We need great teachers in early learning

As a society, we spend a lot of time, resources and money looking at how to improve the quality of education in our schools. But one of the simplest solutions is right under our noses—we need great teachers in early learning.

The questions we ask ourselves are always the same. How do we improve the quality of teaching and learning (and its corollary, our examination results)? How do we make our children more motivated and competitive? And how do we get children to value and “own” their education?

And yet, after

  • All the talk of new methodologies and curricula
  • New and different methods of teaching and models of assessment
  • All the time and money spent on technology
  • The personalisation of education and differentiated teaching
  • Learning styles and habits of mind
  • Mindfulness and Every Child Matters
  • The debates about continuous and formative assessment
  • All the constant tinkering, bureaucratic and legislative, with their greater focus on data and compliance

We seem to be no closer to establishing what are the most critical factors that enable children to succeed.

Great teachers in early learning lead to excellent outcomes for children

The only consistent factor we can identify is the role of the teacher. Their abilities, skill set, knowledge and enthusiasm are crucial to determining the success of the children they teach.

Teaching, after all, is about engagement and getting children to listen and switch on. The best investment any government can make is to get the most effective, talented, best teachers in front of the children.

A smiling teacher looks at children sitting on the floor, with their hands raised ready to contribute, a sure sign of a great teacher in early learning

One can only speculate what would have been the impact if all the money spent on technology had gone instead into lowering the teacher-pupil ratio.

By best, I don’t mean those who are the best qualified, but those teachers who know how to enthuse and connect with children regardless of their own levels of education. I mean those teachers who can properly engage with children and teach them by inspiring and challenging them.

Sometimes, the pathway dictates that the process comes down to hard work rather than inspiration, but teaching is all about the relationship between teacher and pupil more than anything else.

Children will work harder for a teacher they respect, even if they demand more and insist on discipline and high standards. One can only speculate what would have been the impact if all the money spent on technology had gone instead into lowering the teacher-pupil ratio and improving the identification, selection and training of the most influential and passionate teachers. Where would we be now? In a somewhat better place, I would suggest.

What difference can a great teacher make?

I look back at outstanding teachers from my own teaching career and remember, in particular, one woman whose ability with children was legendary. She was strict and uncompromising, but children wanted her approbation.

One particular year, she took on a challenging class of Year 4 children, two of whom had considerable physical and intellectual difficulties and could not even print their names. Yet they finished the year with impressive cursive writing. They achieved this through repetition, practice, discipline and unwavering high expectations.

A young girl concentrates on writing as her teacher helps another student

She made such a difference in their young lives and all those fortunate enough to have her as a teacher.

Good teachers don’t need the security of extra resources and technology that, evidence suggests, can detract rather than add to the learning process.

What does a great teacher in early learning look like?

While they may use resources to embellish their lessons, they will not allow the resources to become the lesson. The best teachers are always wanting to do and find out more about their own craft. They push the boundaries of their learning and teaching. That’s why many exceptional teachers re-work or even discard their teaching notes regularly and look for new topics/ways to teach.

Teachers need to keep learning and growing. Education is not a profession for the cynical or indifferent. The best can be identified by their enthusiasm and interest in pedagogy. They are not characterised by their own high academic performance but by a thirst for passing on the benefits of education.

Great teachers may be unorthodox and idiosyncratic, employing various approaches to get children to want to learn. They get children to question what they are being taught.

They are typified by their

  • Passion
  • Non-negotiable standards
  • Breadth of interests
  • High expectations
  • Understanding of how children learn
  • Empathy
  • Insistence on greater self-discipline
  • Relationship with their pupils

Children know who the best teachers are. This holds true even when they avoid those teachers in favour of the more popular variety who may make their lives easier. They often complain to their parents that these teachers are too demanding. Yet, later, they realise the opportunity they have squandered.

These are the teachers who entered the profession to make a difference. And they do.

At Xplor Education, we strive to create solutions that reduce admin for educators so they can spend more time caring for children. Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss how our suite of tools can help your educators thrive.