How can teachers get the best out of their students? Insights from TALIS 2018
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1) The document analyzes data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) to provide insights into teacher and school preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic from primary to upper secondary education. 2) It finds that teachers' access to information and communication technology (ICT) training varies significantly across countries and is generally lower for experienced versus novice teachers. 3) Collaboration and collegiality tend to decrease with higher education levels, though formal collaboration can boost teachers' self-efficacy in upper secondary. 4) Supporting student diversity and special needs is a priority in primary education, but teaching students with special needs is a relatively high stressor for these teachers.
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How can teachers get the best out of their students? Insights from TALIS 2018
- 1. HOW CAN TEACHERS GET THE BEST OUT OF THEIR STUDENTS? INSIGHTS FROM TALIS 2018 Andreas Schleicher, 28 September 2021
- 2. School closures as of 1 February 2021 across OECD and partner countries and economies 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Primary education Lower secondary education Upper secondary education Fully open, with no hybrid learning Open in certain areas/regions all grades Closed due to regular school calendar (holiday break) and planning to open in February/March 2021 Closed due to COVID-19 Share of countries Source: OECD (2021), The State of School Education: One Year into the COVID Pandemic, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- 3. Strategies for the re-opening of primary schools after the first period of closures 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Adjustments to school and/or classroom’s physical arrangements Reducing or suspending extracurricular activities Progressive return of students (e.g. by age cohorts) Immediate return to normal scheduling and student attendance, taken the necessary sanitary preoccupation Combining distance learning and in-person classes Adjustments to school feeding programmes Classroom teaching conducted in schools’ outdoor spaces Classroom attendance scheduled in shifts Student and teacher returns contingent upon results of antibody testing Other No lunch or meals at school (reopening limited to classes and learning activities only) Yes Schools/districts/the most local level of governance could decide at their own discretion No Do not know Source: OECD (2021), The State of School Education: One Year into the COVID Pandemic, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- 4. The new TALIS report show to what extent schools, principals, and teachers have been ready to face the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic from primary to upper secondary education levels
- 5. School readiness for the pandemic • The TALIS 2018 results are all pre-pandemic but they shed light on the characteristics of the teaching workforce, its autonomy and empowerment, as well as on the capacity of principals and teachers to readily adapt to new demands and challenges. • This new report zooms in on the particular challenges faced by 15 educational systems in primary education and 11 educational systems in lower education. • In doing so, it provides a holistic perspective on the levels of teachers’ professionalism across each educational systems.
- 6. TEACHERS’ ACCESS TO AND TRAINING IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT)
- 7. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Viet Nam Korea United Arab Emirates England (UK) France Spain Turkey TALIS average Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Japan CABA (Argentina) Denmark Sweden Percentage of teachers in primary education for whom ICT use for teaching was included in their formal education or training by years of experience Novice teachers Experienced teachers % In primary education, novice teachers are more exposed to ICT in their training than experienced teachers… Note: All differences between novice and experienced teachers are statistically significant. Sources: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education; OECD (2021), The State of School Education: One Year into the COVID Pandemic, OECD Publishing, Paris. In France, less than 25% of teachers received training in distance learning to face the COVID crisis In Flemish Belgium, around half of teachers received training in distance learning to face the COVID crisis In Turkey, all of teachers received training in distance learning to face the COVID crisis
- 8. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Viet Nam Alberta (Canada) United Arab Emirates Turkey TALIS average Portugal Brazil Slovenia Croatia Denmark Sweden Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education for whom ICT use for teaching was included in their formal education or training Novice teachers Experienced teachers % …a similar situation is observed for upper secondary education but to a lesser degree Note: Statistically significant differences between novice and experienced teachers are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 9. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Viet Nam Japan France Sweden CABA (Argentina) TALIS average Spain Korea Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Denmark United Arab Emirates England (UK) Turkey Percentage of teachers in primary education who express a high need for professional development in ICT skills for teaching Primary education Lower secondary education % The need for professional development in ICT skills is slightly more pronounced in primary education Note: Statistically significant differences between education levels are marked in darker tones Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 10. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Viet Nam France Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Spain Turkey TALIS average Japan United Arab Emirates Korea England (UK) CABA (Argentina) Sweden Denmark Percentage of principals in primary education who reported that the following shortages hinder the school’s capacity to provide quality instruction “quite a bit” or “a lot” Shortages or inadequacy of digital technology for instruction Insufficient Internet access % Shortages in basic digital resources is still a reality for many systems across the world in primary education Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education, Figure 5.11.
- 11. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Viet Nam Brazil Portugal United Arab Emirates TALIS average Croatia Denmark Turkey Slovenia Alberta (Canada) Sweden Percentage of principals in upper secondary who reported that the following shortages hinder the school's capacity to provide quality instruction “quite a bit” or “a lot” Shortages or inadequacy of digital technology for instruction Insufficient Internet access % Gaps in ICT resources between systems seem to be more evident in upper secondary education Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education, Figure 5.12.
- 13. 75 80 85 90 95 100 The school quickly identifies the need to do things differently The school makes assistance readily available for the development of new ideas The school quickly responds to changes when needed The school readily accepts new ideas Percentage of principals in primary education who “agree” or “strongly agree” with these statements about innovation and flexibility (TALIS average) Primary education Lower secondary education % A higher share of principals in primary education than in lower secondary considered their school as a flexible and innovative environment Note: Statistically significant differences between education levels are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 14. …at the same time, collegiality seems to be less present in upper levels of education 0 20 40 60 80 100 Viet Nam Alberta (Canada) Denmark United Arab Emirates Sweden TALIS average Brazil Slovenia Croatia Portugal Turkey Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who “agree” or “strongly agree” they can rely on other teachers Upper secondary education Lower secondary education % Note: Statistically significant differences between education levels are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 15. Teacher collaboration seems to decrease, the higher the educational level Note: All differences between education levels are statistically significant. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education. TALIS averages 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 % Upper secondary education 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Engage in discussions about the learning development of specific students Exchange teaching materials with colleagues Attend team conferences Work with other teachers in this school to ensure common standards in evaluations for assessing… Teach jointly as a team in the same class Participate in collaborative professional learning Engage in joint activities across different classes and age groups Observe other teachers' classes and provide feedback % Primary education Lower secondary education
- 16. Teacher participation in formal collaboration can have important effects on the feelings of self-efficacy in upper secondary education Note: Statistically significant coefficients are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education, Figure 5.7. 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.00 Turkey Slovenia Croatia Brazil TALIS average Alberta (Canada) Viet Nam United Arab Emirates Sweden Portugal Denmark Change in the indices of self-efficacy in instruction and in classroom management associated with teachers’ participation in collaborative professional learning Self-efficacy in instruction Self-efficacy in classroom management Regression coefficient (β)
- 17. TAILORING TO THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS
- 18. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Viet Nam United Arab Emirates Turkey Korea Japan CABA (Argentina) Flemish Comm. (Belgium) TALIS average England (UK) Spain France Sweden Denmark Percentage of teachers in primary education for whom their formal education included such training and who felt well prepared Included in training Feeling "well" or "very well" prepared % Only half of teachers have training in facilitating transitions from ECE to primary education Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education, Figure 3.4.
- 19. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Have students work in small groups to come up with a joint solution to a problem or task Ask students to decide on their own procedures for solving complex tasks Give tasks that require students to think critically Present tasks for which there is no obvious solution Percentage of teachers in primary education who reported that they “frequently” or “always” use the following practices in their class (TALIS averages) Facilitating students’ transitions from ECE to primary education included in training Facilitating students’ transitions from ECE to primary education not included in training % Teachers with training in ECE transition apply cognitive stimulation practices more frequently Note: All differences between the use of cognitive activation practices by teacher training are statistically significant. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 20. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 CABA (Argentina) United Arab Emirates Viet Nam England (UK) Turkey Korea Spain TALIS average Flemish Comm. (Belgium) France Japan Sweden Denmark Percentage of teachers in primary education who reported that they “frequently” or “always” ask students to decide on their own procedures for solving complex tasks Facilitating students’ transitions from ECE to primary education included in training Facilitating students’ transitions from ECE to primary education not included in training % Teachers with training in ECE transition apply cognitive stimulation practices more frequently Note: Statistically significant differences between the use of this practice by teacher training are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 21. VET teachers, by experience 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Sweden Slovenia Portugal Croatia Alberta (Canada) TALIS average Denmark United Arab Emirates Turkey Viet Nam Brazil Percentage of VET teachers in upper secondary education, by years of experience Novice teachers Experienced teachers Note: Statistically significant differences between teachers are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education. %
- 22. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 United Arab Emirates Portugal Viet Nam Denmark Brazil TALIS average Alberta (Canada) Sweden Turkey Croatia Slovenia Percentage of teachers who reported that they "frequently" or "always" have students work in small groups to come up with a joint solution to a problem or task VET teachers Non-VET teachers % Classroom cognitive activation practices among VET teachers Note: Statistically significant differences between education levels are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 24. Concentration of students with special needs in primary education 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 England (UK) Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Sweden France Denmark TALIS average Japan Spain United Arab Emirates CABA (Argentina) Turkey Viet Nam Korea Percentage of teachers teaching in primary schools where more than 10% of students have special needs Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education. %
- 25. A higher share of teachers in primary education considers investing in supporting students with special needs to be a priority… 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Spain CABA (Argentina) United Arab Emirates Sweden Turkey TALIS average England (UK) Denmark Japan Viet Nam Korea Percentage of teachers in primary education who reported supporting students with special needs as a spending priority of high importance Primary education Lower secondary education % Note: All differences are statistically significant. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 26. …but, at the same time, a higher share of teachers reported considering teaching students with special needs to be a source of stress 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 France Denmark Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Sweden United Arab Emirates Viet Nam TALIS average Japan Spain England (UK) Turkey CABA (Argentina) Korea Percentage of teachers in primary education for whom modifying lessons for students with special needs is a source of stress “quite a bit” or “a lot” Primary education Lower secondary education % Note: Statistically significant differences between education levels are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 27. Gender diversity in the teaching body • Diversity and inclusion is not merely a student issue, since the diversity of teachers also matters for students’ learning. Previous TALIS research has shown students are more likely to be influenced by a teacher of the same gender as themselves than one of the opposite gender. • Teacher diversity can also contribute to promoting positive gender identities and challenging gender stereotypes. Recent conversations have tried to promote more involvement of male teachers, particularly in primary education, as the proportion of female teachers at this level is significantly higher than at other levels. The opposite is also true where female teachers seem to be underrepresented in certain educational areas, such as STEM and VET.
- 28. A larger presence of female teachers in lower levels of education 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 United Arab Emirates France CABA (Argentina) Flemish Comm. (Belgium) England (UK) Sweden Viet Nam TALIS average Korea Spain Denmark Turkey Japan Percentage of female teachers in primary education Primary education Lower secondary education % Note: All differences are statistically significant. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 29. Female teachers are underrepresented in certain subjects in upper secondary 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Brazil Alberta (Canada) Viet Nam Slovenia United Arab Emirates TALIS average Portugal Denmark Croatia Turkey Sweden Percentage of STEM teachers in upper secondary by gender Female Male % Note: Statistically significant differences between female and male teachers are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education, Figure 3.6.
- 30. The same pattern can be seen in the proportion of female teachers in VET programmes 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Sweden Slovenia Croatia TALIS average Portugal Alberta (Canada) Viet Nam Turkey Denmark Brazil United Arab Emirates Percentage of VET teachers in upper secondary by gender Female Male % Note: Statistically significant differences between female and male teachers are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education, Figure 3.7.
- 32. Sources of stress for teachers vary across education levels Note: Statistically significant differences between education levels are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education, Figures 6.9 and 6.11. 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Having too much administrative work to do Being held responsible for students' achievement Addressing parent or guardian concerns Keeping up with changing requirements from… Maintaining classroom discipline Modifying lessons for students with special needs Having too much marking Having too much lesson preparation Having too many lessons to teach Having extra duties due to absent teachers Being intimidated or verbally abused by students % Primary education Lower secondary education 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 % Upper secondary education TALIS averages
- 33. Intention to leave teaching: collaborative school culture characterised by mutual support – primary education Note: Statistically significant odds ratios are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education. 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Spain United Arab Emirates France TALIS average Korea Denmark CABA (Argentina) England (UK) Sweden Japan Turkey Viet Nam Increased likelihood to have the intention to leave teaching within the next 5 years when there is a collaborative school culture that is characterised by mutual support Odds ratios Primary teachers are more likely to leave teaching Primary teachers are less likely to leave teaching
- 34. Intention to leave teaching: teacher having a voice Note: Statistically significant odds ratios are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education. 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Brazil Portugal Denmark Turkey TALIS average Croatia United Arab Emirates Sweden Alberta (Canada) Slovenia Viet Nam Increased likelihood to have the intention to leave teaching within the next 5 years when the school provides staff with opportunities to participate in school decisions Odds ratios Upper secondary teachers are more likely to leave teaching Upper secondary teachers are less likely to leave teaching
- 35. Women in primary education are more likely to report an intention to leave teaching 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 United Arab Emirates Sweden Japan Denmark CABA (Argentina) England (UK) TALIS average Turkey Spain France Korea Viet Nam Flemish Comm. (Belgium) Percentage of teachers in primary education who want to continue teaching up to 5 years, by gender Female Male % Note: Statistically significant differences between female and male teachers are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 36. Women in upper secondary education are more likely to report stress 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Portugal Alberta (Canada) United Arab Emirates Denmark Sweden TALIS average Slovenia Brazil Croatia Turkey Viet Nam Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who report experiencing stress in their work by gender Female Male % Note: Statistically significant differences between female and male teachers are marked in darker tones. Source: OECD (2021), Teachers Getting the Best out of Their Students: from Primary to Upper Secondary Education.
- 38. • Technology should be seen as a tool to improve student learning rather than an end in itself. – Training should amplify great teaching and empower teachers to become better instructors by rescuing the pedagogical sense of ICT tools. • Generational divide between novice and experienced teachers – Opportunity of having teachers more knowledgeable in using technology mentor teachers who have more experience in teaching but maybe less knowledge in ICT. – Professional learning to encourage working collaboratively to find ways to tailor technology to specific subjects and specific activities within those subjects Focus on pertinent digital resources with a focus on pedagogical orientation
- 39. • Policies to promote teacher collaboration should be grounded in research to understand the conditions that schools and teachers need to purposefully collaborate: – Identifying the improvement needs of teachers at the upper secondary level can be a starting point for knowing what forms of collaboration education systems need to promote. • Schools have the capacity to nuance the relationship between stress and attrition by providing nurturing working environments: – Present opportunities for teachers to have a voice in their work environments – Create space and time for teachers to connect and collaborate with colleagues – Balance teachers’ work to reduce time in non-essential tasks and diminished workload. Build schools as nurturing hubs to reduce stress and promote collaboration
- 40. • Design recruitment campaigns that are not gender blind, emphasising that men can achieve professional growth as teachers and women as school leaders. • The underrepresentation of women in certain subject areas speaks to issues rooted in the initial training of teachers. Early and active campaigns to get female teaching students to specialise in STEM subjects could help to break these stereotypes. • To understand gender differences in the reported levels of stress and intention to remain in the profession, a closer examination should be made of the gender divide in teachers’ roles within schools but also of the work-life balance of male and female workers. Be mindful about the gender balances across education levels
- 41. • Targeted support offered to teachers in the early grades of primary education through in-service training and professional learning communities could benefit teachers who teach the youngest age groups. • Education systems should invest in the detection and diagnosis of students with special needs by emphasising training for teachers in detecting students who need to be directed to specialists for proper diagnosis. • Promoting innovative approaches in VET programmes could be a boost to their quality. This could be supported by establishing partnerships between the VET sector and industry to improve the procurement of materials and equipment tailored to teaching and learning needs. Offer specialised pre- and in-service training focusing on specific student population
- 42. THANK YOU! Report, country notes and data: http://www.oecd.org/education/talis/
Notes de l'éditeur
- Teaching professionals have had their work routines bent, disrupted and reconfigured nearly overnight due to the school closures and remote learning imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers have assumed their role as the front-line workers of the education sector. In many countries and economies, the organisation of instruction has been adapted to allow for distance learning. During school closures in 2020, distance learning was in place in 21 out of 33 OECD countries and economies at primary level, and 25 OECD countries and economies at lower secondary level
- Depending on national strategies to contain the spread of the virus, and the evolution of the pandemic, countries differed in their approaches to re-open schools . However, what is common across countries is that teachers are required to have the skills not only to operate these technologies for distance learning but also to use them with a clear pedagogical purpose. .
- There is little question at this point that the use, implementation and training of ICT is one of the most pressing issues today in education policy across all education levels.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for effective ICT use in education in school systems around the world. A positive trend is that more than 60% of teachers in primary education report having received ICT training, and this is especially clear among new teacher: around 80% of novice teachers reported receiving training in this area. That being said, some countries show important gaps in the exposure to ICT training between their teaching cohorts. That is the case for Denmark, France, Spain and the Flemish Community of Belgium. What is interesting to observe is that for some of the countries showing the highest gap back in 2018, they also have difficulties in providing training for their teachers to face the COVID-19 crisis. According to the results of the most recent survey on the OECD responses to COVID, we see that in the case of Flemish of Belgium around half of the teachers had access to training and in France less than 25% did so. On the contrary, in the case of Turkey where a higher percentage of experienced and novice teachers had been exposed to ICT training, we see that they were able to provide training to all of teachers to face the COVID crisis. Thus, although it is positive that newer generations are being exposed to training, older generations should not be neglected as it might undermine the capacities of the teaching body as a whole.
- We can also observe this generational gap in upper secondary education although to a much more smaller extent. This can be explained to a certain extent in that digital technologies are much more used by teachers in secondary education than in primary education, and thus training in this area could have been more spread out.
- That being said, the proportion of teachers reporting a need for training in ICT is slightly higher in primary education in comparison to lower secondary (23% in primary in contrast to 20% in lower secondary), which is the case for 8 out the 13 countries with available data. We need to dig deeper into these differences but the results seem to hint that ICT resources have much room for expansion in primary education.
- The use of technology in teaching not only relies on the development of digital skills of qualified and knowledgeable professionals but also on the availability of adequate infrastructure and resources. 32% of principals in primary education stated that the quality of instruction was hindered in their school by a shortage or inadequacy of digital technology for instruction and 25% said the same thing for insufficient Internet access. It is relevant to observe the cross country variation as well. In the case of primary education a significant proportion of principals reveal a lack of resources in this area in Viet Nam, France and the Flemish Community of Belgium, while it barely seems to be an issue for the principals of Denmark and Sweden.
- … A similar picture is observed for upper secondary where the contrast is between Viet Nam, Brazil and Portugal and educational systems such as Slovenia, Alberta (Canada) and Sweden.
- Training and resources of ICT will be limited if there are not anchored in a school culture that supports innovation and thrives in peer-learning and school collaboration. Indeed, over the last year we have countless examples of how teachers have developed their own professional networks through the use of technology to cope with the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- TALIS findings show that even though the percentage of principals stating that their school are flexible and innovative places, the share is slightly higher in primary schools than in lower secondary schools.
- More often than not, innovation requires the foundation of a good and supportive school culture that allows teachers to experiment and expand on their work. However in most countries, teachers in upper secondary education have less trust in their colleagues than teachers at lower levels of education …
- Moreover, there is less incidence of teachers engaging in collaborative activities in upper secondary education compared to the incidence at the lower secondary level. Many indicators of collaborative practices are more present in primary education compared to lower secondary education, or more present in lower secondary education compared to upper secondary education.
- Collaboration practices and collegial environments are aspects of teachers’ work that should not be neglected as TALIS findings show strong associations between professional collaboration for self-efficacy in instruction and self-efficacy in classroom management.
- Providing individualised and pertinent learning has become a must for XXI century education systems. In that sense we must not lose sight of that both primary and upper secondary education have specific mandates to serve in regards to the needs of their students.
- One of the goals of primary education is to structure and expand the children’s long term learning and well-being by facilitating transitions from pre-primary to primary education. Indeed, moving from an educational level to the other can be quite disruptive for children so dedicated care is needed for this crucial stage in the development of children . Less than half of the teaching workforce (46%) in primary education received formal training in facilitating transitions from early childhood education (ECE) to primary education and an even less (38%) feel well prepared in this aspect. We can see that in some countries these gaps are quite pronounced such as England (UK), the Flemish Community of Belgium and Japan.
- Further analyses showed that the implementation of cognitive stimulation practices (instructional activities that require students to evaluate, integrate and apply knowledge within the context of problem solving) was more frequent among the share of teachers that had training in facilitating playing than among those who did not. The results might be pointing out that training in this area might also provide teacher with elements promoting activities for the cognitive stimulation of the children. This link makes sense as both cognitive practices and play-based training share a student-centred approach. As such, the results could also reflect teachers’ more general pedagogical knowledge and broader repertoire of pedagogic approaches – of which play-based learning would be one strategy.
- Here we look more in-depth to one of these particular practices such as asking students to decide on their own procedures to resolve complex tasks. The data show that just over a half of the countries with available data in primary education, teachers with training in ECE were more likely to engage in these type of practices.
- In the case of upper secondary education, one of its aims is to provide a quality educational pathway for short-term programmes in the forms of vocational training. In order to achieve this, we need to pay closer attention to who are the teachers imparting VET training. While on average, 21% of principals report that shortages in VET teachers hinder their school's capacity to provide quality instruction, TALIS data show that in most countries, more novice teachers teach in VET programmes compared to more experienced ones: 21% of novice teachers teacher in VET programmes compared to 16% of the experienced teachers. The data are pointing to the fact that teachers in VET programmes have less experience in teaching since most likely these are individuals coming from other profession. But they also suggest a potential invigorating renewal of the workforce that could benefit not just the VET sector but the school as a whole.
- In addition, we see that in some contexts like Brazil, Portugal, Slovenia and Turkey, teachers who teach VET classes are more likely to engage in cognitive practices such making students work in small groups than their non-VET colleagues. The school as a whole could benefit from the experience of VET teachers. Mentorship and professional network opportunities could be viable mechanisms through which VET teachers could share their knowledge and expertise with non‑VET teachers.
- One of the greatest challenges of education systems worldwide is to promote the learning and well‑being of all. The COVID‑19 pandemic not only brought existing inequalities to the forefront but also, in some contexts, exacerbated them. Students with disabilities, from socio‑economically disadvantaged groups, or from historically disfranchised groups were less likely to be able to access the resources required for digital or hybrid lessons or to keep up with them.
- While countries and economies may differ in how and when special needs are diagnosed, teachers at lower levels of education are often more likely to report higher proportions of students with special needs in their classrooms. Plausible causes include the following: - In primary schools, there is usually only one generalist teacher per class who is able to spend more time with each student and thus able to detect learning impediments, while these diagnoses are harder to conduct at higher levels because there are multiple subject teachers, each spending less time with particular students. - By the time students get to higher education levels they have taken different pathways that are more adapted to their skills and interests. - Upper secondary education is non-compulsory in several countries, and children with special needs often have left the “traditional” pathways by the time they reach this level. - By the time students have reached lower or upper secondary education, they have acquired coping strategies to manage their special needs, which can make them less visible in some cases.
- 57% of teachers in primary education considers supporting students with special needs as an areas of spending priority in contrast to 47% of teachers in lower secondary.
- 37% of teachers in primary education report that modifying lessons for students with special needs is a source of stress in contrast to 29% in lower secondary. We see that this difference is significant for almost all countries with available data. The stress reported by teachers could also signal that these schools do not have the necessary resources in terms of infrastructure or educational resources to support teachers in serving this population. A special financial subsidy for mainstream schools earmarked for students with special needs (e.g. for recruiting teacher aides) could improve the situation of both human and educational resources.
- Inclusiveness is not only limited to teach students with special needs but also children from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. In that sense, diversity is not only to be encouraged in our students but also in our teacher body. The teaching profession is one the first professional models that our children are exposed to. Who they see as their teacher will cause a lasting impression in their notions of how individuals perform and interact in their roles. It is well known that the teaching profession is largely a feminised profession but this is the sharpest in the lower levels of education, which is corroborated by the TALIS data. In part the results could be explained by a social stigma of having males working with children at a very young age but it is important to find ways to break these stereotypes as both boys and girls will benefit to see professionals of both genders as they grow up.
- It is well known that the teaching profession is largely a feminised profession but this is the sharpest in the lower levels of education, which is corroborated by the TALIS data. From the participant countries, 78% of teachers are female in contrast to 63% in lower secondary education. In some countries like United Arab Emirates, France and CABA (Argentina), almost 90% of teachers are female. Only in Turkey and Japan we find a proportion of female closer to gender parity (62% and 61%of teachers are female). In part the results could be explained by a social stigma of having males working with children at a very young age but it is important to find ways to break these stereotypes as both boys and girls will benefit to see professionals of both genders as they grow up.
- The problem with female representation in upper secondary is somewhat different. We see here a shortage of female teachers in those subjects related to science, technology, education and maths, which can reinforce the stereotype that “hard sciences” is a field aimed mainly at boys. 25% of female teachers in upper secondary education teach in a STEM subject compared to 31%. We see that in many countries these difference are actually non significant (e.g. Alberta, UAE, Portugal, Croatia, Turkey), which points that is possible to reach a more equitable gender allocation in these subjects.
- A similar situation can be observed for VET education. 14% of female teachers in upper secondary education teach a VET subject class in contrast 19% of male teachers.
- Even before the pandemic, many teachers, especially female teachers, reported being very much stressed from work. Excessive administrative work and changing requirements from the authorities were causes of stress that have only become worse in many school systems as routines have been interrupted and numerous restrictions imposed.
- Across the three levels of education “having too much administrative work” has been identified as a source of stress for almost half of the teachers. In all three levels almost half of the teacher report this as a source of stress. It is important to note some interesting cross-level variations though. For example, in the case of primary education, addressing parent or guardian concerns seem more predominant in primary education than in lower secondary, while the time spent on marking seems slightly more present in upper secondary than in lower secondary.
- The level of stress should not be disregarded as an unimportant predictor for early attrition. That being said, schools have influence and capacity to retain teachers. For primary education teachers who report that the school is characterised by mutual support are less likely to state that they will leave teaching within the next five years.
- And upper secondary education teachers who report that the school offer them to participate in school decisions are less likely to report they want to leave teaching within the next five years.
- An important consideration when examining the well‑being of teachers is that there appears to be a gender divide. Among both primary and upper secondary teachers, a higher share of female teachers than male teachers expressed experiencing a lot of stress in their work (22% of female teachers in contrast to 19%).
- In the case of upper secondary education, there is a higher share of female teachers reporting high level of stress than male. These differences in gender across education levels might be associated with different roles and career paths, but also to issues related to work-life balance, which deserve closer scrutiny.