Science Reveals What Comprises “Teacher Expertise”

What Comprises Teacher Expertise

Psychology News

A team of researchers at the University of Warwick explored the common cornerstones of teacher expertise. The study is published in the journal Educational Research Review.

The Study

In order to better understand the qualities of expert teachers, the researchers surveyed data from over 1,000 teachers, across the world, in primary and secondary school education. They examined their beliefs, knowledge, characteristics, and how they facilitate learning.

The Findings

The results revealed that expert teachers possess 73 qualities. Some of these include:

  • A sense of moral duty towards the learners
  • Providing individualized and unconditional support to the learners
  • A passion for teaching and a desire to succeed in their profession
  • Habits related to reflection, lifelong learning, and cooperation with peers
  • Providing understanding and support to peers and students, alike
  • Providing, accepting, and working on feedback

The authors of the study remarked: “We analyzed 106 empirical studies in our research. From the meta-summary, we describe the expert teacher, a prototype in a sense, rather than a prescriptive checklist. It links aspects of the knowledge, cognition, practice, and personalities of expert teachers in ways that are likely to benefit stakeholders across primary and secondary education.

To Know More You May Refer To

Anderson, J., & Taner, G. (2022). Building the expert teacher prototype: A metasummary of teacher expertise studies in primary and secondary education. Educational Research Review, 100485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100485

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  • Science Reveals What Comprises “Teacher Expertise”