Key words: Teacher evaluation

The No Child Left Behind law states that every class should have a "high-quality teacher."。However, what kind of teachers are of high quality？The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards issued a new teacher evaluation index system this year after several arguments。

American high quality teacher standards

■ Sun Hechuan Wang Ting

2008年6月，According to a study published by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences，Through the national professional teaching standards committee (NationalBoardforProfessionalTeachingStandards) certification of teachers，The students' grades improved more than those of uncertified teachers，It is also considered that the committee's teacher evaluation index system is an effective way to identify highly skilled teachers。

Fifty thousand teachers are certified, and new standards will be introduced this year

Founded in 1987, the National Council for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nonprofit, non-governmental organization with federal funding for its programs。The purpose of the organization is to let teachers know their own "should know" and "can", on this basis to establish strict teacher certification standards and teacher evaluation index system, and then improve the quality of teachers。

In 2001, the National Council for Professional Teaching Standards (NCTE) introduced the first set of teacher evaluation and certification standards by classifying 25 subject areas such as arts, general studies, and mathematics。The standards have been endorsed by the National Council of Public School Principals, the American Association of State Legislatures, the National Association of School Boards, the National School Boards Association, and 49 states, more than 500 school districts, and numerous local school boards，It brings rewards, salary increases, improved working conditions and opportunities for professional development for those teachers who become certified。More than 100,000 teachers in the United States have applied to the commission, and more than 50,000 teachers have been certified。

However, the challenge of social and economic change, the development of scientific research, education, technology and classroom teaching constantly put forward new requirements for teachers。The National Committee on Professional Teaching Standards organized senior teachers of various disciplines, child development experts, teacher education experts and researchers in related disciplines to launch a new teacher evaluation index this year。

The 2008 version of the teacher evaluation index system retains the five core dimensions proposed in 2001，That is, teachers are committed to students and their learning;The teacher is well acquainted with the knowledge and teaching methods of the subject being taught;Teachers have the responsibility to manage and monitor students' learning;Teachers can reflect systematically，Learn from experience;Teachers are members of a learning team。The number of secondary indicators under each dimension has been reduced from 39 to 21, with significant differences in content and focus。

Not only can teach, but also understand the hot issues in education

What should a high-quality teacher look like？The latest teacher evaluation standards developed by the National Council for Professional Teaching Standards are described as follows。

Teachers are committed to their students and their learning

Give all students access to knowledge，Believe that all students can learn;Treat students equally，Recognize individual differences，And take these differences fully into account in practice;Understand how students grow and learn;Respect students' differences in the classroom because they come from different cultures and families;Focus on students' self-concept, motivation, learning effect and peer relationship;Pay attention to students' personality development and cultivate students' sense of civic responsibility。

Teachers are well versed in the subject and teaching methods they teach

Have a good knowledge of the subject being taught，A thorough understanding of the history, framework and application of the discipline in the real world;Skills and experience in teaching subject knowledge，Know the skill，To understand the gap between students' pre-skills and pre-concepts in learning this subject;Ability to use different teaching methods and strategies for understanding teaching。

Teachers are responsible for the management and supervision of students' learning

Teach efficiently，Master a variety of teaching techniques and methods，And can be used properly and skillfully，Can always motivate students to learn，Make them concentrate and devote themselves to learning;Know how to ensure student participation and an orderly learning environment，How to organize teaching to achieve teaching objectives;Know how to assess the progress of individual students and the class as a whole;Ability to measure student progress and understanding in a variety of ways，Able to explain students' performance clearly to parents。

Teachers are able to reflect systematically and learn from experience

Be a well-educated role model - able to read, question, innovate, try and accept new things;Familiar with the theory of learning, teaching strategies，Always pay attention to and understand the current education issues and focus of the United States;Constantly and critically examine their own teaching practices，Deepen knowledge，Expand all professional skills，Apply new discoveries to your own practice。

Teachers are members of a learning team

Ability to work with others to improve student learning;Have leadership，Know how to actively seek and build partnerships with community groups and businesses;In the formulation of teaching strategies, curriculum development and teacher development，Ability to work with other professionals;Ability to evaluate school development and allocation of resources，To achieve national and local educational goals;Know how to work with parents，Enable them to participate productively in the work of the school。

The stage is wide, and teachers are not just leaders in the classroom

The most characteristic of the new core dimensions and indicators of teacher evaluation is that they are forward-looking, pay attention to the appropriateness between teachers and students' learning, and pay attention to the correlation between teachers' teaching behavior and students' academic achievement。

Its foresight is reflected in the requirement that teachers should be role models to critically reflect on their own classroom teaching practice，Have an open and innovative mind，A model of good education，Always pay attention to and understand the education issues and focus of the country，In the persistence of lifelong learning and in-depth learning of the profession，Always on the cutting edge，Have high expectations in the development of students, respect students' differences and pay attention to personality development, and cultivate students' civic responsibility。We advocate lifelong learning to overcome knowledge lag, active reflection, thinking to promote teaching, good at reading, questioning, innovation, courage to try and accept new things, and constantly deepen professional knowledge and expand professional skills in all aspects。

From the focus of the core dimension，There are three focal points of American teachers' teaching evaluation indicators，One lies in the teachers' proper use of the knowledge and teaching methods of the subjects they teach，The second is that teachers have the quality of efficient teaching, the ability to stimulate students' learning motivation and create a good learning atmosphere，The third is that teachers must have the ability to evaluate the students and classes they teach。In recent years, the United States has implemented the "pressure" policy in education, implemented the educational accountability system at various levels, and implemented the unified core curriculum test in various states, thus giving birth to such indicators。

Another core dimension, "teachers have the responsibility to manage and monitor students' learning", emphasizes that teachers shoulder the responsibility to manage and monitor students' learning, and highlights teachers' power and responsibility to manage, supervise and protect students' learning。In addition, the secondary indicators contained in the core dimension "teachers are members of learning teams" are also very different from the 2001 version。It highlights that in today's changing society, teachers should have leadership, should have social communication skills, and should know how to actively establish partnerships with community groups and enterprises。For the development of the school and students, in order to achieve educational goals, teachers can correctly evaluate the development of the school and whether the allocation of resources is reasonable。This core dimension emphasizes that teachers in the 21st century are different from their predecessors and are no longer just "leaders" in the classroom, but their activity stage, vision and tension should go far beyond the classroom and school。

(Author's institution: Shenyang Normal University)

China Education Daily, page 10, September 9, 2008