Identifying good teaching is a complex task (Trammell Cologon et al., 2019; Clough Kramer, 2022; DeMartino Shin & Alpert, 2024) to explore the meaning-making process of what constitutes a good teacher from the perspective of elementary-aged students. Twenty-eight students participated in the study. The first phase of this study began by collecting student drawings of a good teacher from the students’ perspectives, as drawing is a familiar way for young children to express themselves (Angell et al., 2014). These drawings served as the catalyst for the second phase of this study, which involves one-on-one interviews. Students were interviewed on what makes a good teacher and what makes a good classroom experience. The data was analyzed to gain insights into what elementary-aged students recognize as good teaching. Findings revealed that students desire teachers who are kind, encouraging, and compassionate, and do not want teachers who are unkind, unfair, and don’t genuinely know their students. In many of their drawings, students also expressed a preference for teachers who share their racial backgrounds, highlighting their need for culturally responsive pedagogy. These findings will help educators, administrators, and policymakers consider students’ voices when defining good teaching and when evaluating whether teachers display the qualities students mention.
Nicole McArdle (Thu,) studied this question.