The Test? Find More Straight-A Teachers
At a teacher conference in
Amsterdam, there were many issues brought up that dealt with education
including the question what makes a good teacher? Education ministers, leaders
of teachers’ unions and policy makers from 25 countries gathered with 150 teachers
from around the world to discuss the current state of classroom practices. The
most popular being the evaluations used to improve teaching. Many think that
assessment today is used more as a weapon rather than a tool for teaching. Martha
J. Kanter, the U.S. under secretary of education, told delegates that the old
measures used to define teaching quality, like certification or credentials,
were no longer adequate. Andreas Schleicher, who runs the Program for
International Student Assessment, or PISA, an O.E.C.D. study conducted every
three years that compares education in different countries, distinguished
between appraisal for the purposes of professional development and appraisal as
a mechanism of accountability. People also criticize that there is a very
narrow performance measure that people have in mind, where they define student
performance in terms of literacy and numeracy but this leaves out topics that
can’t be measured such as flexible thinking and creativity. Mr. Aaviksoo, the Estonian minister
for education, believes that there can be no formal procedure because people
can be good and bad teachers in different ways. Performance based pay has also
divided people and some don’t support it because they believe that every
teacher should be good, if they’re bad they need to be fired. Many teachers
that are approaching retirement don’t have much education and for the first
time, most Flemish parents are better educated or at the same level as their
children’s teacher. The government has tried to address this teacher shortage by
raising salaries by 15 and 30 percent. The Finnish attitude to education
contrasts starkly with the situation in Hong Kong. According to Eddie Shee, the
vice president of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, some teachers
have gone on hunger strike to protest the government’s decision to impose
layoffs rather than allow class sizes to shrink. Delegates struggled to find common ground on the
assessment question. Mr. Meretniemi, the social studies teacher from Finland,
said the emphasis on teacher assessment posed a threat not just to his way of
life, but to his country’s record of educational achievement. The article ends
with an interesting quote by Mr. Merentniemi “Finnish teachers are well
educated, trusted and very independent. That will change dramatically if we
have Big Brother looking over our shoulder.”
I found this article to be very interesting,
considering that I’m an education major and want to be a teacher after I
graduate. Assessment is a controversial issue in the states and its interesting
to see how other places view it. I can see how people think that assessment is
used more as a weapon rather than a tool for teaching. There can be a negative
connotation attached to assessment but when used correctly, I think it can help
improve teaching. On the other hand, there are measures, such as creativity
that can’t be measured and that is a problem. Finland teachers have a right to
be worried about how the idea of assessment would change their education
system. While it could be beneficial, it’s something that requires a lot of
thought before making a decision. This decision could have a big impact on
education and it will also affect the students in the system. In my opinion, if
teachers here unanimously agree that their current system is working and is
beneficial, then I’m not sure if bringing in the concept of assessment is needed. I do like how the government has increased pay to try to recruit more teachers, as long as that doesn't invite people to teach just for the money. Passion for the field is still very important and is needed to be an effective teacher. I want to hear when and what is decided and then see the effect of that choice on society and how fellow teachers will react.
Leslie Belk
4/5/13
10:34 am
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