How Teaching Matters...

One of the conclusions in the article "How Teaching Matters" intrigued me more than others - teachers who majored/minored in their subject area were more effective in their classroom practices. Although this seems like a no-brainer, I was more curious about this statement because of the vast number of teachers who do not teach in their undergraduate major subject. I have seen many teachers who do not teach in their specific area of study who demonstrate great talent when teaching their lessons. Although I can see how this can negatively affect them early in their career, I wonder if there's been any more studies done on following up with teachers after time. Although the paper studies the number of years a teacher has been teaching and which major the teacher studied in college, I would be more interested in knowing how the two correlate with one another. Observing and taking data on teachers who are teaching subjects outside of their major and following up with them after a few years would be very informative. After repetition of instruction and more outside professional development classes (including subject specific courses), do they still find that these teachers are less effective than teachers who majored in their subject? I would be interested to know...


"This study shows not only that teachers matter most, but how they most matter". Teachers who engage in more effective classroom practices, such as higher-order thinking skills and hands-on learning, have shown improvement in their students' scores/grades. Regardless of increasing salaries or requiring more education, it all comes down to how well a teacher demonstrates effective classroom practices. Although other factors such as the socioeconomic status of the students and classroom size play a part in a student's academic success, teachers also play a huge role in student achievement and this is a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. When I start teaching, I hope to stretch my student's minds by having them think outside of the box. To pose questions first and let them figure out the answers without just telling them what it is. I want to show passion for the content and continue educating myself in my subject to keep myself (and thus my students) up to date in the changing field of science. I want to teach with a spirit of encouragement but an attitude of discipline. I also want to be aware that teaching is a learning experience and that I can always find more ways to be an effective teacher.