Abstract

Based on a year-long study of 29 novice teachers, the authors argue that listening--really listening--to "teacher talk" can provide principals with continuous, formative feedback about beginning teacher development. The 29 teachers in the study were ranked according to four classroom observation scores using a widely recognized, validated protocol. Teachers were interviewed after each of the four observations. Analyses of a representative sample of the interview data revealed distinct differences between the talk of higher scoring teachers and lower scoring teachers. This article discusses these differences in terms of novice teachers' knowledge of students, knowledge of teaching, and knowledge of subject matter.