INNOVATION ABSTRACTS :2::2"

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Published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Deveiopment
With support from the WK. Kellogg Foundation «nd Sid W Richardson Foundation

 

 

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IS IT WIZARDRY OR MAGIC? WHAT MAKES AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER?

Over the past year and a half, we asked new adjunct faculty at our community college to help us
determine the qualities of really outstanding instructors. It is not unusual for community college part-time
faculty, particularly in the technical areas, to have had limited or no previous instructional experience. 5o at
the beginning, of each term we host an orientation program where we talk about instructional skills, in
addition to disseminating the usual nuts and bolts kind of information.

We begin our discussion of instructional skills by asking these new faculty to reflect on the instructors
they themselves had during their first two years of college. First, we ask them to indicate the number of
instructors they feel were "outstanding" or "poor." Then we ask them to describe the characteristics or
qualities of the instructors they rated as "outstanding" and the instructors they rated as "poor." Of course,
we're using the questionnaire and ensuing discussion as a tool to help the faculty focus on the process of
instruction, and to help them solidify their own instructional approaches and plans. But we are also
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It’s one thing to
interested in the long-term perspective—we want to know what really stands out—what we remember over
the long haul about the really good (and the really poor) instruction we have received. It's ¢ one e thing t to

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