High-expectation teaching

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High-expectation teaching

HomeSchool resourcesHigh-expectation teaching

Topic summary

Teachers’ expectations of their students’ learning may be more important in influencing student progress than pupils’ abilities.

Teachers’ beliefs about their students and what they can achieve have a substantial impact on students’ learning and progress. Research shows that as well as expectations about individual students, teachers can be identified as having uniformly high or low expectations of an entire class of students. High expectation teachers believe that students will make accelerated, rather than normal, progress, and that pupils will move above their current level of performance (for example, from average to above average). Whereas, in general, low expectation teachers do not expect their students to make significant changes to their level of achievement over a year’s tuition.

Teachers’ expectations of their students have substantial impacts on student progress and achievement. This is because teachers’ different levels of expectations lead to different instructional practices. For example, teachers with low expectations for students’ achievement may present less cognitively demanding experiences, spend more time reinforcing and repeating information, accept a lower standard of work, and emphasise rules and procedures. Low expectations set up a chain of low-level activities and, therefore, lower learning opportunities. When teachers’ expectations increase, their attitudes, beliefs, and teaching practices change. In general, high expectation teachers employ more effective teaching practices. When students are given more advanced opportunities to learn, they can make more progress.

Research also shows that students are very aware of their teachers’ expectations for them. Students of teachers with low expectations come to view themselves more negatively, while students with high expectation teachers develop or maintain positive attitudes across the year, even when they have only made average progress. 

There have been several longitudinal studies conducted in New Zealand exploring how teachers’ expectations of their students influence achievement. It is well-established that teachers’ expectations of their students influence their teaching practices and impact on students’ self-beliefs and student achievement.

High expectations teachers:

  • Create a warm, supportive classroom climate 
  • Get to know their students personally and incorporate their interests into activities
  • Work with students to set challenging learning goals
  • Provide carefully targeted feedback to assist students in reaching their goals
  • Group children flexibly in small groups, comprising of a range of abilities, and change these groupings reasonably frequently
  • Structure your classroom so that differentiation between high and low achievers and the kinds of learning experiences they engage in are minimised

  • Do you expect all your students to be equally capable of learning?
  • How do you currently group students in your classroom?
  • Do you provide opportunities for all learners to engage in advanced activities?
  • How do you get to know your students?
  • Do you provide all of your learners with a range of activities?

Research reviews

How to develop high expectation teaching

Why high expectations teaching is so important, and how to introduce the key strategies of high expectations teaching into your practice.

What your teaching practices say about your expectations

A brief insight into what certain teaching practices reveal about your expectations and beliefs about student learning.

Key differences between high and low expectation teachers

A summary of the key differences between high and low expectations in practice.

High expectations self-assessment checklist

A checklist for teachers to use when evaluating their high expectations practice.

5 practices for creating a classroom climate that promotes high expectations

How to create a classroom culture that supports achievement through high expectations.

7 goal setting strategies for high expectations teaching

How to set high expectation goals for your students.

4 approaches to grouping that promote high expectations teaching

Approaches to grouping that avoid perpetuating low expectations through ability grouping

Webinars

Infographics

High Expectation Teaching infographic

The key features of high expectations teaching at a glance.

Snapshots

High expectations teaching animation

The key features of high expectation teaching at a glance
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