What is the QT Model?
Standing the test of time
The Quality Teaching (QT) Model is at the heart of all the professional development programs offered by the QT Academy. The Model was developed in 2003 by Associate Professor James Ladwig and Laureate Professor Jenny Gore from the University of Newcastle for the NSW Department of Education. It has been the Department’s endorsed framework of quality teaching ever since.
2023 marks 20 years since the Model was launched. It has stood the test of time and the test of multiple rigorous research studies over the past 20 years.
18 elements that constitute the QT Model
The QT Model clearly articulates teaching that makes a difference for students. It comprehensively attends to matters of curriculum, student engagement, and equity within classroom and assessment practice. The Model centres on three specific dimensions of good teaching practice, each with six elements.
| Intellectual Quality | Quality Learning Environment | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Deep Knowledge | Explicit Quality Criteria | Background Knowledge |
| Deep Understanding | Engagement | Cultural Knowledge |
| Problematic Knowledge | High Expectations | Knowledge Integration |
| Higher-order Thinking | Social Support | Inclusivity |
| Metalanguage | Students' Self-regulation | Connectedness |
| Substantive Communication | Student Direction | Narrative |
In our high impact professional development program, Quality Teaching Rounds, the Model is used as a powerful framework for enabling rich discussion and analysis of classroom practice.
Through multiple rigorous studies, QTR has been shown to improve the quality of teaching, teacher morale, school culture and student academic achievement.
The Classroom Practice Guide
The QT: Classroom Practice Guide supports teachers and leaders in the QTR process by elaborating each of the 18 elements of the Model. The elaboration includes descriptors of each element, a coding scale, notes and suggestions that clarify what it means to teach well.
Classroom Practice Guides are provided during all our professional development workshops and masterclasses. You can also access copies of the Classroom Guide as well as explainer videos for each of the 18 elements in our Members Area.
Why the QT Model?
How many times have you heard, or taken part in, discussions on the ‘quality’ of teaching?
Evidence shows that quality teaching is the most important in-school factor affecting student outcomes, while media and public discussions often focus on teachers rather than the quality of teaching.
Defining and understanding quality
What do we mean when we say ‘quality teaching’? What are its main characteristics and what do we know about its impact on student outcomes?
As a profession, we have struggled to define what we mean by quality teaching. This lack of definition often leads to assumptions about teaching quality that are not supported by evidence and can disempower teachers.
The Model seeks to change the narrative by empowering teachers to empower each other.
