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"For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication. But for more than a decade, one organization has been tracking hundreds of thousands of kids, and looking at why some teachers can move them three grade levels ahead in a year and others can't. Now, as the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its data."

Article on teacher effectiveness as studied through Teach for American data. Thrilling and scary in implication all at the same time.

"Many teachers think that teaching is the best profession in the world. It is also true that many teachers find that maintaining enthusiasm, in the face of myriad issues which hinder teachers being allowed to just teach, can be difficult at times. Furthermore, even the most enthused student can take a knock in motivation day to day, lesson to lesson."

8 habits to pick up... #2 is probably the most difficult, and #4 reminds me of those teachers who just can't "seem to find the time" to take a chance and try something new.

8 habits to pick up... #2 is probably the most difficult, and #4 reminds me of those teachers who just can't "seem to find the time" to take a chance and try something new.

"We all know there are a lot of great articles out there on the web that talk about what you should do when you teach online. But sometimes what a new online teacher really needs is a list of what NOT to do when teaching online. Here are 12 things I recommend that online teachers do not do:"

"With 20 years' teaching experience in a wide variety of schools, I've frequently encountered staff who despair at the behaviour of boys in their classes. Frankly, I love teaching boys, and perhaps my experiences as a P.E. teacher, often teaching single-sex groups, prepared me well for managing the classroom behaviours of boys. Perhaps being (at the very least) a cheeky student myself, frequently preferring attention-seeking behaviours to concentrating in class, I am able to relate to much of what is seen in classes every day. Or maybe I was just under-stimulated and over-confident. Regardless of the circumstances, I certainly have some successful strategies for teaching boys and am happy to share them. So here are my tips on improving behaviour, engagement and outcomes for boys."

Understanding and applying technologies to the teaching of writing - as well as understanding concepts associated with them such as copyright and fair use - has become the professionally responsible way to teach writing . Professional organizations such as NCTE NWP IRA ISTE the Center for Media Literacy and others have moved quickly and clearly in the past few years to show that integrating technology across content areas, including the teaching of writing, is critical for creating students who are literate in a variety of ways.

Mastering the art of teaching appears to be easier for some colleagues than others. Some teachers just seem to have a presence, gaining respect and credibility from students, colleagues and parents alike. Did they undergo some mysterious, magical training that wasn't covered during your teacher training course?  Well, no. They just have mastered how to manage their working relationships, using their personalities to generate rapport, which is respected by students of all age. It's not rocket science - it's far more complicated than that. Personality and behaviour clashes in classrooms are inevitable, but looking at all the different elements of daily interactions can help you gain respect from students and colleagues alike...

Shared on eSchoolNews

Share My Lesson is a place where educators can come together to create and share their very best teaching resources. Developed by teachers for teachers, this free platform gives access to high-quality teaching resources and provides an online community where teachers can collaborate with, encourage and inspire each other.

This site is sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, but all teachers may register to use the free resources or contribute lessons to the site.

"Over the last few years, I have spent time trying to work out ways to engage our teachers. We, at Schools' Library Service, have introduced an information literacy framework, created lesson ideas and spent hours talking to teachers about how school librarians can support teaching and learning. I even wrote a blog about 'How to make an information literacy framework work for you", but still some teachers are just too busy to listen."

Being able to construct a learning progression from simple facts to important concepts or simplex skills to complex ones is our daily bread and butter.  The ability to do this really well sets some teachers apart.  It helps create a focus on learning within the classroom rather than just being busy.  Whilst the sequencing of knowledge is a crucial starting point the real star teachers also know the points at which key misunderstandings or mistakes are often made by pupils.  In the classroom they are already alert to these possible errors and can intervene quickly and incisively.  Teachers spending time planning together must focus on the learning progressions or journeys, if you prefer.  A critical element of this planning is the determining of excellence; what standard should these pupils be able to reach.  My suggestion would be start with the end in mind; what kep concept or complex skill are you trying to teach.

Pasi Sahlberg Blog Finnish education reform Originally published in Washington Post, 24 July 2014 An intriguing question whether innovation in education can be measured has an answer now. The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in its recent report "Measuring Innovation in Education: A New Perspective, Educational Research and Innovation" measures Innovation in Education in 22 countries and 6 jurisdictions, among them the U.S.

".. the more productive way to battle these teachers and the bleeding out of our profession's reputation is for those of us who love this job -- and we are the majority -- to battle the poor publicity with the sword of our own successes."

"Walk into a typical classroom and you'll find the teacher in perpetual motion. In an effort to be the best teacher they can be, most teachers over teach. That is, they talk too much, help too much, and are seen too much. They become so preoccupied with giving of themselves, with providing, nurturing, guiding, reminding, directing, and advising, that they don't leave room for their students to learn"

"Over the course of two years, I, along with the Burlington Public Schools tech team, had the opportunity to meet and connect with over one hundred schools. These discussions would usually involve what device works best in the classroom and how the iPad is affecting teaching and learning outcomes. Frequently this conversation focuses on the most effective hardware for teaching and learning. While this is an important decision to make, it should not be the focus. In fact, the best devices a school can employ are great teachers."

"The Computer Science Teachers Association is a membership organization that supports and promotes the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines. CSTA provides opportunities for K-12 teachers and students to better understand the computing disciplines and to more successfully prepare themselves to teach and learn."

"The Alliance for Excellent Education recently released Culture Shift: Teaching in a Learner-Centered Environment Powered By Digital Learning. The report advocates that a culture shift to a learner centered classroom environment is needed to prepare students to meet the challenges and demands of a global economy"

ROK banned "beating" in schools about a month ago. So things are indeed different. We can compare pedagogy, but can we compare culture and outcomes that are embedded in culture? When children leave the classroom to take the TIMMS or PISA test, the rest of the class stands to applaud. When I explained this to my students, they were dumbfounded that Korean kids did anything that wasn't directly connected to personal advantage.