Teachers' conceptions of excellent teaching in middle schools in the North of China

Knowing how teachers in China understand excellence in teaching is an important precursor to developing teaching standards. This study explores the conceptions of excellent teaching held by 20 middle school teachers in the north of China. A phenomenographic approach with grounded theory was used to interpret teachers’ descriptions of a time when they delivered excellent teaching. Four main themes were found: (1) caring for students, (2) guiding students’ all- round development, (3) connecting school knowledge/ work to other areas, and (4) planning and preparing structured lessons. In contrast to other Western and Chinese descriptions of excellent teaching, these teachers were much less transmission, examination, or professionally oriented and exhibited much more nurturing, facilitative, and apprenticeship characteristics. Copyright © 2007 Education Research Institute.