ABSTRACT
Outstanding teachers were not only distinguished by their characteristics – they also possessed and used a set of skills or ‘micro-behaviours’. Based on work by Professor David Reynolds we looked, through lesson observation, for thirty-five different skills. These were clustered into the seven headings used in Ofsted inspections. They are:
• High expectations
• Planning
• Variety of teaching strategies
• Pupil management/discipline
• Time and resource management
• Assessment
• Homework
The consistent use of these skills and approaches meant that on average effective teachers had their pupils on task for over 90 per cent of the lesson, and that the lesson struck an appropriate balance between individual, group and whole-class work, including interactive work, lectures and tests.
