Teachers' Perceptions of Effective Preparation to Teach

The Delphi Technique of survey and consensus-building was used to obtain ratings from experienced teachers to four questions related to their professional preparation. 13 teachers with varying amounts of experience completed four rounds of questioning over a 14-wk. period. The highest-rated responses indicated teachers' perceived importance of classroom organization and management skills, lesson design and delivery skills, and a “humanistic” orientation toward pupils. These perceptions were considered in relation to conclusions from research on effective teaching.