courage, similar to the courage displayed by the student in the photo as he stood before the tanks. Can you imagine the courage it took to do that? Guskey asked. That's the kind of stand you have to take. When you do that, it will instill courage in others. Although educators may feel isolated when they try to create change in their organizations, they should remember that they have the knowledge base of the profession behind them, and they know what works and what doesn't, he said. can't be satisfied with managing change; we have to lead change in our classrooms, schools, and districts, said Guskey, Distinguished Service Professor at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. should use our knowledge base in good and positive ways to help kids learn in new and positive ways. The keynote address was part of last November's PDK summit in San Antonio, Texas, and began with a panel discussion about what makes a great teacher. Panelist Barnett Berry, president of the Center for Teaching Quality, argued that great teachers do more than just advance student learning--to be great, they must also spread their own expertise. not one, it's not the other, he said. both. Mary Clement, a panelist and associate professor of teacher education at Berry College in Georgia, said her list of what makes a great teacher has five elements: education, teacher preparation, hiring, quality induction, and ongoing support in a quality workplace. Who makes these things happen? she asked. do. The people in this room. As one of my former professors always said, 'If not you, who? If not now, when?' We are professional educators. It's through our work, through our writing, our professionalism, and even our activism. This is how we can help to create and support the steps on my list that will make great teachers. For panelist Sherie Williams, an assistant professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the definition of a great teacher is a teacher who creates a balance between curricular knowledge and the ability to build relationships with students. Research shows that students learn better when they have a relationship with the teacher. To make a wonderful, exemplary we have to help people learn skills to build relationships in the classroom, she said. But great teachers are not all alike, Guskey said. He asked audience members to think of a great teacher in their lives. About half of the audience selected a teacher who was harsh, demanding, and authoritative, while the other half selected a teacher who was nurturing, warm, and endearing. In all of our research on effective teachers, it's been very difficult for us to come up with any set of personality characteristics that defines a highly effective teacher, he said. further complicate the issue, Guskey said, research in Tennessee has shown that a great teacher in one setting may be a poor teacher in another setting. …