Popular teaching methods, such as lavishing praise on pupils and grouping students by ability, are not based on evidence and can harm student development, a report has found.
The Sutton Trust examined 200 pieces of research on what makes great teaching, concluding that some common practices have no grounding in research while other less popular approaches can be effective. The report found that the two most important elements of great teaching were the quality of instruction and how well a teacher knew their subject.
Different methods for evaluating teaching were also examined, including lesson observations and getting students to rate their teachers. All these methods were deemed useful, but the report said that they were also easy to get wrong and should not to be used in isolation.
Read the experts views on The Guardian – http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/oct/31/great-teaching-expert-opinions
