Sunday, March 7, 2010

BUILDING A BETTER TEACHER - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

BUILDING A BETTER TEACHER - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

The New York Times Magazine Cover Story
Plus Extensive Reader Comments To
"Can Teachers Be Taught To Teach Better?"
Our Recommended Week-end Read.
For everyone concerned about the direction of education in this country, Elizabeth Green reports her must-read key findings for increasing teacher effectiveness, which is inarguably one of the most critical factors for student success.   Through her interviews with key reformers in the field, Green primarily zeroes in on "technique."

Two of her main featured interviewees are Doug Lemov, former teacher, principal, and currently charter school founder of Uncommon Schools, who focuses on deliberate techniques not necessarily subject to specific content, and Deborah Loewenberg Ball, an assistant professor in Math and former part-time elementary school teacher "whose class was a model for teachers in training" and relates technique to content understanding.

Both illustrate that there is much to do with regard to teacher training in this country with teachers admittedly unprepared in the art of specific techniques and actual apprentice-type training when they enter the real world of school.  

Below are a few excerpts with link to full NY Times article here: