Teacher+Excellence

= I. Description of Problem or Issue = Lead Editor: Junie

Our issue focused around the social and environmental psychology of teacher excellence which is often undermined in limelight of the more pressing issues surrounding American education. These issues are important towards maximizing each student’s learning potential within the classroom setting. The divisions of this issue that we feel are the most important to emphasize are: discipline, reward systems & motivation, teacher-student relationships, and environmental factors. Each of these sections is important in defining and influencing teacher excellence and effectiveness. How teachers interact with their students in the classroom and is judging their effectiveness is a significant component of the Rhode Island Strategic Plan. Teachers are required follow certain criteria and standards by the state, but it is also critical to consider how educators decide to teach independent from the state's regulations. Teacher excellence is a vital concern among all Rhode Island schools as demonstrated by the RI Strategic Plan's goal to have 75% of educators evaluated by a rigorous performance evaluation system by next year. Reform efforts should contribute towards ensuring all teachers are competent in their fields of study and can successfully teach the students at hand. By focusing on discipline, motivational strategies, teacher-student relationships, and classroom environment, we have come to understand that teaching is more than simply being intelligent and conveying knowledge but having specific qualities such as emotional availability, determination, and a general awareness of one's surrounding to teach effectively.

II. Relevance of Problem or Issue in Rhode Island Schools
Lead Editor: Lindsay Teacher excellence is relevant in the several of the districts we studied. For example, several of Portsmouth’s schools had a low suspension rate. Other Rhode Island school districts cannot say the same. All suspension rates in all RI schools can be significantly decreased if teachers were trained on how best to manage their classrooms and their students.Moreover, in having researched the school district of Central Falls in one of our Educational Context Reports, we became aware of the external perception of the city based on its reoccurring failure to meet Adequate Yearly Progress, impoverished living conditions, and dangerous associations. Rhode Island schools should focus on implementing specific motivation programs centered on influencing students such as those at Central Falls High School to ensure that they reach their potential and continue their education.Furthermore, Rhode Island school teachers should be judged by more than just their students' academic performance. For example, in researching Central Falls, it can be concluded that it is a town that could use excellence teachers. These teachers don't necessarily have to teach extremely well, however their excellence comes mostly from teacher-student relationships as well as the other discussed. If Rhode Island was to improve in all these areas, all its schools would achieve teacher excellence.

The beliefs incorporated in Rhode Island’s Strategic plan goes as follows: each individual has equal intrinsic worth as a human being, all children can and want to learn and do so in a variety of ways, family is the primary influence on a child's development, higher expectations drive higher achievement, dedicated effort is essential for anyone to achieve at their personal best, individuals are responsible for their choices and actions, individuals in a community are responsible for contributing to the well-being of that community, a positive attitude enhances performance and improves relationships among people, honesty and integrity are essential to build trust and a sense of community collaboration among diverse people and ideas builds and strengthens communities and a quality education is a lasting personal treasure that expands opportunities throughout life. Each of our subtopics meets at least one of Rhode Island Strategic Plans criteria. For instance, Junie's research on classroom rewards and self motivation incorporated the idea that " each individual has equal intrinsic worth as a human being." Also, in Craig's findings about teacher-student relationships, he touched upon the idea that "a positive attitude enhances performance and improves relationships among people." Through researching how teacher excellence is affected by classroom discipline, teacher relationships with students, classroom reward system/motivating students and learning environment we provided ample examples of this policy in our findings.

Citation: RIDE Strategic Plan. (n.d.).//Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education//. Retrieved from[]

III. Research Summary
Lead Editor: All of us

In our research, it was found that the student perception of the quality of teacher-student relationships directly affects the student's academic performance and emotional stability. Therefore, in relating that to teacher excellence, an excellent teacher does not necessarily just teach, but an excellent teacher finds a way in order to have great teacher-student relationships with all of their students.

Part of our research on judging teacher excellence conveyed that employing motivational strategies is an integral component of educating effectively, implementing a reward system can produce detrimental effects in student learning and interest. Teachers should strive to avoid the adverse consequences of incentives and focus on instilling an internal drive in their students to help them accomplish their personal goals rather than achieve high scores for the sake of the school. Diverse students also must be recognized in order to meet their specific learning needs. Teacher excellence is hereby defined as a professional educator's effort and determination towards identifying the individual needs of each student and inspiring beneficial motivation.

Another section of our research was based on discipline in the classroom. I learned that discipline is very ineffective as a matter of fact. More effective is teacher-student relationships and classroom environment. If the student feels comfortable in his/her classroom, he or she is more likely to want to learn more and to feel more self worth. Teachers have many responsibilities placed on them if they want to be an effective teacher. They must believe in each and ever one of their students. They must realize their own inadequacies, and point out students improvements more than their deficiencies. If they prevent the students from becoming discouraged, they will be able to instill a strong curiosity in the students. Discipline is not effective because it does not allow for the student to have self responsibility.

In addition, we researched learning environment and how it effects both student and teacher excellence. I learned that there are currently students all over the nation that are having trouble hearing lessons in classrooms that are not acoustically up-to-date. Also, students are being deprived of enriching and valuable field trips or any variation in their learning environment due to budget cuts. These negative factors directly impact the quality and effectiveness of student's learning environment. Smaller class sizes, proper classroom accommodations, access to necessary resources, and variance in said environments are all vital in achieving teacher and student excellence.If teachers are expected to achieve excellence, they should have access to whatever is needed to fulfill this goal.

IV. Group Product Overview
// Presentation order: // Introduction Quiz without Distractions- We will give a quiz of common knowledge questions, five questions to be taken in thirty seconds. Lindsay Talks- Lindsay will talk about her topic of classroom environment. Quiz with Distractions- We will give a quiz of 5 more common knowledge questions, but this time we will add distractions such as loud music, windows open, lights off, and teachers talking during the quiz. Examples of Discipline and Reward- We will grade the quizzes and whoever has gotten below a 50 or so will have to stand up in the front of the room and say why they got that grade. This will serve as an example of ineffective discipline. For an example for rewards, prizes will be given out to those who did well. Lauren Talks- Lauren will talk about classroom discipline, Junie Talks- Junie will talk about the rewards system in the classroom. Map Activity- Junie will hand out a map and ask the students to fill out as many states as they can. She will then relate this to rewards. Craig Talks- Craig will talk about student teacher relationships. Discussion Questions- We will present a few discussion questions and ask the class what they think of these questions. Conclusion

VI. Research Questions and Reference Summaries

 * || **Research Question** || **Researcher** ||
 * 1. || How teacher excellence is affected by classroom discipline || Lauren ||
 * 2. || How is teacher excellence affected by teacher relationships with students? || Craig ||
 * 3. || How is teacher excellence influenced by classroom reward system/motivating students? || Junie ||
 * 4. || How is learning environment related to teacher excellence? || Lindsay ||

VII. Group Reaction/Opinion(s) about Issue
Lead Editor: All of us The group has come to conclusion that there are a plethora of issues that are critical to teacher excellence besides those issues that the state is attempting to cover. For example, student discipline and reward, classroom environment, and student-teacher relationships all have a vital part in the academic achievement of students and the overall "excellence," or effectiveness of the teacher. The group's conclusion stems from each of our individual research, in which each group member has determined that each subtopic is absolutely necessary to the excellence to the teacher. We are trying to convey the fact that teacher excellence is not only based upon how well a teacher teachers their students, but the many roles that teachers play are important. We are in no way saying that a teacher can be effective and not teach well, rather we have reached the conclusion that other factors play important roles. For example, a teacher needs to support students, create an effective learning environment, and motivate students with effective discipline and reward methods. In all, teacher excellence is based on more than just teaching itself.

In our research we found that student perception of the quality of student-teacher relationships are directly related to emotional well-being which correlates to overall academic achievement. It was found that students who believe that they can do well, tend to do better academically. Therefore, when teachers supply solid, positive emotional support for students, then those students are much more likely to do better than those who were not given the support. Also, with instilled confidence, students tend to take on challenges and be more motivated to challenge themselves in different subject areas if they confident in their ability to do well in that subject area. Teacher support and how the management of their classrooms is beyond the reach of the government reform. These factors depend on the individual teacher who determine the methods they will employ and utilize on their students. In this light, the quality of teachers is unarguably one of the fundamental and most significant elements of education. Teacher excellence thus displays its crucial importance in all educational systems.

We all found very significant information relating to each of our topics separately. But what was the most important was that our information ended up overlapping. I found information about classroom environment, student teacher relationships, and the rewards system while searching for information for discipline. I think it is most important that people realize that all of the subtopics go hand in hand in determining teacher excellence. Without good classroom environment, you will have to use discipline, without good student teacher relationships, students will be motivated more. Overall, each of the factors we researched play vital roles in teacher excellence. Without any of these factors, the teacher would not be effective and the students would not be getting the best education possible.

Teacher excellence is a very broad statement. What exactly does it entail? Proper learning environment, maintaining order in the classroom, having a positive student-teacher relationship, and instilling motivation in students all play their part in accomplishing the goal of teacher excellence. It is difficult to decipher which one of these categories is the most important in achieving teacher excellence because each one is important in its own way. What is most important is that schools discover ways to incorporate all of these aspects of teacher excellence if they ever wish to achieve it.