Educator Beliefs

Definition
The beliefs of teachers and administrators impact decisions at all levels. For schools and instruction to improve, teachers and administrators need to believe in the changes that need to occur.

Contributing factors to SWD performance gaps
The relationship between teacher beliefs and expectations and student performance can be complex. Students with disabilities (and students from any sub-group) may demonstrate behaviors and academic outcomes that do not meet expected grade-level proficiency. This, in turn, can reinforce inappropriate beliefs about the students’ abilities. The instructional design may then be based on these beliefs instead of grade level standards. This is one of the driving forces behind the emphasis on standards-aligned IEPs.


The collective efficacy of school staff has one of the highest effect scores: 1.57
Collective efficacy is “the shared perceptions of teachers in a school that the efforts of the faculty as a whole will have positive effects on students.” (Wayne K. Hoy, Professor Emeritus of the Ohio State University)

Educator and administrator mindframes
In Visible Learning for Teachers (p. 159 ff) John Hattie claims that “the major argument in this book underlying powerful impacts in our schools relates to how we think! It is a set of mind frames that underpin our every action and decision in a school; it is a belief that we are evaluators, change agents, adaptive learning experts, seekers of feedback about our impact, engaged in dialogue and challenge, and developers of trust with all, and that we see opportunity in error, and are keen to spread the message about the power, fun, and impact that we have on learning.” John Hattie believes “that teachers and school leaders who develop these ways of thinking are more likely to have major impacts on student learning.” (https://visible-learning.org/2014/08/john-hattie-mind-frames-teachers/)
In this school, the teachers and school leaders:

• believe their fundamental task is to evaluate the effect of their teaching on students' learning and achievement;
• believe that success and failure in student learning are about what they, as teachers or leaders, did or did not do . . . We are change agents!
• want to talk more about the learning than the teaching;
• see assessment as feedback about their impact;
• engage in dialogue, not monologue;
• enjoy the challenge and never retreat to 'doing their best';
• believe that it is their role to develop positive relationships in classrooms/staffrooms;
• inform all about the language of learning;
• recognize that learning is hard work;
• collaborate.

Outcomes that relate to better teaching and learning (Visible Learning for Teachers, p. 151)

• high expectations for all students
• strong personal connections between students and adults
• greater student engagement and motivation
• a rich and engaging formal and informal curriculum
• effective teaching practices in all classrooms on a daily basis
• effective use of data and feedback by students and staff to improve learning
• early support with minimum disruption for students in need
• strong positive relationships with parents
• effective engagement with the broader community

Indicators of expert teachers

• Expert teachers can identify the most important ways in which to represent the subject that they teach
• Expert teachers are proficient at creating an optimal classroom climate for learning
• Expert teachers monitor learning and provide feedback
• Expert teachers believe that all students can reach the success criteria
• Expert teachers influence surface and deep student outcomes

Resources
Teacher Expectations of Students - http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/01/05/51/10551.pdf

• Expectations can effect:
  • behavior towards students
  • lower expectations of student abilities and impact instructional design
  • briefer feedback
  • time provided to students to answer questions

Sorting Teacher Bias & High Expectations - https://www.middleweb.com/24306/sorting-teacher-bias-and-high-expectations/

• The goal is not just to have high expectations for all students, but to help all students have high expectations for themselves.

John Hattie's Mindframes - https://visible-learning.org/2014/08/john-hattie-mind-frames-teachers/

• Includes a video on Hattie's 8 mind frames.

The Impact of Collective Efficacy on Student Achievement - http://www.eobservations.com/impact-collective-efficacy-student-achievement-part-1/

• The power of collective efficacy; the culture of expectations shared by the teaching staff.

Handouts
Middle/High School Belief Survey - http://www.tlc-mtss.com/assets/middlehigh-beliefs_survey.pdf
Checklist for Visible Learning - Checklist for visible learning.pdf
Educational Practice Activity - https://www.moedu-sail.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Leadership-Handout-Packet.pdf

Example action steps

• Collecting Data - Do staff belief surveys for all instructional and administrative staff.
• Follow-up - Use staff who have strong beliefs that support learning for all students to be the members of school-based problem-solving teams and leaders in grade level and curriculum teams.
• Follow-up - Use staff who have strong beliefs that support learning for all students as mentors for new teachers and administrators.