Cassie Banks

B. Doten
TED 467
2-10-15
Chapter 1
1.) Summary Teaching is becoming a science as opposed to an art because people are
realizing that teachers and education have a great effect on students. The reason for this
is, because school quality only affects about 10% of a students achievement. Students are
most affected by things that they cannot control, such as life experience, socio-economic
status, and the students aptitude. However, teachers can still make a big impact on a
students education even if the school does not affect the student by more than 10%. In
fact, improving teacher effectiveness is the most important factor to focus on, according
to research done by William Sanders and his colleagues. The reason for this is, good
teachers can teach students of any background with any resources, and bad teachers will
fail to teach students no matter what students are present and what resources they have
available. Larry Hedges wrote an article published in 1987 noting that soft science like
social sciences and hard science like physics are comparable, and people should regard
social and psychological science as much as physics and chemistry.
2.) I learned that there is more science in teaching and education than I had ever imagined. I
learned that there are many factors to student success, but nothing more valuable than
good teacher instruction. I learned that teaching is not only an art.
3.) One of the first things I learned in the teaching credential program at CSUDH is that
teacher effectiveness is one of the most important factors to student success and that ha
remained in my thoughts. I, of course, learned that fact growing up in the California

educational system from Kindergarten through twelfth grade. I had my good years and
my bad years. I take responsibility for my actions, but what made my actions change was
the quality of the teaching I had instructing me at that time. This is important because it
will greatly impact how I will teach. I will aim to reach every student and actually listen
to them, unlike most of the teachers I had. I will by a sympathetic ear and express
empathy for my students. I will work with students individually to find out what each
student needs to succeed in school. I will not be afraid to work hard at my career or to
work long hours. I will be a facilitator guiding my students towards knowledge, not just a
sage dispensing knowledge from the front of the classroom. These are all qualities of
teachers I have learned and I will use them in the classroom.
4.) What are some of the most important scientific findings regarding teaching and
education? Could you explain how the science works, as I was not understanding from
the chapter? Could we ever implement a better system for student assessment than
standardized testing?