From teacher to “learning guide”
In the latest macro study on what factors positively impact student learning and education, John Hattie concludes that: “teachers should focus more on the impact of their teaching than on the quality of that teaching,… schools should give visibility to the teachers with the greatest impact and their methods for achieving it”. And, as the author of the bestseller “Visible Learning” repeats, quality teaching is found in almost all schools, so most schools have acceptable average results, or even good or very good ones. But that does not mean that all of their teachers or educational leaders are doing a good job. It does mean that they have some teachers who are doing a really great job and sustain good results year after year. If we add a favourable learning environment in the family, it is even better. However, this does not mean that all students benefit from that quality. For this to happen, we should also measure whether each student at a school is progressing in their education and learning over one year in proportion to what they should learn for a year of school work. That is when we should really be proud of our school.
But how do we achieve this progress? According to Doug Lemov, the creator of the “Teach like a Champion” method of teaching excellence, we achieve it with top-quality continuing professional development for teachers. We do it with training to ensure that teachers know how to create a classroom culture that is conducive to learning and know how to be the best teacher for each of their students, creating a positive relationship with them that boosts their interest in learning on a daily basis.
However, that is not all. In “Well-Being in Schools”, Andy Hargreaves further encourages educational systems to take into account the development of students as human beings, in all their dimensions and as a whole, to ensure that the system itself is a safe place to be happy and learn without the threat of failure or exclusion. In Hargreaves’ opinion, we have to overcome the limited focus on socioemotional factors and instead create healthy environments specially designed to meet human beings’ basic needs, especially in terms of their expectations and integral development.
We have dedicated this new issue of “Diàlegs” magazine to the teaching profession because we believe–and this is corroborated by evidence–that teachers are the key to quality education. We wanted to draw from prominent experts from all over the world, from Australia to Canada, from England to the United States, from Colombia and, of course, Spain. Guy Claxton speaks about the importance of changing the paradigm of learning, Miquel Àngel Prats about the role of technology and digital competency in teaching, Mercè Gisbert and Joan Anton Sánchez about teacher training, Stephen Harris about how to design and implement an innovative educational model, jettisoning any dead weight from the past thanks to a new model of school and, of course, of teachers.
This time, our tribute goes to Robert Swartz, a dear friend who left us last October after heroically dedicating his life to improving education.
I hope you enjoy it.
Diàlegs november 2023 Vol. 4 · N. 1
Articles
Stephen Harris & Leticia Lipp - Learnlife
Interview John Hattie
Interview Guy Claxton
Interview Mercè Gisbert
Interview Miquel Àngel Prats
Interview Joan Anton Sánchez
Interview Edu1st Model Vess
Interview Doug Lemov
Francesc Balagué - CIB
David Bernal
Interview Andy Hargreaves
Legacy Robert Swartz
Miquel Rossy
Antonio Bernal
