Unveiling Teaching Experience

Summary 

The quality of education that students receive is dependent on various factors, most of which revolve around the teacher and the methodologies that have been adopted. Teachers are considered as the facilitators of a well-designed curriculum through positive and well-meaning interactions with students. Of importance in this discourse is the fact that teachers have a genuine concern for the total growth of their students, and this s why they can leave an indelible imprint on their hearts and minds. There has been an insistence on academic excellence in the recent past, a concept that is only possible for institutions with service-oriented teachers. These professionals are able to share their expertise so that they can empower learners to achieve their academic goals. The book focuses on the attributes, traits, and teaching practices that contribute to teacher effectiveness. According to Reyes (2002), the attributes associated with effective teachers include adaptability, enthusiasm, ability to teach and counsel, good judgment, good grooming, magnetism, kindness, fairness, consideration, and consistency. However, personal attributes are not enough to determine learner outcomes, thus the need for incorporating classroom practices in differentiating between effective and ineffective teachers. Effective teachers are flexible in using varied methodologies, are more organized, spend more time in active instruction, have a great rapport with students, and emphasize mastery learning. 

Teaching expertise is a crucial aspect of this discourse as it traces the factors that influence the teacher-related environment to enhance the understanding of this field. Some of the teacher-related factors include gender, age, college performance, and marital status, and initial career choice, the field of expertise, educational attainment, brain dominance, and teaching experience (Reyes, 2002). Each of these factors determines the extent to which a teacher will become an expert who is capable of aligning students with academic goals and expectations. These findings are based on the Filipino model of teaching expertise, which has further been analyzed into domains and subdomains. These domains and subdomains support effective teaching, which is manifested through expertise in subject matter, classroom management, instructional strategies, communication, and teacher-student relationships. The domains also support responsible teaching, manifested through learner-centeredness, the ability to develop responsible students, and values integration. Expert teachers can provide crucial lessons on leadership, favorable learning environments, and insights on teacher testing, supervision, and professional development. Expert teachers would use the lessons they have learned on classroom practices, and persona attributes to influence the current and would-be teachers to become more effective. 

Analysis 

Effective and expert teaching translates to quality education, which is the foremost function of the instruction. The attainment of quality education is only possible when there is the application of expertise teaching, which is attained by only a small percentage of professionals. These teachers would be considered masters of the teaching craft who are concerned about their students' overall growth. Reyes (2002) notes that expert teachers are capable of leaving indelible imprints in the learners' hearts and minds that can withstand the passage of time. In as much as there is an insistence on quality education, this objective remains elusive since not all teachers are experts. Most of the teachers are in this field for the sake of it, something that compromises the learner outcomes. This reality has informed learning institutions to insist on academic excellence, a concept associated with quality education. These institutions realize that if they are to achieve academic excellence, they must hire expert teachers who view teaching as an opportunity for sharing their expertise. Moreover, expert teachers believe that teaching is a service-oriented mission that allows them to empower learners to achieve their academic goals. These outcomes associated with expert teachers have inspired empirical and theoretical literature aimed at highlighting what constitutes effective teachers. 

Effective Teachers 

Teaching is a crucial professional that transforms societies by instilling the requisite values and behaviors into the learners. However, for a society to undergo a positive transformation, teachers should be effective and project expertise to the learners. Reyes (2002) establishes that effective teachers can leave behind indelible imprints in their students, allowing them to achieve academic and professional growth. There have been numerous studies directed on the attributes of effective teachers, school administrators, and teacher educators from learner’s perspectives. Learners established that effective teachers are adaptable, enthusiastic, and able to teach and counsel, possess good judgment, are well-groomed, magnetic, consistent, considerate, kind, and fair. On the other hand, ineffective teachers tend to be unfair, aloof, bossy, arrogant, irritable, boring, and rigid (Reyes, 2002). While the personality traits are crucial in determining teacher effectiveness, they are a narrow dimension that advances the idea that teachers are born. The use of teacher traits and attributes to assess the effectiveness of teachers fails to consider other crucial factors, such as classroom practices. It is possible for a teacher to have positive personality traits and fail to improve learner outcomes or have negative traits but improve these outcomes. 

Classroom teaching practices are a significant predictor of teacher effectiveness, which focuses on teacher behavior in a class set-up. Research studies that were conducted in the 1950s and 1960s indicated that teaching practices and not teacher traits should be used to assess teachers’ effectiveness. These studies established that effective teachers are flexible in that they can implement various teaching methods on picking cues from students’ behaviors and learning needs. Stronge (2018) affirms that the adoption of various methodologies is indicative of teachers who understand that they have heterogonous classrooms with students with different learning abilities. Prior studies established that effective teachers are more organized and spend more time engaging their students in active instruction through questions and discussions to enhance understanding. Stronge (2018) asserts that active instruction allows teachers to gauge the academic ability of the students, which paves the way for tailoring instruction to meet individual learning needs. In this case, effective teachers have a great rapport with students, which is characterized by enthusiasm, motivation, and better communication. These characteristics help the students to own the learning process so that they can design it so that it can meet their academic needs. 

Teaching Expertise 

Teaching expertise is a concept that focuses on responsible and effective teaching that meets standards of performance designed to enhance students’ academic excellence. The concept establishes the need for mutual respect between learners and teachers, allowing for responsible and active learners who design their learning. Expert teachers possess four types of expertise, which are subject matter, instructional, classroom management, and diagnostic. 

Subject Matter Expertise 

This is a sub-domain of effective teaching, which is characterized by excellent or thorough knowledge of content. Expert teachers have a thorough mastery of what they are expected to teach, making them become authorities in their fields. Stronge (2018) establishes that teachers are keen on advancing their knowledge through postgraduate studies and updating themselves through the latest developments or books written about their field. This statement points to teachers' conscious efforts to become better for the sake of the students who depend on their expertise to achieve academic excellence. Teachers with expertise in subject matter understand the relationship that exists between the lessons they teach with other disciplines and knowledge to facilitate students' understanding. Moreover, this knowledge is evidenced when teachers can understand the interrelationships among the structural concepts or elements of the subject matter. Overall subject matter expertise facilitates the organization of content in a bid to promote learning. 

Classroom Management Expertise 

Teachers who possess this expertise demonstrate efficiency in handling classroom activities and managing and maximizing time. This knowledge is crucial for enhanced productivity by ensuring that all classroom activities fit within the stipulated schedules. Moreover, teachers with expertise can maintain students’ on-task behavior by checking progress and encouraging students to participate. Franklin & Harrington (2019) establish that classroom management is a crucial skill that helps teachers affirm their authority as well as allow students to pursue personal and group academic goals. In this case, the teacher must handle class disruptions to provide the students with an environment that allows them to thrive by remained engaged in learning. Students need to be assured of order, harmony, and acceptance if they are to perform at their optimum. 

Instructional Expertise 

Teachers with instructional expertise use varied teaching strategies, including recitation, lecture role-playing, visual imagery song and movement, and pantomime brainstorming. The use of the varied strategies helps to address the different needs of learners in heterogeneous cases and, in this way, enhances understanding. Stronge (2018) notes that expert teachers realize that students have varied experiences, interests, and maturity levels, thus adjusting teaching strategies to accommodate them. These teachers integrate varied teaching materials to enhance clarity and ensure that all learners understand the content. 

Communication Expertise 

Communication expertise is perhaps the most significant component of effective teaching as it facilitates subject matter delivery and instruction. Teachers who possess this expertise are capable of using body language, facial expressions, gestures, and voice to insist on a point. They also possess excellent oral communication skills since they are articulate, fluent and their overall voice quality is good. Reyes (2002) asserts that expert teachers can vary their intonation, pitch, speech rate, and volume depending on what they want to emphasize to enhance understanding. Apart from oral communication skills, expert teachers provide two-way communication, meaning that they are attentive listeners. They provide students with an opportunity to ask questions and for clarifications if they have not understood the content. The provision of two-way communication sends the message that the instructions are learner-centered, and they are empowered to take part in the teaching-learning process. 

Precursors of Teaching Expertise 

Teaching expertise does not occur in a vacuum, but rather it is a product of various environmental and teacher-related factors. The book focuses on the Philippine setting, which becomes the basis for unveiling the precursors of expert teaching to facilitate the transformation of novice teachers to experts. Teacher related factors include gender, with the study indicating that females are more likely to become expert teachers since they are perfectionists and conscientious. The Philippines' teaching profession is associated with relatively lower salaries, a factor that drives men away since they feel they would not have improved livelihoods. Age is another teacher-related factor, with the study indicating that expert teaching does not diminish with age. The median age for expert teachers is 50, with some teachers being above 60, meaning that experience enhances expertise (Reyes, 2002). The study focused on the impact of initial career choice in teaching expertise and established that most expert teachers did not train for this job during undergraduate studies. In this case, in-service training and additional professional activities are credited with creating expert teachers. This finding forces one to rethink the significance of undergraduate programs as tools for enhancing academic excellence for teachers. It appears that they do not place enough emphasis on the need for expertise but are theoretical instead of practical. 

College performance is another significant precursor to teaching expertise, considering that it allows for extracurricular activities in the course of schooling. Reyes (2002) notes that most expert teachers are more interested in academic pursuits, which paves the way for excellence. Academic achievers tend to exude high self-confidence and have good self-esteem, qualities that make expert teachers. Moreover, having cognitive intelligence facilitates the acquisition of instructional skills and subject matter mastery, which, in turn, improve learner outcomes (Stronge, 2018). College performance can be tied with educational attainment, which is crucial in shaping teachers to become experts. The study established that 35 participants had doctoral degrees, 26 either had master's degrees while others were pursuing doctoral studies or enrolled in a master's program. Teachers who have higher academic attainment are more likely to become experts, considering that graduate studies require extensive professional learning, discipline, and motivation. In this case, graduate studies contribute to the attainment of teaching expertise. Overall, performance and education attainment energizes teachers and empowers them to become experts in their fields. 

Field of expertise, teaching experience, and brain dominance are other important precursors to Expert teaching. The study established that one’s field of expertise determines if the teacher will become an expert or not. Teachers who specialize in psychology, school administration, guidance, counseling literature, educational technology, and communication arts are more likely to be experts. Sulistyo, Suharyadi, &Muniroh (2018) assert that the programs that have teaching or an education component that requires students to share their research work experiences ad information, something that influences their thinking and practice. Similarly, teaching experience is a crucial precursor in this discourse, with extensive practice paving the way for teaching expertise. Teaching experience could be incorporated with brain dominance, another precursor for teaching expertise. The right and left hemispheres of the brain are crucial in determining the likelihood of becoming an expert teacher. Reyes (2002) notes that 54 participants in the study were mixed-brained, meaning that they employ both right and left-brained techniques in their teaching. This ability ensures that they use best practices and approaches to teaching, which improves learners’ outcomes significantly. 

Evaluation 

The book focuses on effective and expert teaching regarding the factors and precursors of this discourse by exploring relevant literature. The findings are based on various research studies, which are keen on exploring what constitutes teaching and effective teaching. Effective teaching is viewed as the only way of achieving quality education and improving learner outcomes. This book establishes that teachers are not born, but rather they are made having been influenced by a myriad of factors related to their demographics and educational policies. There is a consensus that not all teachers can become experts because of all the factors and precursors that are in interplay. These findings are based on existing literature, supporting the evolution of teaching expertise tracing it back to the 1900s. During this era, researchers focused their attention on teacher personal traits and attributes as standard measures for effectiveness (Reyes, 2002). These views changed in the 1960s and 1970s, and the focus shifted to classroom practices, which were considered more practical and empirical. Correlational studies between classroom teaching practices and outcomes were the standard for establishing the qualities of expert teachers. The studies indicated that teachers who were more flexible in their teaching approaches and spent more time inactive instruction were considered experts. 

The book relies on process-product studies conducted in the late 1960s and early 1970s to support the argument on what constitutes effective teaching. In as much as process-product studies provided insight into this discourse, the image of teaching was narrow (Reyes, 2002). These studies were inadequate in measuring learning outcomes, and they were not capable of distinguishing the most outstanding teachers. For this reason, researchers opted for qualitative analysis and documenting the instruction of different subjects and topics. This new approach was based on the assumption that general principles of teaching do not automatically guarantee success, as individual teachers possess content specific pedagogues. These pedagogues are realized when teachers are teaching specific topics or subjects meaning that they should be the focus of research studies. As the focus on literature to shed light on these studies provides a framework for understanding the discourse of effective and expertise teaching. The history of past research studies helps to build on this concept and at the same time inform future studies exploring this topic. 

The book's organization is significant in that it determines if the audience will get the message as the writer had wanted or not. This particular book is well-organized into chapters, topics, subtopics, headings, and subheadings. There is consistency in this organization, and it is easy to differentiate between several parts of the book for easier understanding. The chronological organization allows the reader to move through the content to connect all the parts that make the whole. The writer has used different fonts in the examples to help the reader to connect the content with real-world examples associated with effective teaching, responsible teaching, and expertise teaching. The topics and subtopics are presented in different fonts, which helps differentiate between main and additional points in the discourse. Overall, the organization informs the reader of the different aspects associated with the topic under discussion. 

Case study analyses are useful contributors to credible and authoritative writing as they mirror empirical and scientific research. Chapter two of the book is based on a case study focusing on the precursors of teaching expertise in the Philippine setting. The study involves a sample of 69 expert teachers assessed for different factors, including gender, age, marital status, initial career choice, field expertise, and college performance (Reyes, 2002). The author uses both qualitative and quantitative data to analyze the impact of these factors on expert teaching. The inclusion of these forms of data analysis and interpretation makes the results credible and authoritative. The information provided in this chapter helps to affirm that teaching expertise is a combination of different factors. For instance, individuals who pursue postgraduate studies are more likely to become experts, as the experiences and academic requirement enhances their skills. This chapter enhances the understanding of the discourse under study by using statistics to clarify how these factors contribute to or hinder expertise teaching. Overall, the use of statistical evidence improves the quality of this book, making it a credible ad authoritative source of professional information. 

The currency of publication is an important aspect that should be considered when evaluating a book for relevance and credibility. Unveiling Teaching Expertise: A Showcase of Sixty-nine Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines was written in 2002, which is about 20 years back. In the case of currency, one can easily establish that the book is not currently considering that the education discourse is quite dynamic. A lot has changed in this sector, especially with the incorporation of educational technology in the teaching-learning process. When this book was being written, much of the teacher-learner interactions happened in the classroom, and it was easy to analyses the teaching practices. The integration of educational technology, which then creates virtual and online classrooms, could not be analyzed using the book's case study. Teacher and student behavior would be altered in such a digital setup, which means that this book's contents are not current. Nonetheless, the book still applies to the current education discourse since it links teaching approaches to learner outcomes. Teaching and learning do not change because of technology but rather gets a new meaning but with similar results. Taylor et al. (2020) affirm that teachers are supposed to demonstrate expertise by harnessing these technologies to instruct students. Like in the old system, teachers must be organized, spend more time in instruction, and encourage feedback to improve outcomes. In this case, then the book is still current as the lessons therein are still applicable to the teaching and learning discourse. 

The book is neutral because it is not biased towards a particular position or viewpoint associated with teaching expertise. The author uses empirical evidence to support or refute claims making it a credible and authoritative source. The case study is a good example of this neutrality as there are statistics to back up all the information supporting the thesis. In the chapter that brings different precursors of teaching expertise, the author focuses on gender, age, among other factors. The author is careful not to lean on the opposite side by using empirical data to eliminate bias. In the case of gender, 73% of the participants were women, while 27% were men since more women join the profession than men. Reyes (2002) establishes that lower salaries discourage men from joining the teaching profession since they will not be in a position to provide for the needs of the family. This justification goes ahead that sampling was fair as it reflected the gender differences in employment rates between men and women. The same case applies to age, with the study incorporating teachers from all age brackets to establish that teaching expertise is the same for the young and the elderly. The inclusion of views from opposite perspectives eliminates writing bias by factoring in different opinions to come up with a neutral and authoritative article. 

The book is a useful source of information that could be used to make professional decisions and carry additional study into expertise, effective and responsible teaching. This book is well researched and well-presented and organized, allowing the writer to capture all the important aspects of the topic under study. Reyes (2002) begins the book by tracing expertise teaching history by focusing on past studies on the topic. This history forms a framework for presenting arguments and counterarguments, which allow for thoughtful and informed insights. The book supports the argument that expert teachers are not necessarily born, but they are trained in the best classroom teaching practices. In the early 1900s, there was a consensus that expert teachers are defined by desirable personality traits such as good grooming, kindness, fairness, adaptability, good judgment, among others. While this claim had been universally-accepted, empirical studies conducted later dismissed the claim by establishing that expert teachers are made. Various factors, including college experience, educational attainment, teaching experience, initial career choice, and brain dominance, impact teaching experience. The presentation of these arguments and counterarguments is crucial in making the book a credible source of reference and professional decision-making. The writer goes ahead to support these claims and counterclaims using statistical evidence drawn from empirical studies and published and reviewed sources. In this case, the book should be viewed as a useful source that is relevant to individuals interested in this topic. 

Critique 

Unveiling Teaching Expertise: A Showcase of Sixty-nine Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines by Flordeliza C. Reyes highlights qualities and factors influencing expert teachers. The author focuses on a case study involving 69 teachers in the Philippines to examine how various factors influence their professional growth and practice. The book is a credible, reliable, and authoritative source of information that traces teaching expertise to the 1900s, a time that empirical research was rare. Researchers based their decision on what compromises o effective teachers by focusing on their likeability based on their personality traits. Teachers with admirable qualities were considered effective, while those with undesirable quality traits were considered ineffective. Fast forward into the 1960s, there was a shift to empirical research that emphasized on classroom practices as the best measures for teacher effectiveness expertise (Reyes, 2002). Teachers with expertise in subject matter, classroom management, instructional strategies, and communication are effective since they enhance learner outcomes. This topic is quite significant as it allows for the achievement of quality education, which is possible when the teachers are experts. 

Unveiling Teaching Expertise: A Showcase of Sixty-nine Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines bases its arguments on a case study that demonstrates specific factors in a Filipino set up. It is important to note that this setting has unique demographic, political, economic, and social factors that allow for country-specific results. According to Reyes (2002), the sample indicates that women are more likely to become expert teachers than their male counterparts. The sample included 50 women and 19 men, which is quite disproportionate, but it fits the country's demographics as there are more women than men in the teaching profession. The impact of gender on teaching expertise could apply to the Philippines, but the results could not be replicated in another country with more men in the profession as it would be biased. However, the impact of other factors that include age, marital status, education attainment, college performance, and initial career choice could be replicated. In this sense, the findings of the case study could be adopted in another setting to understand how different factors interact to mold expert teachers who are capable of providing quality education. 

Expertise, responsible and effective teaching are three terms that are closely tied since they point to the need to provide quality education. Learning institutions are keen on achieving academic excellence, a threshold that depicts the possibility of improving educational outcomes. Teachers are responsible for ensuring that they leave indelible imprints, which cannot be erased by the passage of time in the students’ minds and hearts. However, for this objective to be realized teachers must be masters of their craft so that they are genuinely concerned with the total growth of learners. For this to happen, teachers must be experts in their field by demonstrating prowess in subject matter, classroom management, teaching methodologies, and communication. In a sense, teachers must be service-oriented so that they are in a position to share their expertise. Broom (2015) notes that teachers are expected to empower the learners so that they are in a position to achieve their educational goals. The book does a credible job in trying to teach expertise to quality education by emphasizing classroom teaching practices that facilitate the achievement of learner outcomes. Teachers must be flexible and adaptable enough to use different teaching methodologies to cater to learners’ heterogeneous classrooms. More so, expert teachers are capable of tailoring instruction to address individual learning needs and abilities. In this sense, teaching expertise becomes conscious but also an acquired trait that motivates teachers to be the best in their specific fields. 

The book places the teacher at the center of academic excellence as a professional capable of providing learners with requisite skills. Expertise teaching requires the teacher to anticipate probable misconceptions and learning problems before they occur to improve the learning process. In this case, the teacher assumes the role of a mediator who intervenes to solve the challenges that students encounter during the learning process. The book is more of a diagnostic tool and a roadmap that helps teachers navigate the teaching discourse to guarantee quality learner outcomes. Expert teachers are presented as professionals with diagnostic expertise, meaning that they are sensitive to students' needs. This sensitivity then paves the way for enthusiasm, motivation, and the need to provide the students with a psychologically safe environment. This kind of environment encourages students to reach out to their teachers as they feel comfortable, which in turn improves learner outcomes. 

Conclusion 

Unveiling Teaching Expertise: A Showcase of Sixty-nine Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines is a useful book that can be applied to modern educational discourse. This book focuses on the best classroom practices associated with effective, responsible, and expertise teaching. Teachers become instruments of change and for achieving academic excellence if they possess expertise. As highlighted by the case study, various factors contribute to teacher expertise, reflecting what contributes to it in a Filipino setting. Reyes (2002) argues that expert teachers are not born, but rather they are a product of their environment, which encourages them to become the best in their fields. Expert teachers organize learning around the students' preferences, interests, and abilities to improve the chances of achieving academic excellence. These teachers are flexible enough to incorporate various methodologies and instruments. Moreover, expert teachers show affection to their students by creating a psychologically appealing learning environment. The students then own the earning process, having realized that the teacher is concerned about improving their outcomes and achieve academic excellence. 

References 

Franklin, H., & Harrington, I. (2019). A review of effective classroom management and strategies for student engagement: Teacher and student roles in today’s classrooms. Journal of Education and Training Studies 7 (12):1-17. doi: 10.11114/jets.v7i12.4491 

Reyes, F. C. (2002). Unveiling teaching expertise: A showcase of sixty-nine outstanding teachers in the Philippines. De La Salle University Press. 

Stronge, J. H. (2018). Qualities of effective teachers (3rd ed.). ASCD. 

Sulistyo, G. H., Suharyadi, S. R., & Muniroh, S. (2018). Empowering teachers’ professionalism for students’ better learning through reflective training: A theoretical framework for sustainable EFL teacher professional development. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 164 (3), 119-128. doi: 10.2991/icli-17.2018.24 

Taylor, D. B, Handler, L. K., FitzPatrick, E., & Whittingham, C. E. (2020). The device in the room: Technology’s role in third-grade literacy instruction. Journal of Research on Technology in Education 52 (4), 515-533. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.1747577