Naomi Nuttall and Dr. Jared Berrett, Technology Teacher Education

At a university, a professor’s first and foremost job is that of a teacher. In order to become a professor, one does have to have a doctorate degree, but does not have to go through the rigorous teaching courses required for elementary, middle school, or high school teachers. Still, many professors at Brigham Young University have become outstanding teachers. I decided that I wanted to know what things had contributed to their success. My goal was that by surveying some of those professors who have received awards for their teaching and learning about the things that have added to their success, others in the same profession would be able to benefit from and experience the same kinds of success in their own teaching.

At Brigham Young University, there are many teachers that have received awards for teaching. . Some of those awards are given within individual departments, while others, like the “Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award”, are given through the university. These awards promote good teaching and scholarship. As a professor’s main job is that of teaching, receiving such an award is a great achievement. The focus of this study was to take information learned from University professors who have earned the “Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award”, and find the commonalities between these teachers. The research involves finding the keys to these teachers’ success in teaching.

To be considered for this research, a teacher had to be recipient of the “Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award”. In beginning this research, the participants were determined and a survey was created and sent out. To control the size of the study, only teachers who have received the award in the past ten years were chosen. ” A survey was created from two other sources and sent to each of the participants to find how teachers at Brigham Young University who had received this award felt about what it takes to be an excellent teacher. The two sources used included results from previous research regarding qualities and practices that produced excellent teachers. Other questions, chosen by my mentor and myself, were created to gain greater understanding concerning the things we felt were important parts of teaching. Some of these additional questions included information concerning each teacher’s background in teaching, his/her gender, and other criteria that might have some affect on his/her teaching. One question invited responses that explained how each teacher was able to balance the three things that are so critical for professors at Brigham Young University: research, teaching, and service.

The sample of professors considered in the research was 30. Out of those 30, responses were received from 28. The majority of those surveyed proved to be males, but the responses didn’t seem to be affected by gender at all. Other background information regarded any other teaching experience and whether these teachers had received any formal training on teacher pedagogy and classroom management. All of the teachers surveyed have been teaching for at least 11 years, the majority for over 16 years. Of this same sample, only six have had any teaching experience besides that at a university level, and less than half had received any formal training dealing with teaching pedagogy and classroom management.

The next part of the survey dealt with finding out what makes a good teacher. It was found through the surveys that the majority of professors agreed with previous research on what qualities make excellent teachers. Some of these qualities included the need for teachers to have an excitement for their subject and for teaching as well as having high expectations for each student. Other qualities included the fact that excellent teachers include cooperative learning and allow students to actively participate. They also have consistent expectations and teach to the level of the students in their classes.

One set of questions was devoted specifically to the practice of good teaching techniques in the classroom and how often they were used. The majority of teachers in this study do use these techniques in their classrooms. One technique that was included was teaching by including modeling and demonstrations, as well as lecture. These teachers also said that they create lectures that support each day’s chosen objectives. Although it was noted that a majority didn’t always inform students of what those objectives were. Other important techniques included using different forms of assessment to check for students’ understanding as well as using guided practice as a part of their teaching. It was also interesting to note that most of these excellent teachers spend the majority of their time either helping students or revising lesson plans.

The next section of the survey had to do with teaching pedagogy. Most of those professors surveyed agreed that it is a teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the students are learning. The majority of these teachers also agreed that yearly revision of lesson plans is important. The majority of these same professors revise their lesson plans on either a daily or weekly basis. They also do not believe that a doctorate qualifies them to be a teacher. Yet, that same majority also disagrees that to be a good teacher one needs to undergo teacher training.

In response to how these teachers balance teaching with service and research, the answers varied. Many responded that they put teaching first. Others never really came to any balance but just tried their best to work hard on all three.

The responses throughout all of the research varied greatly. But, for the most part, teachers agreed with those things found in other studies. It was interesting to see that many of the teachers have actually received no formal training in teacher pedagogy and classroom management, yet all but three have been teaching for over 16 years. Some have received some training through workshops or church and a few had received a secondary education certificate, but most had received little or no training.

This research was not without its difficulties. Questions had to be worded over and over to portray exactly what we wanted. The response rate was great with all but three responding. A few teachers even took the time to write more in depth responses to help me to know what they truly felt were important aspects of teaching. I knew that these teachers truly had a passion for their work and had a desire for other teachers to see the same success. It was a great opportunity for me to learn about what it will take to become a great teacher.