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Good Teachers in Schools
Role modelling is thought to be an integral
component of medical education. We identify people as role models when they
inspire imitation and influence people working with them to develop new skills
and achieve their potential. Students learn from continuous observation of
the ways their teachers handle difficult and stressful situations, how they
relate to their patients, and how they deal with ethical and moral issues.
When
it comes to learning, the importance of great teachers can’t be underestimated,
not least because teachers have a significant influence on student achievement.
Almost everyone can name a teacher who stands out in their memory because they
were particularly engaging, encouraging or inspiring.
Using
data from more than 500,000 studies, Professor John Hattie, Director of the
Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne and a
lead investigator in the Science of Learning Research Centre, conducted a
meta-analysis and ranked various influences on student learning and
achievement.
In one recent study, the most highly regarded
teachers in a large department of medicine were asked to specify the personal
qualities, teaching skills and clinical competencies they considered most
critical for effective role modelling in medicine. The findings indicated
that good teachers are enthusiastic, friendly, easy-going, able to develop
rapport with learners, committed to the growth of their students, approachable,
interested in learners as people, and always conscious of their status as role
models. The participants were then asked to list barriers to effective
modelling and these included being quiet, being overextended, having difficulty
remembering names and being impatient and impulsive.
He
found that the impact teachers have on student learning is greater than other
factors that often dominate public debate, such as class size, technology,
individualised instruction, streaming by ability and changing school calendars
or timetables.
The influences with the most effect, by far, were teacher-related: both teachers’ expectations for their students and their level of expertise topped the list. For teachers to inspire students, they need to make the effort to understand their own impact and what methods work best in the classroom.
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