Let the pupils rate their teachers

ANALYSIS
By Mike Baker

Pupils liked teachers who did not talk down to them

What does it take to be an inspirational teacher? As the school year began, I had the chance to find out. It was fascinating.

And I can tell you now that the answer is both simple and complex, but I will come to that in a moment.

First let me tell you why I have been wandering into classrooms throughout the UK.

As one of a team of judges in the annual Teaching Awards I have been trying to pick the UK's most outstanding new teacher.

I am afraid I cannot give you the results now - the national awards ceremony is not until next month - but I can tell you what made these teachers so impressive.

"Hang on a minute," I can hear some of you saying, "how can anyone decide who is the best new teacher in Britain?"

When the Teaching Awards were invented, critics opposed the whole notion for being highly subjective, for ignoring the importance of team-work in teaching, and for being a lottery when there are half a million teachers out there.

While there is some truth in these objections, they rather miss the point.

The purpose of all awards, be it the Oscars or Sports Personality of the Year, is not to focus on a single winner but to celebrate the overall industry or profession, to raise public appreciation of the skills and commitment involved, and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

And if the Teaching Awards can do that to a gnarled, cynical old journalist like me isn't that a good thing?

So surely teaching - which has to be more important than film or sport, and can be just as entertaining - should be celebrated?

Teachers usually only get publicity when something goes wrong. So it is important to win some attention for examples of excellent teaching.

And, when you see these brilliant teachers at work in the classroom, it rekindles your admiration for the whole profession.

As an education journalist for many years I have probably visited almost as many schools as the average Ofsted inspector, yet I still found myself excited, and moved, by what I saw.

And, if the Teaching Awards can do that to a gnarled, cynical old journalist like me, isn't that a good thing?

So what did I learn about the qualities that make a great teacher?

It might seem obvious, but far more important than reading their CV or looking at their pupils' examination results was seeing them teach.

And, while it was certainly very useful to talk to their head teachers, fellow teachers and the parents of their pupils, the really perceptive comments came from their students.

'Wanting to work'

There is, I know, an understandable nervousness about the idea of pupils judging their teachers.

A few unfair and unkind entries on websites such as Ratemyteachers.com have made many fearful of pupil feedback.

Nonetheless, I found the most insightful comments came from the pupils.

And not just from model, bright students but also from those who found learning, and life generally, a struggle.

So what are the qualities that pupils value?

Above all, they rate teachers who "talk to us like adults", who "talk to you differently, one-to-one, not treating you all in the same way", who treat you "as if you are at the same level".

Again, this might seem obvious but it was clear from the many pupils we spoke to that they think it is rare.

This is not a case of pupils preferring teachers who give them an easy time. Far from it.

Changing lives

They were all quick to point out that these teachers could be very firm. But mostly they didn't have to be because "you want to work hard" for them.

As a non-teacher, I assume it must be harder to treat a class as 25 individuals rather than as a single unit.

But another quality of these teachers was that they were prepared to take this tougher route.

They also took another risk - a willingness to reveal their own personality.

It was surprising just how much the students knew about their teachers' lives outside school.

If at first that seems strange, then think of what you know about colleagues - even managers - in your own workplace.

Why should the relationship between teacher and student be so different?

However, I doubt if any of these teachers would have pulled it off without their obvious, and infectious, enthusiasm for their subject.

Again the comments of the students were instructive. As one commented - and I wondered what the note of surprise in her voice said about other teachers - "it's as if she really likes what she's doing!"

'Nerve to gamble'

Several of the students we spoke to had only chosen their subject at GCSE and A-Level because of the teacher's enthusiasm for it.

And that enthusiasm can change lives. As one pupil put it, echoing the sentiments of several others: "I now can't have conversations, read books, watch films without hearing my teacher's voice in my head, getting me to analyse what's going on."

One final quality that pupils clearly valued was an approach to teaching in which the "Eureka!" moment arrived from unexpected directions.

Or, as one pupil put it, their teacher "starts off with something that seems just random, but after a while you suddenly pick up why".

So, as I said at the start, the answer to the question "what makes a good teacher?" is both simple and complicated.

It is complex because teachers need a vast range of skills: energy, enthusiasm, humour, depth of knowledge, and the nerve to take gambles.

On top of that, they need sufficient compassion and curiosity to connect one-to-one with every child.

But it is simple too: you have to like children (and, actually, not everyone does). If you do not, you will never be able to treat them as individuals.

And the test of whether you enjoy children's company is whether you find them fun.

It was no coincidence that one excellent teacher we saw described why he entered teaching like this: "It's such a fun place to be, schools are just such funny places."

If you can see it that way, you are clearly suited to be a teacher.

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