In a new study published in the Economics of Education Review, researchers studied the link between instructional time, teaching quality and student math achievement. The study builds on data from TIMSS 2011, an international large-scale assessment administered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. The analysis sample included 7,258 students taught by 376 different math teachers across the US.
The researchers found that each additional weekly hour of math instruction in a given topic leads to a 4.3% of a standard deviation increase in test scores in that topic. Importantly, instructional time is not equally productive across classrooms: instructional productivity was strongly associated with the use of teaching practices that promote active student engagement and regular teacher–student interaction.
Most notably, the study revealed that each hour spent with a teacher emphasizing these active practices was twice as productive as an hour spent with a teacher who did not implement them or did so infrequently. Further analyses indicate that this result holds true for students of all backgrounds, irrespective of gender or social origin. The authors point out that these results echo the substantial variations in teacher productivity documented in the literature, suggesting that teaching practices implemented in the classroom may account for a significant share of academic differences. Based on this evidence, the authors suggest that encouraging a more student-centered approach and active learning could enhance the productivity of instructional time.
StepUp Note
Research continues to show the importance of active learning in academic achievement. “Active learning” means that students are actively involved in decision-making as a part of their learning. StepUp to Learn is an active learning software. Children practice telling themselves what to do and when to do it during each different exercise. They decide when to talk and when to listen, and what words they need to say. They decide when and how to move, in coordination with their listening and talking. This research again shows how “muscle power is brain power” in the learning process.
Note by Nancy W. Rowe, MS, CCC/A