What Makes a Great Teacher? Research Says These 5 Things

I’ve been a teacher long enough to know the difference between what education research says makes a great teacher and what education culture celebrates. They’re not always the same. Here’s what the evidence actually shows — and why some of it is uncomfortable for the profession.

This is one of those topics where the conventional wisdom doesn’t quite hold up.

Why This Question Is Hard to Answer

Teaching effectiveness is notoriously difficult to measure. Test scores capture some outcomes but miss others. Student satisfaction surveys correlate with entertainment value, not necessarily with learning. John Hattie’s meta-analysis of over 800 studies — the largest synthesis of educational research ever conducted — provides the most comprehensive answer available, though it’s not without critics.^[1]

Related: evidence-based teaching guide

1. High Expectations for Every Student

The single most powerful teacher behavior in Hattie’s analysis is holding high, accurate expectations for all students. The Pygmalion effect — demonstrated by Rosenthal and Jacobson in 1968 — showed that teacher expectations measurably affect student performance.^[2] Great teachers expect growth from everyone and communicate that expectation clearly through their behavior, feedback, and task selection.

See also: Pygmalion effect

2. Explicit, Clear Instruction

Decades of research have consistently found that explicit teaching — clear explanations, modeled examples, guided practice, independent practice — outperforms discovery-based or purely student-led learning for foundational skills.^[3] Great teachers don’t mystify content; they make it transparent. This is particularly true for students who lack strong prior knowledge or vocabulary in a domain.

3. Formative Assessment and Responsive Teaching

Dylan Wiliam’s research on formative assessment — gathering ongoing data on student understanding and adjusting instruction accordingly — shows among the highest effect sizes in educational research. Great teachers constantly check for understanding through questioning, exit tickets, and observation, then adapt. They treat confusion as information, not failure.

See also: formative assessment

4. Strong Relationships and Classroom Culture

Hattie identifies teacher-student relationships as one of the most significant contributors to learning. This isn’t about being liked — it’s about safety. Students learn more when they feel it’s safe to be wrong, to ask questions, and to struggle publicly. Building that culture is a deliberate skill, not a personality trait.

5. Deep Subject Knowledge Combined With Pedagogical Knowledge

Lee Shulman’s concept of “pedagogical content knowledge” — knowing not just your subject but how students typically misunderstand it and how to address those misunderstandings — distinguishes expert teachers from knowledgeable amateurs. A great mathematics teacher knows which errors are diagnostic, which misconceptions are common, and which representations make abstract ideas concrete.

What the Research Doesn’t Say

Passion, creativity, and charisma appear repeatedly in popular accounts of great teaching. The research is more ambivalent. They help. They’re not sufficient. The most effective teachers are often less dramatic and more deliberate than the Hollywood version suggests.

Citations

1. Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge.
2. Rosenthal, R. & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the Classroom. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
3. Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of Instruction. American Educator, Spring 2012. American Federation of Teachers.

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Read more: Evidence-Based Teaching Guide

Key Takeaways and Action Steps

Use these practical steps to apply what you have learned about Makes:

• Start small: Pick one strategy from this guide and implement it this week. Consistency matters more than perfection.
• Track your progress: Keep a simple log or journal to measure changes related to Makes over time.
• Review and adjust: After two weeks, evaluate what is working. Drop what is not and double down on effective habits.
• Share and teach: Explaining what you have learned about Makes to someone else deepens your own understanding.
• Stay curious: This field evolves. Revisit updated research on Makes every few months to refine your approach.

Have you ever wondered why this matters so much?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important thing to know about Makes?

Understanding Makes starts with the basics. The key is to focus on consistent, evidence-based practices rather than quick fixes. Small, sustainable steps lead to lasting results when it comes to Makes.

How long does it take to see results with Great?

Results vary depending on individual circumstances, but most people notice meaningful changes within 4 to 8 weeks of consistent effort. Tracking your progress with Great helps you stay motivated and adjust your approach as needed.

What are common mistakes to avoid with Teacher?

The most common mistakes include trying to change too much at once, neglecting to track progress, and giving up too early. A focused, patient approach to Teacher yields far better outcomes than an all-or-nothing mindset.

The Role of Subject Matter Expertise in Teaching Effectiveness

One of the most consistent findings in education research is that teachers who possess deep knowledge of their subject matter produce better student outcomes. This isn’t simply about knowing more facts—it’s about understanding the conceptual architecture of a discipline well enough to explain it in multiple ways, anticipate where students will struggle, and connect ideas across contexts. A mathematics teacher who understands why the quadratic formula works, not just how to apply it, can help struggling students build genuine comprehension rather than procedural memorization.

The relationship between subject expertise and teaching quality operates through several mechanisms. Teachers with strong content knowledge make better instructional decisions because they can identify which concepts are foundational and which are peripheral. They recognize common misconceptions before they take root. They can answer unexpected student questions without derailing the lesson. Perhaps most importantly, they model what it looks like to think within a discipline—how mathematicians actually approach problems, how historians evaluate sources, how scientists design experiments.

Beyond Certification: The Depth vs. Breadth Question

Having a degree in a subject doesn’t automatically translate to teaching excellence, but it matters more than many education reformers acknowledge. Research comparing teachers with subject-specific degrees to those with generic education degrees shows measurable differences in student achievement, particularly in mathematics and science. However, the relationship isn’t linear—a teacher with a PhD in physics who has never studied pedagogy may struggle in the classroom just as much as an enthusiastic generalist.

The practical implication is that subject expertise requires ongoing development. Teachers should regularly engage with current scholarship in their field, attend discipline-specific professional development, and maintain intellectual curiosity about how their subject evolves. A high school history teacher who hasn’t read recent historical scholarship in five years is operating with outdated frameworks, even if their initial training was rigorous.

Translating Expertise Into Accessible Instruction

A common pitfall for expert teachers is the “curse of knowledge”—the difficulty in remembering what it’s like not to understand something you know well. A physics teacher who intuitively grasps why objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass may struggle to explain this to students whose intuition says heavier objects fall faster. This is where pedagogical content knowledge becomes essential: the ability to translate deep subject understanding into forms that students can actually learn from.

Effective expert teachers develop a repertoire of explanations and examples. They know multiple ways to represent the same concept. They’ve identified the specific points where students typically derail and have prepared targeted interventions. They can distinguish between a student who hasn’t grasped a fundamental concept and one who simply made a careless error.

Building and Maintaining Expertise Over Time

Teaching can paradoxically erode subject expertise if not managed carefully. When teachers spend years explaining concepts at an introductory level, they may lose touch with advanced applications and current developments in their field. Effective teachers counteract this through deliberate practice:

• Pursuing advanced coursework or certifications in their subject area every few years
• Reading primary sources and current research rather than relying solely on textbooks
• Engaging with professional communities in their discipline, not just education communities
• Teaching across different levels when possible—teaching AP or honors sections alongside introductory courses maintains intellectual engagement
• Collaborating with colleagues to discuss substantive content questions, not just pedagogical strategies
• Staying informed about how their field is changing and what new questions are being asked

The Interaction With Other Teaching Skills

Subject expertise alone doesn’t make a great teacher, but it provides a foundation that amplifies the effectiveness of other skills. A teacher with strong content knowledge who also manages classroom behavior effectively, provides clear feedback, and maintains high expectations will outperform a teacher with only one or two of these qualities. Conversely, excellent classroom management cannot fully compensate for weak subject knowledge—students may behave well while learning misconceptions or surface-level understanding.

The research suggests that teacher preparation programs should require substantive coursework in subject areas alongside pedagogical training, and that professional development should balance generic teaching skills with discipline-specific content and methods. Schools that support teachers in maintaining and deepening their expertise—through time, resources, and intellectual community—see measurable returns in student learning.

Last updated: 2026-05-13

References

Sources cited inline throughout this article.