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beginning, 50% of mid-career, and 91% of veteran teachers’ successes were coded as complex.
For veteran teachers, these complex successes often included the realization of important beliefs,
or addressed ways in which teachers saw themselves as vital to student learning. For one veteran
teacher, this happened with the help of a colleague:
During my 2-3 year of teaching, a teacher at my second school took the time and energy
(without salary stipends) to help me understand the American Education system. She
helped me direct my knowledge to become an effective teacher
.
Although beginning teachers more often conceptualized their success in simple terms, complexly
described successes often described specific and concrete ways their teaching practices yielded
student outcomes. For example, one teacher noted:
“
I am beginning to understand that many
kids are not fully engaged in my classroom. This is probably because I am not engaging them at
the right level.”
Content.
Professional
and
student
-related themes were the most frequently reported
successes for all teachers, but to a lesser extent by mid-career and veteran teachers. The
description of
professional
and
student-
related successes followed a consistent, downward trend
across the three career points, with less than half of veteran teachers discussing these themes in
their responses (see Table 2).
A substantial percentage of mid-career teachers noted
self-focused
themes in their
successes—more than veteran teachers and beginning teachers. These
self-focused
successes
included the realization of particular beliefs or perceptions about learners (e.g., setting high
expectations). Veteran teachers’ successes were the most varied and more evenly distributed
across themes than their less experienced peers.
Despite the changing focus of teachers’ responses across career points, successes were
largely described across all career phases in terms of
professional
and
student
-themes, with
instruction
and
teacher pride
as the most frequently highlighted
professional
success.
Instructional
successes included the benefits of structuring curriculum to foster student
motivation. For example, one teacher “discovered that if you make the curriculum have
relevance, students will always want to learn more than time allows for.” These types of student
outcomes were often illustrated in the form of ‘teacher pride’. One teacher noted that, “Helping
students to achieve their academic goals is rewarding. All of my students have excelled in my
classes. I take pride in this achievement!”
When teachers reflected on
student
-related successes,
learning
was the most frequently
noted. Teachers often described these successes as student growth, but rarely provided richer
explanation. When teachers did expand upon concepts related to student learning, the comments
were fairly sophisticated. One teacher noted the value of both “aha” moments and application:
My breakthroughs are not humongous moments, but rather instantaneous sparks in a
child's eye when he/she understands a concept. Other important moments are when a
student relates a recently learned concept to the real world and is capable of expressing
his/her new learning.
In sum, the qualitative ways in which teachers conceptualize their successes support
existing theory and research. Beginning teacher responses are simpler, narrower