What makes a teacher great?
The ability to see the one and the many. This was the immediate thought which came to mind and I’m running with it.
To be able to ascertain how individual pupils are shaped and how they best learn is important. —A principle that is not limited to the school classroom or formal education. As is knowing and understanding how the class as a whole is shaped and functions
I recognize that this is something which in some classrooms—due to class size, resources etc.—may be difficult or even nigh on impossible.
However, if the situation in which one is teaching provides a suitable canvas, holding the tension between the one and the many, I hope, is still possible.
Yes I argue that it is possible.
A lot of teachers either speak to the top crop or get tripped by the lower tier. And they unintentionally do so because of their implied educational philosophies.
I think the key lies in the homework and the assessment. The top will give the teacher what they want. They should be guided to explore more. They bottom will write what seems to be off the topic. They should be given affirmation on what was relevant. In the assessment both are given the points for their effort not for their attainment of standards. I speak this from the perspectives of higher education which could be very different from basic education.