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In December 2010, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel created a national, independent commission to study the teaching profession and make recommendations on maximizing teacher and teaching effectiveness. Drawing on the wisdom and experience of accomplished teachers, expert researchers, policymakers, and academicians, the Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching (CETT) examined the policies and practices governing the teaching profession and crafted a teacher-centered vision of teaching and the teaching profession. On December 8, 2011, CETT presented the NEA with its final report, Transforming Teaching: Connecting Professional Responsibility with Student Learning, which outlines the Commission's vision and recommendations for the teaching profession.

"In isolation neither the research nor the teacher seems to have much of a chance for sustained discovery, growth, and positive change." (p. 39) "Faculty members are changing how they teach and making informed choices when it comes to teaching strategies. They feel empowered and are encouraged to take risks, are fostering collaborations in their teaching and are talking about teaching. For some, the change in how they teach has been radical. For others, the change has been small but still noticeable." (p. 42) And to what do the conveners attribute this success? "We saw that we are learners together in this learning community and we are our own best resource: Our collective knowledge is an invaluable asset." (p. 43) Retrieved from: http://www.cs.kent.edu/~volkert/science-learning/files/sirum-madigan.pdf

As educators do we model those "best practices" for learning which we expect from our students? How do we... "Engage ... in active learning experiences; Set high, meaningful expectations; Provide, receive, and use regular, timely, and specific feedback; Become aware of values, beliefs, preconceptions; unlearn if necessary; Recognize and stretch ... styles and developmental levels; Seek and present real-world applications; Understand and value criteria and methods for (our own) assessment; Create opportunities for (peer to peer) interactions; ...; Promote (peer) involvement through engaged time and quality effort" Retrieved from: http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/cii/resources/outcomes/best_practices.asp

Interesting and short bit of writing that hits on my personal beliefs about where the majority of transformational focus should be...simply supporting good teaching.

"Education reform needs a face lift -- one that includes higher standards for entry into the profession and mentor teachers assisting those needing to improve."

Agree about the necessity to pursue improved educational outcomes, yet as with other professions (i.e. doctors & lawyers) 50% finish in the lower half of their class. As with all things educational funding is the sacred cow and asking for higher standards of entry, while a worthy goal, would ultimately fall on the sword of budgets.

"I used to think I was a pretty good teacher. Now I realize that I did the best I could with the knowledge I had, but my classroom was woefully inadequate for many of my students. I failed to equip them with what they needed."

"The field of education bubbles over with controversies. It's not unusual for intelligent people of good will to disagree passionately about what should happen in schools. But there are certain precepts that aren't debatable..."

Expanded conversation around the following: "1. Much of the material students are required to memorize is soon forgotten 2. Just knowing a lot of facts doesn't mean you're smart 3. Students are more likely to learn what they find interesting 4. Students are less interested in whatever they're forced to do and more enthusiastic when they have some say 5. Just because doing x raises standardized test scores doesn't mean x should be done 6. Students are more likely to succeed in a place where they feel known and cared about 7. We want children to develop in many ways, not just academically 8. Just because a lesson (or book, or class, or test) is harder doesn't mean it's better 9. Kids aren't just short adults 10. Substance matters more than labels"

'A great overview of Dan Pink's "Drive" by Vermont principal and VTASCD board member Larry Fliegelman. Thanks to my principal Jim Avery for reminding me how much is to be learned in this book about leadership and teaching.

Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, authors of the book, Make Just One Change, explain why teaching students to ask their own questions just may revolutionize the classroom. Audio clip.

"The simple shift in practice, from teachers asking questions of students to students learning to generate and improve their own questions, leads to significant cognitive, affective and behavioral changes in students."

Do you teach to inform...or to facilitate learning? jf

"... one of the world's leading psychologists, Professor Carol Dweck visited the RSA to discuss how students' mindsets shape their motivation and learning. She discussed new research showing: a) how parents' and teachers' praise can create fixed mindsets and undermine children's motivation, b) how fixed-mindset school environments can decrease the representation of women and minorities, and c) how teaching students a growth mindset increases their success in school."

Is "grit" something that educators need to develop in students? Or rather, is grit inherent in all children? If so, instead of asking if it needs to be developed in their learning, should we be more introspective and work on not suppressing it through our teaching?

Praising a student on process and effort contributes to their learning and their desire to learn more. Praising success based on intelligence has the opposite effect...it actually inhibits growth. What implications does this have on how we assess student learning and communicate those assessments?

This Huff Post blog post by Karen Gross, President of Vermont Southern College, explores what's needed for the transition from high school to higher ed.

This was very interesting - and has huge implications for how schools move ahead.

"The key to generating truly innovative ideas, he says, is learning how to challenge the status quo-which is why he's busy trying to teach people how to "think wrong'"

"To encourage student thinking about the overall structure of a course right from the start, why not include a concept map or mind map in the syllabus? When I looked at Linda's work (in the two references listed below) she actually advocates what she calls a "graphic syllabus," described as a "flowchart, graphic organizer, or diagram of the schedule and organization of course topics, sometimes with tests, assignments, and major activities included."

Interesting article. Back when I had "classes" the first day was dedicated to working through a modified version of a Chalk Talk. This gave me a really good sense of where students were at in their understanding and it gave them the opportunity to see how each lesson/concept would be part of the "big picture" of the class. I also would wrap up the semester with the exact same lesson. Huge opportunity for leaving them with a sense of accomplishment and final chance for them to see the pieces in a larger context.

"The industrialist mindset of productivity and predictable perfection has infected all elements of our lives, from school to science. Once you see it, you'll understand how it pushes us to avoid the hard work of doing truly interesting science, and how it encourages us to avoid the maker mindset. In this informal talk, I'll try to get under your skin, at least a little, about what's at stake."

"We need to teach students to STOP following directions."

Video that makes you think about how teaching with technology is much more than accessing Information... it is about developing student Curation Skills of identifying, connecting, creating greater meaning, and then sharing new ideas around that information.

Dr. Tony Wagner, co-director of Harvard's Change Leadership Group has identified what he calls a "global achievement gap," which is the leap between what even our best schools are teaching, and the must-have skills of the future:Critical thinking and problem-solvingCollaboration across networks and leading by influenceAgility and adaptabilityInitiative and entrepreneurialismEffective oral and written communicationAccessing and analyzing informationCuriosity and imagination

Shared this a couple of months ago...worth another look.

And we're thrilled to have Tony Wagner as the keynote for the Rowland Foundation's 2nd Annual Conference on School Transformation! You can preview The Global Achievement Gap here: http://books.google.com/books?ei=AWNyT-eMBOXe0gG5tsW9AQ&id=_4zBmOBP9uwC&dq=tony+wagner&q=personalization#v=onepage&q&f=false

"How have your best teachers inspired, engaged, encouraged and challenged you?" Teens on the staff of New Youth Connections magazine were asked to think this over - then they gathered for a group discussion about the best learning experiences they've had.

Top 10 Pieces of Advice from Students for Teachers 1. Be pushy. 2. Make the lesson relevant to our lives. 3. Be relatable, but please don't say: "It's time to dip, y'all!" 4. Teach us with words, sights, and sounds. 5. Be consistent and firm. 6. Believe in us. 7. Explain, explain, explain. 8. Use our time wisely. 9. Have clear objectives, clearly communicated.

"I teach in an inquiry, project-based, technology embedded classroom. A mouthful, I know. So what does that mean? To begin with, I don't lecture. My students don't take notes, at least not in the traditional sense, and we don't read a novel and simply answer the questions. It means my classroom is a place where my students spend time piecing together what they have learned, critically evaluating its larger purpose, and reflecting on their own learning. It also means my students don't acquire knowledge just for the sake of acquiring it. They need to do something with it - that's where "project-based" comes into play. Finally, technology is embedded into the structure of all we do. It's part of how we research, how we capture information, and how we display our learning. It's never an accessory tacked on at the end."

This is an uplifting read, very relevant to the themes of our upcoming conference.