Successful Teaching in the NSW Higher School Certificate: Summary of a Research Report for the NSW Department of Education and Training

This report presents information from a study of the Higher School Certificate (HSC) in New South Wales, Australia. The study investigated teaching strategies that led to success at the HSC. Researchers identified successful teachers, observed them teaching an HSC class, and followed up with an interview. Groups of ex-students also completed interviews. The results identified seven factors that contributed to HSC teaching success: (1) school background; (2) subject faculty; (3) teachers' personal qualities (orientation to subject, students, and work); (4) relationships with students; (5) teachers' professional development (networking, in-school professional development, development through experience, and out-of-school professional development); (6) resources and planning; and (7) teaching strategies (classroom climate, HSC focus, building understanding, note-making, writing essays and organizing information, questioning, assessment, and whole-class discussion, group work, and independent student activity). (Contains 10 references.) (SM)