ABSTRACT
Discrete teaching skills are defined here as individual, situation-specific teacher and/or student behaviors carried out before and during class. Research on teaching has identified many teacher and student behaviors that correlate strongly with increased levels of student achievement. Effective teaching skills begin with declarative knowledge, when teachers become aware of things they can do to increase the likelihood that students will achieve the lesson or unit goals. Procedural knowledge helps the teacher know how to successfully carry out each effective teaching skill when it is called for. Teachers who are better prepared before class use class time and other resources more efficiently, increase appropriate student engagement, and promote higher levels of student learning. Novice and expert teachers may differ in the amount of written planning they will need to be ready for a lesson, but written preparation is not really the most critical factor.
