Keys to Effective Professional Development

In this Journal of Staff Development article, Laura Thomas (Antioch Center for School Reform, Keene, NH) shares her insights on what makes for effective (and ineffective) professional learning:

• Survey teachers and use their input to drive professional development.
• Plan on multiple sessions and follow up with small-group discussion and…

Increasing the Content Focus of Teacher Evaluation

In this Harvard Educational Review article, Heather Hill (Harvard Graduate School of Education) and Pam Grossman (Stanford Graduate School of Education) argue that teacher evaluation needs to (a) use subject-specific observation instruments, (b) involve more content experts, and (c) design systems “in which feedback from observations is both accurate and usable in the service of improving…

When speaking to your own children or students about the fiftieth anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech,  why not read Doreen Rappaport's, Martin's Big Words?

Happy reading,

Christine

bookgirlblogger.blogspot.com

The Risk Pool

By JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN

Do you believe in teaching more, not less?

Yes? Well, you are certainly an oddball. Our entire public school system is devoted to the idea that children should learn less each year. Less, always less.

They used to have to know the names of the state capitals. Then they had to know the names of the states. Then they had to know the name of the country. Ah, the good old days.

If you haven't been keeping a close eye on our Education Establishment,…

“Ooch” Before You Leap

In this thoughtful article in ASCA School Counselor, authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath share an excerpt from their new book, Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work (Crown Business, 2013). In this piece, the Heath brothers make the case for “ooching”, which is their word for doing a small experiment to reality-test a hypothesis before making an important life decision. 

Here’s an…

With summer break approaching its end and back to school specials part of the media blitz, my mind drifts back into teaching mode. This is the time of year that I always penned my literacy message to staff. As I prepare for a new role as ELA consultant, I am filled with the same sentiments that greet each new school year. To honor the tradition of writing an opening greeting…

Over the years, the classroom has been looked at as the ground upon which learning is both fashioned and enhanced. Since the 20^th century, we have seen the evolution of classroom settings from teacher-directed environments to inquiry-based centers. Technology has advanced, affording educators with opportunities to stay connected and engage students in active learning opportunities. There is high visibility for the…

http://www.teacherstechworkshop.com/2013/08/6-amazing-facebook-templates-to-use.html

The Common Core and the Common Good

By …

The current issue of NEA Today features this cover story on zip codes and achievement gaps.  The focus on the educational inequalities in our country reminded me of my previous posts, A Tale of…

Ken Robinson wants to create a creativity curriculum, and downgrade "academics." By academics Robinson and his supporters mean all the things that schools traditionally taught, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic.



If you care about any aspect of the traditional curriculum, you have to watch this development with concern. 



The schools are doing a dreadful job of teaching reading now. Can you imagine if they…

http://www.teacherstechworkshop.com/2013/08/top-5-most-tweeted-educational-hashtags.html