The Characteristics of Very Effective Teachers in Urban Community Colleges / Thomas R. Guskey and John Q. Easton.

An exploratory study was conducted to identify the characteristics and behaviors related to effective instruction in an urban community college. The 30 instructors selected for the study taught introductory courses in biology, English, mathematics, or social sciences at the City Colleges of Chicago. All had exceptionally high levels of student achievement and low levels of student attrition in these classes and had been identified as exemplary instructors by their academic dean. Structured interviews were conducted with 28 instructors who provided information on personal background; course planning and organization; positive regard for students; use of teaching strategies to foster student participation; and degree and type of feedback, correction, and reinforcement given to students. The study revealed that these exemplary teachers shared many common teaching characteristics and instructional practices, regardless of their academic discipline, age, or experience. Effective teachers were generally well organized and very systematic in their teaching. Although they used primarily whole-group instruction, the teachers emphasized student participation in class. These teachers provided regular and specific feedback on student learning progress and had a high positive regard for their students, which they communicated by learning students' names and encouraging individual conferences. The study report details methodology, limitations, and findings and includes the survey instrument. (KL)

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