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Chapter 4
Learning to Teach
L E A R N I N G T O T E A C H
ver the past few decades, we’ve made great strides in unlock-
ing the mysteries of how people learn. Cognitive scientists
are mapping how the brain works, showing how people
process new information and acquire new skills. Educa-
tors have applied this research to develop approaches to
curriculum, instruction, and assessment that are more
effective with a diverse range of students. And techno-
logical breakthroughs have created a whole array of pow-
erful new electronic tools for teachers and students.
Unfortunately, teacher prep a ra ti on and con ti nu i n g
education have lagged behind educational innovation.
Many teachers have been left ill-equipped for the chal-
lenges of applying an ever-expanding body of professional
knowledge, adopting the latest technologies, and changing
how they do their jobs.
T
his chapter explores some of the ways that educators
and others are working to reinvent teacher education
from the start of college throughout a teacher’s career.
In schools, colleges, and universities, they are designing
a new model of professional development with more
rigorous academic standards and plenty of opportunities
for hands-on experience under the guidance of skilled educators. Ongoing learn-
ing—keeping up with the latest practices, research, and technological advances —
is becoming recognized as an important part of every educator’s job description.
To prepare a new generation of teachers, institutions of higher education
are collaborating with K–12 schools to create laboratories for the study of teaching.
On-the-job teachers and college faculty members are taking a fresh look at what
education students should know and be able to do. Undergraduate education pro-
grams are incorporating the latest technologies so that new teachers can learn to use
these tools effectively. New programs are being created to attract the best and
brightest to the profession, particularly from under-represented minority groups.
B
ut better preparation for future teachers is
not enough—teachers face new challenges
throughout their careers. Recognizing that
beginning teachers, in particular, need more
support, many states and districts are creat-
ing programs to pair them with veteran
teachers who act as mentors. Schools that
are on the leading edge understand that this
support has to extend beyond the first years.
Instead of offering a few programs on specific days, these schools provide more
time, money, and other resources, so learning becomes an integral part of pro-
fessional practice. This gives teachers the opportunity and responsibility to guide
the content and form of their own educational development.
T
e ach ers are finding new ways to n e t w o r k with co lleagues and other
experts through telecommunications links and at conferences and work-
shops. In their daily life at school, they are supporting and learning from
each other as they strive to improve their teaching. Indeed, most of the
programs profiled throughout this book owe their success to teachers who are
committed to keeping their knowledge and skills up to date. q
83
Imagine the Possibilities
BY LI NDA DA R L I N G - H A M M O N D
B ECOMING A TEACHER:
For as long as she could remember, Maria loved
teaching. As a little girl, she would read to tod-
dlers, play school with her friends, and explain
a
Learning the Basics After lots of research, Maria
settled on a five-year college program leading to a
master of arts in teaching. She chose math as her
the mysteries of the universe to anyone who major because she had always loved grappling
would listen. As a peer tutor in middle school,she with complex mathematical ideas and problems.
discovered there was no better feeling than when Du r ing her fi rst ye a rs i n co ll ege , Ma ri a
never-
someone she was working with finally grasped immersed herself in educational philosophy and
challenging concepts like photosynthesis or the research,studying the works of trailblazers like John
Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Maria Montessori.
In courses on teaching practices and cur-
riculum development, she learned
w ays to en ga ge stu dents in ex peri en ce s
that all ow them to integra te skills into
Pythagorean theorem. In high school,her favorite h a n d s - on activi ties and to con du ct their own
times were spent sharing with friends what she’d inquiries and experiments. She explored how tech-
learned researching reports and projects on the nologies like the Internet and sophisticated com-
Internet. As she faced choosing a college and puter simulations can open a whole new world of
career, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. possibilities for classroom learning and make the
ending
The children of today who, like Maria, dream curriculum more
of becoming teachers have a lot to look forward to. m e a n i n gfu l fo r
The mysteries of how people learn are
gradually being revealed through
the careful scruti ny of s c i en ti s t s ,
researchers,and practicing teachers.
A growing stock of new tools and
strategies is enabling educators to
be more effective than ever in meeting student students. Her professors didn’t lecture from text-
needs. Slowly but surely, we’re heading toward a books or measure learning with multiple-choice
time when teachers have the knowledge and free- tests. Instead, they modeled the strategies Maria
dom to help all children achieve at high levels. herself would use as a teacher; they created learn-
For the next generation of teachers, getting ing opportunities that enabled their students to
there will be exciting, but it won’t be easy. Educa- apply knowledge in real teaching situations.
tion students will find that it’s harder to become
proficient; there’s more to study, more to learn, 1 ive
Linda Darling-Hammond is the execut director
more to practice. To get a glimpse of how best to a e
of the N tional Commision on Taching and America’s
prepare fledgling educators for this ch a ll en ge , t
Future and the co-direcor of the National Center
let’s imagine what lies in store for Maria on her for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching,
quest to become a teacher. Teachers College, Columbia University. 5 F ILM
85
journey Maria spent a lot of time in schools observing
experienced teachers and working with students.
These chances to apply her classwork meant that
she never found studying theory to be dull or
abstract. To the contrary, she found it gave her a
powerful set of lenses through which to view the
certain subjects, and approaches to com-
mon learning problems like dyslexia.
Her classroom work, guided by a
mentor team,included observing specific children
and documenting their learning, evaluating lessons,
tutoring and working with small groups, and sit-
classroom. During one semester, she conducted a ting in on family conferences. She also took part
case study of John, a seven-year-old boy she in school and team planning meeti n gs , visited
tutored at a local school. As she observed him in homes and community agencies, planned field
class and at play, either in person or on videotape, trips and curriculum segments, and taught lessons
she could see what she’d learned in her classes and short units.Finally, at the end of the year, she
coming to life before her eyes. assumed responsibility for a class for a month.
’t
Her professors didn lecture She en ga ged in long discus- This work was supplemented by reading and
from textbooks or measure sions with her professors and discussions of case studies of teaching. Some were
fell ow stu dents abo ut how drawn from an electronic database compiled by
learning with multiple- Jo h n’s physical and soc i a l teachers all over the country; others were video-
choice tests.Instead, they development affected his aca- taped by teachers at her professional develop-
modeled the strategies demic performance, and talked ment school. These case studies enabled student
about how these
Maria herself would use as be supported andareas could. stretch ed
teachers like Maria to look at practice from many
angles, examine how situations in the classroom
a teacher; they created She noticed that the boy was arose from incidents in the past, see how strate-
learning opportunities that proficient in some skills, like gies actu a lly tu rn ed out , and understand the
enabled their students t building models, but strug-
o thinking teachers used to make decisions about
gled with others, like reading. students, subjects, and curriculum goals.
apply knowledge in real These ob s erva ti ons hel ped The combination of classroom work, research,
teaching situations. her understand the usefulness and seminars during her year-long internship
of s tu dying theories on dif- helped Maria learn to observe and listen to stu-
ferent t ypes of intelligences, like those of educa- dents to understand their ex peri en ce s , pri or
tional researcher Howard Gardner. She concluded knowledge, and learning strengths. She discovered
that one of her biggest ch a ll en ges as a teacher how to provide emotional support and develop
would be to discover each stu den t’s uniqu e teaching strategies resp onsive to their particular
strengths and to find ways to use them to over- needs. She found out how to create engaging tasks
come the student’s weaknesses. that would stretch and motivate students, and
how to manage the learning process so they could
The Fifth Year Maria’s fifth and final year of college succeed at this challenging work. She began to
was an internship at a professional development better juggle and balance the competing demands
school—a middle school committed to providing between individuals and groups, between cur-
state-of-the-art teacher preparation as well as riculum goals and student interests, and between
state-of-the-art education for children. There,she h elping stu dents versus ch a ll en ging them . S h e
joined a small team of student teachers under the developed the skills to reach out to students who
guidance of both university faculty and expert m i ght otherwise slip past or fall thro u gh the
teachers. In seminars and in classrooms, the team cracks. She learned always to question what she
examined ways to identify and accommodate dif- was doing and constantly to reexamine her own
ferent learning styles and needs, strategies for teaching and that of her colleagues.
addressing misconceptions students hold about
86
A Beginning Teacher When Maria finished her rich, demonstration lessons. Maria also consulted
exhausting internship year, she was ready to try often with her five-member teaching team, which
her hand at what she knew would be an equally consisted of teachers from different subject areas.
demanding first year of teaching. She submitted a This team used its time together to discuss inter-
portfolio of her college work for review by the disciplinary connections and the progress of the
state professional standards board,passed the rig- s tu dents for wh om they shared re s pon s i bi l i ty.
orous performance examination required for an Wh en a con cern arose abo ut a particular stu-
initial teaching license,and was offered a teaching dent’s progress, teachers in the team held a review
position at an innovative middle school. session to examine the student’s work and behav-
In her first months on the job, Maria found ior using their pooled experiences and insights.
herself delighted and intrigued by her students. Maria found that these sessions helped her learn
Although she found teaching challenging, she did not a bo ut particular stu dents and ways to ad d re s s
feel overwhelmed by classroom management issues their needs, and also helped her better under-
the way beginning teachers once had. Her exten- stand learning in general and specific strategies
sive internship had really prepared her to estab- that strengthened her teaching.
lish a well-functioning classroom from the start. Maria appreciated having access to her col-
She still had a lot to learn, though. She was l e a g u e s’ k n owl ed ge and thinking abo ut both
grateful for the support from her district that subject-matter issues and student concerns. She
never felt as though she was
alone in her efforts to tackle In her spare moments
the many challenges of begin- at her computer, she
ning teaching. She always had
peers to tu rn to for advi ce , sometimes cruised the
counsel, and support. rich offerings of teacher-
oriented Web sites or
A Lifetime of Learning Ma ri a
soon became aware of the rich
visited forums where
array of ongoing professional teachers and other
devel opm ent co u rses and experts were holding
experiences offered teachers
by local univers i ti e s , s ch oo l
lively discussions about
districts, and even area busi- different aspects of
nesses. In her spare moments learning.
at her com p uter, she som e-
included assigning her a mentor teacher and pro- times cruised the rich offerings of teacher-oriented
viding time off to continue her professional stud- Web sites or visited forums where teachers and
ies. The mentor teacher spent several hours each o t h er ex perts were holding lively discussion s
week observing and assisting Maria in her class- about different aspects of learning. As she under-
room, helping her examine and adjust teaching s tood more abo ut su ch re s o u rce s , she re a l i zed
strategies. In ad d i ti on , all the district’s mentor that her development as a teacher would never be
teachers and beginning teachers met periodically over. Her experiences in co ll ege and during her
to discuss specific problems of practice. They inter- first year on the job were the beginning, not the
acted frequently via an on-line network, through end, of her quest to be a better teacher. She was
which they could chat, post questions, and share just starting a lifelong learning adventure. q
ideas and materials.
Thanks to team teaching and flexible schedul-
ing that provided her with periods when she was
not responsible for students, Maria was able to
regularly observe in other classrooms and meet
with groups of teachers at her new school. She
and other math and science teachers got together
wee k ly to discuss curri c u lum plans and share
87
L E A R N I N G T O T E A C H
From know any better. The district provided me with
“teacher-proof ” guides and curriculum from
the Front which to work. My job was to pour what was in
those books into pupils’ heads. I didn’t need an
Lines educational philosophy—I had ditto sheets.
After teaching elementary grades for several
B Y LY N N C H E R K A S K Y- D AV I S years and then moving to a kindergarten, I began
to have nagging doubts about what I was doing.
My kids were scoring well on tests, so the district
concluded I was a good teacher. Yet I saw students
who were frustrated or bored, which in turn led to
beh avi or probl em s .
My 25 kindergartners sit in
the literature circle deep in
conversation about Ezra Jack
Good Teaching One stu dent ja rred
me by bri n ging me
different kinds of pins
is a
Keats’ illustrations. Nearby each time I asked him to retrieve a pen. I realized
at the art center, Barb Turk, that, even though he could complete the phonics
an education student from tests, he couldn’t hear the difference between
National Louis University, “pen” and “pin.” It wasn’t his fault. The teaching
prepares paste, glue, water, brushes, fabric, scis- methods I had grown up with weren’t providing
sors, paper, and paints. She works quickly to get the kind of education he needed because they
back to the children in time to watch how I direct didn’t connect with his world or his culture.
the transition from group discussion to related
Voyage
hands-on activities at the various discovery c en-
ters in the classroom. Barb is doing the classroom
observation required by the state of Illinois to
qualify her to teach. To say she’s just observing,
though, misstates her active participation in
classes, staff meetings, and parent conferences
during her visits to The Foundations School. She Then, at the beginning of the 1983–84 school
and others come to this Chicago public school to year, I opened my classroom door to find some-
learn from us. We learn from them, too. thing missing. The textbooks and workbooks had
I hope Barb’s professional development path disappeared; the central office hadn’t come
will be less difficult than mine.My teacher educa- through with money to buy them. I panicked.
tion, at a highly regarded university more than a After six years of teacher education and several
quarter century ago, included tea ching-methods years in the classroom, I was not prepared. It was
courses, a research-based curriculum, hands-on time for me to learn new ways of teaching con-
course work, and a wonderful, yet quite myopic, tent, and at the same time address the longing I’d
nine-week student teaching experience. Then I felt for a better way of teaching the whole child.
graduated, a licensed teacher with the minimum And so my professional development journey
competencies required by the state, and was began. I started furiously reading and experi-
placed in a classroom of my own. menting with what I was learning in my own
Among educators at the time, further profes- classroom. I knew I had to take risks in order to
sional development,other than pursuing a master’s grow, just as I was asking my kids to do.
degree, was seen as a weakness. Asking for advice The following summer I discovered the Illinois
would signal incompetence. The only mentoring Writing Project, which helped me understand
I got was casual discussion in the teachers’ lounge. the devel opm en t a lly appropri a te , h a n d s - on ,
That was enough for a while, because I didn’t language-rich methods through which five-year-olds
really learn. It introduced me to other teachers others’ classrooms, talk over our concerns, offer
whose dissatisfaction with trad i ti onal teaching suggestions, and support each other. Our group,
methods had launched them on their own journeys “Teacher Talk,” evolved into a serious forum for
of l e a rning and ex p l ora ti on . F i n a lly, in gro u p s professional development in which we investigated
like Teachers Applying Whole Language, I found topics ranging from multi-age classrooms to per-
colleagues who were as eager as I was to network, formance assessment to peer tutoring.
to share, and to learn. When our principal was replaced by one less
Over the next several years, I immersed myself willing to give teachers authority and autonomy,
in all of the professional development opportuni- Teacher Talk set out to create our own school. The
ties I could find. Through workshops offered by result was The Foundations School, the first teacher-
local universities and private educational consul- de s i gn ed and teacher-
tants, I studied topics such as hands-on math, l ed sch ool in Ill i n oi s .
parent involvement, and new forms of assess- Th ro u gh partn er-
I opened my classroom door
ment. I took personal days to visit teachers in ships with a con s or- to find something missing.
other schools. Every time I learned something tium of universities and The textbooks and workbooks
new, I alerted my colleagues and principal, con- the Ch i c a go Te ach ers had disappeared; the central
stantly trying to spark a professional dialogue. Union’s Quest Center,
My teaching changed radically and my stu- we strive to be a place office hadn’t come through
dents achieved more than I had ever imagined where a new generation with money to b them. uy
of Discovery
possible. Both they and I were having a good time
learning. I won several teaching awards and was
of edu c a tors can learn . One day a wee k , o u r
school becomes a professional development clinic.
asked to serve on professional boards. Still, since A steady parade of visitors comes to learn such
the district didn’t provide sufficient resources for innovative practices as peer evaluation, interdis-
professional development, I had to pay my own ciplinary curriculum, and teacher leadership.
way and take uncompensated time to continue We work closely with education students like
my education. Ba rb Tu rk to help them become sati s f i ed and
One year, I discovered how technology could help ef fective edu c a tors . Her journ ey to exem p l a ry
me. I videotaped myself teaching, then watched teaching may be just as long as mine, but it has
the tapes and saw things I never realized I started earlier and won’t be as treacherous.
w a s — or wasn’t — doi n g. I ’d rethink my Our education leaders are realizing that if stu-
teaching, talk to other professionals,and dents are to learn more, work harder, and
try again. I found graduate students at be more accountable for what they do,
local teacher-training institutions who we must take a hard look at how we
were available to tape me if I would prepare new teachers and support con-
allow them to use the tapes as case ti nuing devel opm ent thro u gh o ut
studies in their classes. their careers. q
In 1989, I transferred to a school
wh ere the principal shared my Lynn Cherkasky-Davis2 teaches at
philosophy of education. A group of ol.
The Foundations Scho She is also
12 of us began meeting every Wednes- a director of the National Board for
day over a two-year period to tour each Professional Teaching Standards.
89
L E A R N I N G T O T E A C H
Snapshots
Learning with Technology
They say you teach the way you Connecting studies to profes- drawn from World Wide Web
have been taught, and for Sophia sional work is a major emphasis sites, for example, small teams of
Sullivan, a recent graduate of the at Curry, which offers a five-year teacher education students from
University of Virginia’s Curry program leading to a master’s four universities analyze “real-life
School of Education, that is a degree in teaching and a bachelor’s situations not unlike the ones they
good thing. Because her training degree in a liberal arts discipline. will encounter in the teaching
required her to study advanced Students are placed in nearby world,” says Joanne Herbert, an
public schools in their sopho- assistant professor at Curry. “We
“We are trying to get them to more year, and over the next four are trying to get them to break
break away from the methods they years they undertake an increas- away from the methods they saw
saw when they were in school.” ingly sophisticated succession of when they were in school.” q
field experiences culminating in a
technology and up-to-date research semester-long school internship. Curry School of Education University
on teaching and learning, Sophia The program aims to prepare of Virginia, Ruffner Hall, Room 220,
says she was well prepared for her educators to integrate technology Charlottesville, VA 22903
work as a special education teacher. with their teaching and be adept Contact: Greta Morine-Dershimer,
“The things we were learning at at making decisions that affect Director • Phone:(804) 924-0748 •
the University were readily tied everything from classroom learn- Fax: (804) 924-0747 •
to classroom experiences,” she ing to schoolwide governance. E-mail: gm4p@ virginia.edu •
says.“I was prepared for the types Technology is an integral part URL: http://curry.edschool.Virginia.
of challenges I would face and of methods courses and field edu/curry/TeacherEd/
the children I would see.” experiences. Using case studies
Teachers Teaching Teachers
The idea behind the Learning/ LTC was conceived and is run attends team meetings, and
Teaching Collaborative (LTC) in mostly by on-the-job teachers. co-teaches school-based seminars
the Boston area is simple: When it The centerpiece of LTC is a with LTC teachers. The teams
comes to preparing education stu- year-long internship for students meet regularly to share instruc-
dents for the classroom, practicing who are pursuing graduate tional strategies and discuss
teachers have abundant knowledge degrees and teaching certification interns’ progress. As a result of
and experience to offer. Unlike at Wheelock College or Simmons having interns in the classroom,
most student teaching programs, College, two small, urban colleges teachers have one day a week to
renowned for their teacher prepa- conduct research, develop curricu-
The Learning/Teaching Collaborative ration programs. Throughout the lum, lead workshops for col-
Brookline Public Schools,345 Harvard Street, year, the graduate students work leagues, or teach courses at the
Brookline, MA 02146 Contact: Vivian Troen, closely with teams of classroom colleges. LTC teachers say the
Coordinator of the Learning/Teaching Collaborative • teachers at one of eight elemen- program has improved their con-
Phone: (617) 730-2520 • Fax: (617) 730-2474 • tary schools affiliated with LTC. fidence in themselves as profes-
E-Mail: vivian_troen@brookline.mec.edu The teams include a college faculty sionals, improved their practice,
member who supervises interns, and reduced their isolation. q
Connect, teachers, the
For many
Inform, classroom of a feel
four walls
can
and that prevents them from
like an “isolation barrier”
continuing
Empower their own
learning. Genentech, Inc., a leader
in the biotechnology field, is help-
ing break down that barrier with
Access Excellence, an on-line
network that puts biology teach-
ers in touch with colleagues, sci-
entists, and new information.
Biology teachers can access the
network to share lesson plans,
read scientific literature, partici-
pate in “live” conferences and
forums, and communicate with
other teachers and with Genentech
scientists. The company’s goal is
to inform and empower teachers
Essentials for Educators
More than 20 years ago, Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wis., realized that
and, indirectly, inspire students to a well-prepared teacher is someone who can do more than just get good
enjoy and excel in science. grades and pass traditional tests in undergraduate education courses. The
In addition to the network, urban liberal arts college for women in Milwaukee remade its entire
Access Excellence also hosts an approach to teacher education to focus on 13 essential abilities that
annual fellowship program. Each teachers need to succeed in the classroom (8 are required of all Alverno
participant is given a laptop com- undergraduates, such as the ability to communicate effectively; 5 are spe-
puter, training on Genentech’s cific to education students, such as the ability to diagnose learning diffi-
network and the Internet, and the culties and the ability to coordinate resources to support learning goals).
opportunity to attend a biology There are no grades or final exams
education summit. One Access in the undergraduate teacher prepa- College of Education Alverno College,
Fellow, Steve Case, a biology ration program; instead, students 3401 South 39th Street, PO Box 343922,
teacher at Olathe East High School dem on s tra te what they know in Milwaukee,WI 53234 Contact: Mary
in Olathe, Kan., spent a recent other ways. To show that they can Diez, Dean • Phone: (414) 382-6213 •
summer working in a protein coordinate resources, for example, Fax: (414) 382-6354 •
chemistry lab at Genentech. He’s Alverno students might download E-mail:alverdie@class.org •
excited about the program that fine arts resources from an elec- URL: http://www.alverno.edu
“helps me let my students do real tronic com mu n i ty net work and
science.” q integrate them in an elementary curriculum for arts, physical educa-
tion, and social studies. In a math methods course, students demon-
Access Excellence Genentech, Inc., strate conceptualization skills by approaching a problem from three
460 Point San Bruno Boulevard, different p erspectives—arithmetically, geometrically, and algebraically.
South San Francisco, CA 94080 Student presentations are videotaped and reviewed by the student and
Contact: Geoffrey Teeter, Senior Program his professors to identify areas needing further study.
Manager • Phone: (415) 225-8171 • The future teachers also spend a great deal of time practicing the 13
Fax: (415) 225-1657 • essential skills in local classrooms, often in Milwaukee’s inner city
E-mail: teeter.geoffrey@gene.com • neighborhoods. Alverno alumni are prepared to continue learning
URL:http://www.gene.com throughout their careers and many choose to work in the city’s most
challenging schools. q
91
L E A R N I N G T O T E A C H
Mentoring
for Success
Liberal arts graduates interested in
becoming teachers get an intensive
dose of both theory and practice
in the University of Southern
Maine’s Extended Teacher Educa-
tion Program (ETEP). University
faculty and teachers at five area
schools collaborated in designing
the program and work as full part-
ners in operating it. The core of
ETEP is a yearlong internship that
pairs interns with experienced
teachers who are trained for their
role as mentors. Interns participate
in the daily activities and routines Grow Your Own Teachers
of a teacher, observe instruction, Many youngsters begin making
co-plan and teach lessons, and South Carolina Center for Teacher dec i s i ons abo ut their futu re
eventually assume full-time teach- Recruitment Canterbury House, Rock careers as early as the seventh
ing responsibilities. At the same Hill, SC 29733 Contact: Janice Poda, grade . So that’s wh en So ut h
time, they take graduate courses Executive Director • Phone:(803)323-4032 • Ca rolina begins rec ru i ting its
taught by both teachers and uni- Fax: (803) 323-4044 • best and bri gh test students to
versity faculty. The program E-mail: janice.poda@ bbs.serve.org • con s i der a career in te ach i n g.
encourages interns to reflect on URL:http://www1.winthrop.edu/scctr/ Un der a statewi de progra m
their teaching practices and on begun in 1989, m i d dle sch oo l
the relationship between theory students are given opportunities to learn about the work of teaching
and practice. and the requirements to become a teacher. Those who show an interest
Many ETEP interns are experi- enter a pipeline of programs that provide support and encouragement
enced professionals seeking a career through high school, college, and their first years of teaching.
change who bring valuable knowl- A key part of South Carolina’s effort is the Teacher Cadet program,
edge to their schools. At Yarmouth a yearlong elective course for outstanding students offered at 77 percent
High School, for example, an of the state’s high sch oo l s . Practicing teachers wrote—and regularly
intern with substantial experience revise—the Teacher Cadet curriculum, which covers such topics as child
in interactive multimedia design devel opm en t , ef fective te ach i n g, and the or ga n i z a ti onal aspects
helped teachers integrate multi- of s ch oo l s . In one language arts project, for example, s tu dents write
media in the curriculum. q an original script and create hand puppets for use in an elementary
classroom. Cadets also attend regional conferences at local universities.
Extended Teacher Education Program Some 7,500 former Teacher Cadets have enrolled in teacher education
Admissions and Advising Office, College of Educa- programs, forming the core of a next generation of teachers that
tion and Human Development, University of South- will increase the racial and ethnic diversity of the state’s teaching force
ern Maine,118 Bailey Hall, Gorham,ME 04038 • and alleviate teacher shortages in areas such as science, math, and
Contact: Carol Lynn Davis,USM Coordinator for special education. q
ETEP’s Yarmouth Site • Phone: (207) 780-5068 • Fax:
(207) 780-5043 • E-mail: CLDavis@usm.maine.edu •
URL: http://www.usm.maine.edu
Learning to Write, Writing to Learn
Each summer, a select group of work with staff to create work- peer network. The success of the
20 teachers gets a taste of what shops on their writing practices Bay Area Writing Project paved
their students go through when and philosophy. Topics ranged the way for the National Writing
they sit down to write. In daily from alternative approaches to Project, which has spawned more
writing sessions, participants in teaching grammar to incorporat- than 150 similar endeavors
the Bay Area Writing Project’s ing science facts into fiction. After throughout the United States. q
Summer Invitational Institute the Institute, they join a network
learn firsthand about the anguish of about 500 project alumni who
of writer’s block and the joy of a teach other teachers at workshops Bay Area Writing Project
well-turned phrase. The goal of in area schools, conduct class- School of Education, University of
these sessions is to help teachers room research, and continue to California Berkeley, 5511 Tolman
gain a greater understanding of hone their leadership abilities. Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 Contact:
the writing process so they can While the explicit goal of the Carol Tateishi, Director • Phone:
become better teachers of writing. project is to improve the teaching (510) 642-0971 • Fax: (510) 642-4545 •
During the five-week Institute, and learning of writing, alumni E-mail: tateish@uclink4.berkeley.edu •
participants—who are chosen for say the biggest benefits are an URL: http://www-gse.berkeley.edu/
the innovative ways they use writ- increased feeling of professionalism research/nwp/nwp.html
ing in their classrooms—also and the chance to be a part of a
Partners in Professional Preparation
Every Wednesday morning at “Most teachers talk about Each year, a group of MSU
Holt Senior High School, the questions such as,‘What students is placed at Holt for
school’s 60 staff members can be their teaching internships. The
found discussing issues like ado- lesson plans are we going interns are supervised by both
lescent development, reviewing to choose?’We focus on school and university faculty and
the research they’ve done, or questioning why participate in Holt’s professional
planning how to improve the development efforts. Faculty from
school. Thanks to a modified
we do what we do.” both schools also collaborate to
schedule and extended calendar, teachers talk about questions such conduct research and teach classes.
teachers have these three hours as, ‘What lesson plans are we going Charles Thompson, MSU’s
each week away from their class- to choose?’ We focus on question- co-director of PDS’s, sums up the
room duties to concentrate on ing why we do what we do.” appeal of the partnership: “The
professional development. “The Holt’s commitment to ongoing kind of concerns about serving
kinds of discussions we have are self-improvement is a key reason the needs of students that Holt
different than those at most they were selected to be a Profes- has makes it a good place for our
schools,” explains Dean Manikas, sional Development School education students to learn to
assistant principal at Holt.“Most (PDS) for Michigan State Univer- teach,” he says .“ Ideally, we not
sity’s College of Education only want them in classrooms
Holt Senior High School Holt Public (MSU). PDS’s are partnerships with different approaches to
Schools,1784 Aurelious Road, Holt, between teacher education pro- curriculum and instruction,
MI 48842 Contact: Dean Manikas, grams and schools that serve as but in a whole different kind
Assistant Principal • Phone: laboratories where educators of school environment. Holt has
(517) 694-2162 • Fax:(517) 699-3451 from the two arenas work together created that.” q
to improve both institutions.
93
L E A R N I N G T O T E A C H
A C C E S S T O I N F O R M A T I O N
Organizations
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
Description: A national membership organization for colleges and universities
“Professional sports teams are built with teacher education programs and individuals with ties to public schools
progressively, starting with and government. Purpose: To provide support for members in areas such as
developmental leagues for little data gathering, equity concerns,leadership development,networking, policy
kids and ending with world-class analysis,scholarly research,and other professional issues. Activities: Keeps
competition. We need a comparable members informed and involved through study groups, forums,a journal,
approach for supporting educators and an annual conference. Maintains comprehensive databases of teacher
across their career continuum.” education programs and state teacher policies. Contact: Research and Informa-
David Haselkorn,3 President, Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. tion Services • American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education,
One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20036 •
Phone: (202) 293-2450 • Fax:(202) 457-8095 • URL: http://www.aacte.org
Center for Educational ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher The Galef Institute Description: A nonprofit education
Renewal Description: A Education Description: One of 16 federally funded organization founded in 1989 that d eveloped Dif -
partnership of 25 col- education clearinghouses of the Educational n
ferent Ways of K owing, a school-change initiative.
leges and universities Resource Information Center (ERIC) system. Purpose: To improve student achievement and accel-
working with more Purpose: To provide the public and e ducators at all erate school reform by helping teachers adopt an
than 100 public school levels with information about teaching and teacher arts-infused interdisciplinary curriculum. Activities:
districts. Purpose: To education. Activities: Collects, abstracts,and indexes Works year-round over a period of three to five years
improve K-12 education thousands of relevant journal articles, research with teachers, administrators, and school commu-
and university-level reports,curriculum guides, books,and conference nities to help improve curriculum and classroom
teacher preparation. papers. This information is compiled in a database n
practices. Through Different Ways of K owing, the
Based on the ideas set available in print, on-line, or on CD-ROM. Institute provides classroom tools for teachers and
forth by John Goodlad, Clearinghouse staff will conduct searches on spe- students, professional development institutes,
co-founder and director, cific topics for a fee. Also provides free or low-cost workshops,and ongoing technical assistance and
in his books, A Place resources on a variety of topics. Contact: Dorothy study group meetings. Publishes a newsletter,
Called School and Teach - Stewart, User Services Coordinator • ERIC Clear- Teacher-To-Teacher, in which teachers offer advice
ers for Our Nation ’s inghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education, and recommend resources. Contact: Sue Beauregard,
Schools. Activities: Pub- American Association of Colleges for Teacher Vice President Programs and Communications •
lishes conceptual papers Education, One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 610, The Galef Institute,11050 Santa Monica Boule-
and progress reports. Washington, DC 20036 • Phone: (800) 822-9229 • vard, Third Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025 •
Contact: Roger Soder, Fax: (202) 457-8095 • E-mail: ericsp@inet.ed.gov • Phone:(310) 479-8883 • Fax: (310) 473-9720 •
Associate Director • URL: http://www.ericsp.org E-mail: sue@galef.com
Center for Educational
Renewal, College of Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Description: A consortium of state
Education, University education agencies,higher education institutions,and national education organizations established in
of Washington,313 1987. Members represent more than 36 states. Purpose: To help restructure teacher preparation,licensing,
Miller Hall, Box 353600, and professional development. Developing model licensing standards and performance assessments in
Seattle, WA 98195 • six subject areas based on emerging national standards for students. Activities: Maintains a clearinghouse
Phone: (206) 543-6230 • of resources and holds annual seminars to help members plan and carry out teacher education reforms
Fax:(206) 543-8439 in their own states. Contact: Jean Miller, Director • Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support
Consortium, Council of Chief State School Officers,One Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20001 • Phone: (202) 336-7048 • Fax:(202) 789-1792 • URL: http://www.ccsso.org
“Good teaching is not just writing
’
engaging lesson plans; its
thinking deeply about what
we are doing and looking for
ways to do it better.”
Joan Cone,4 English Teacher, El Cerrito High School,
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Massachusetts Field National Center for
Center for Teaching Research on Teacher
and Learning Learning (NCRTL)
Description: Statewide Description: A university-
professional develop- based education research
ment organization center. Purpose: To
led by teachers. Purpose: explore how teachers
To help ensure that learn and how to
teachers’ voices and improve teacher educa- National Staff Development Council (NSDC) Description: A nonprofit organization
experiences influence tion. The Center’s with more than 8,000 individual and organizational members worldwide.
school change and edu- research is based on its Purpose: To ensure success for all students by serving as an international
cational policy. Activities: earlier finding that n et work for educators and by supporting individual and or ga n i z a ti on a l
Holds annual confer- teachers are inadequately development. Activities: Helps members share information through annual
ences for educators and prepared to teach chal- conferences, periodic workshops, and numerous publ i c a ti on s . Offers a
policy makers. Provides lenging academic con- customized,two-year professional development program for schools and dis-
grants to individuals tent to diverse learners. tricts. Contact: Shirley Havens, Business Manager • National Staff Development
and teams of kinder- Activities: More than 100 Council,PO Box 240, Oxford,OH 45056 • Phone: (513) 523-6029 •
garten through 12th- publications present Fax: (513) 523-0638 • E-mail: nsdchavens@aol.com • URL:http://www.nsdc.org
grade teachers for current research on
research and ongoing, how teachers learn and National Urban Alliance for Effective Education
school-based study explore how these “All teachers, (NUA) Description: Partnership of school systems,
groups. Conducts a insights can improve both preservice universities,publishers, telecommunications agen-
professional develop- teacher preparation. cies,and educational organizations launched in
and in-service,
ment academy for Contact: Robert Floden, 1989. Purpose: To improve instruction in urban
must be
educators. Publishes Co-Director • National schools through staff development. Activities: Works
Teaching Voices,a Center for Research on
given ample with schools and communities to design compre-
bimonthly newsletter. Teacher Learning,
opportunities hensive professional development programs,
Contact: Karen O’Connor, College of Education, to experience focusing on areas ranging from leadership devel-
Executive Director • Michigan State Univer- the power and opment to strategies that encourage collaboration
Massachusetts Field sity, 116 Erickson Hall, excitement of among educators and community members.
Center for Teaching and East Lansing, MI 48824 • teaching and Trained participants serve as program coordina-
Learning, University of Phone: (517) 355-9302 • learning with tors in their districts. Services include distance
Massachusetts at Fax: (517) 432-2795 • technolog y.” learning, production of instructional video tapes
Boston, 100 Morrissey E-mail:floden@msu.edu • Neal Strudler,5 and guides,symposia,and conferences. Contact:
Boulevard, Boston, URL:http://ncrtl.msu.edu Associate Professor Eric Cooper, Executive Director • National Urban
and Coordinator of
MA 02125 • Phone: Educational Computing, Alliance for Effective Education, Teachers College,
College of Education,
(617) 287-7660 • University of Nevada, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street,
Fax: (617) 287-7664 • Las Vegas Box 149, New York,NY 10027 •
E-mail: oconnor@ Phone: (800) 682-4556 • Fax: (908) 604-0711
umbsky.cc.umb.edu
95
L E A R N I N G T O T E A C H
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Description: A professional accrediting
agency founded by 29 national organizations of educators and policy makers. Purpose: To encourage “My teacher
teacher education programs to meet national standards. The New Professional Teacher (NPT) project is education
an effort to draft performance-based standards for teacher preparation compatible with standards for program
kindergarten through 12th-grade students in various subjects. Activities: NCATE provides a free list of
helped me
accredited schools of education nationwide. NPT offers state forums to help educators, policy makers,
learn how to
and parents explore changes needed in teacher preparation to ensure good teaching. Contact: Jane
continually
Leibbrand, Director of Communications • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education,
2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036 • Phone: (202) 466-7496 •
monitor my
Fax: (202) 296-6620 • E-mail: ncate@ncate.org weaknesses
and strengths.
Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. (RNT) Description: Nonprofit educational organization founded in 1986. Now I’m confi-
Purpose: To help improve teacher recruitment, development,and diversity for the nation’s schools. dent in my
Activities: Sponsors, with the Advertising Council, a national public service advertising campaign to raise teaching, but
appreciation for teaching and attract new candidates to the profession,especially persons of color and I’ll never stop
potential teachers for urban schools. Provides information and counseling services to prospective teach- learning and
ers and links candidates with schools and colleges of teacher education. Assists educational policy makers, improving.”
promotes pre-collegiate teacher recruitment programs,and offers publications, conferences,networking, Karen Ambrosh,6
and technical assistance.A recent report, Breaking the Class C eiling, identifies 149 programs that prepare Milwaukee Public
School Teacher
workers such as paraprofessionals or volunteers to be teachers. Contact: David Haselkorn, President • and Alverno
Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.,385 Concord Avenue, Suite 103, Belmont,MA 02178 • Phone: College Alumna
(617) 489-6000 • Fax: (617) 489-6005 • E-mail: rnt@tiac.net • URL: http://www.rnt.org
S h orec rest Hi gh Sch oo l ,S h orel i n e , WA
Periodicals
Journal of Teacher Education: The Journal of Policy, Practice, and Research
in Teacher Education Description: A scholarly journal published five times per
year. Focus: Each issue centers around specific themes, such as urban education
or gender issues, exploring how policies, research,and practice in those areas
impact the field. Publisher: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Edu-
cation and Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks,CA • Phone:(805) 499-0721.
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Description: Quarterly academic
journal. Focus: Presents the latest research and practices for integrating tech-
nology into both preservice and in-service teacher education. Issues range
Journal of Computing Journal of Staff from the role of electronic networking in professional development to profiles
in Teacher Education Development of technology-infused teacher preparation programs. Publisher: Association
Description: Quarterly Description: Quarterly for the Advancement of Computing in Education, Charlottesville, VA •
academic journal fea- journal with scholarly Phone:(804) 973-3987.
turing research articles and thematic ar ticles.
and book reviews. Focus: Explores theory, Pathways Description: Biannual newsletter of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s
Focus: Examines efforts, research,and best prac- Digest Pathways to Teaching Careers Program, Northeast & Midwest Expan-
both successful and tices of staff develop- sion Project. Focus: Each issue provides updates on the 11 colleges and univer-
unsuccessful, to infuse ment as it relates to sities that are part of a multi-year effort to improve teacher recruitment and
technology into preser- improving schools. preparation. The project targets paraprofessionals and other uncertified
vice teacher education. Publisher: National Staff teachers,particularly minorities, who are currently working in the public
Publisher: International Development Council, schools. Publisher: Bank Street College of Education, New York,NY •
Society for Technology in Oxford, OH • Phone: Phone: (212) 875-4528.
Education, Eugene, OR • (513) 523-6029.
Phone: (800) 336-5191.
Darling-Hammond,
Readings Linda, Arthur E. Wise,
and Stephen P. Klein.
Corcoran, Thomas C. Transforming Professional A License to Teach:
Development for Teachers: A Guide for State Building a Profession
Policymakers. National Governors’ Association: for 21st Century
Washington,DC,1995. Phone: (301) 498-3738. q Schools. Westview Press:
A useful guide intended for state policymakers Boulder, CO, 1995.
interested in improving the effectiveness of their Phone: (800) 242-7737.
K-12 professional development programs. q Describes efforts to
Describes the vital role of professional develop- develop performance-
ment in school reform and offers tips for based standards and
allocating financial and human resources. assessments for teacher
licensing. The authors
The National Commission on Teaching & profile pioneering
America’s Future. What Matters Most: Teaching efforts in California and
for America’s Future. The National Commission Minnesota and discuss
on Teaching & America’s Future: New York, NY, the challenges of imple-
1996. Phone: (212) 678-3015. q Argues that a menting this work on
well-prepared teaching force is essential to a national scale.
educational reform. Recommends setting higher
standards for teachers,improving preparation Professional Development. The ERIC Review. Vol. 3, ACCESS ERIC: Rockville,
programs, organizing schools to support MD. Winter 1995. Phone:(800) 538-3742. q Leaders in preservice and in-
collaboration and professional growth,and service education describe different approaches to professional development
establishing a strict accountability system that for kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers through profiles of innovative
also rewards excellence. programs and short articles. Includes a list of print and organization resources.
Goodlad, John. Educational Renewal: Better Teachers, Better Schools. The Holmes Group Rényi, Judith. Teachers
Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA, 1994. Phone: (800) 956-7739. q A leading Tomorrow’s Schools of Take Charge of Their
expert in the field offers a detailed look at his evolving vision of how reforms Education: A Report of Learning: Transforming
in teacher education and public schooling can proceed hand-in-hand. Good- the Holmes Group. Professional Develop-
lad argues that education professors need to band together with colleagues Holmes Group: East ment for Student
from the math and sciences and public school faculty to form “centers of Lansing, MI,1995. Success. The National
pedagogy”that integrate scholarly inquiry with extended experiences in Phone: (517) 353-3874. Foundation for the
public schools. q Classroom teachers Improvement of Educa -
and university faculty tion: Washington,DC,
Committee on Biology Teacher Inservice Programs, Board on Biology, Com- from many of the 1996. Phone:
mission on Life Sciences, et al. The Role of Scientists in the Professional nation’s most prestigious (202) 822-7840. q
Development of Science Teachers. National Academy Press: Washington,DC, schools of education Addresses the impor-
1996. Phone: (800) 624-6242. q A how-to guide for scientists interested in propose a blueprint for tance of making profes-
helping to improve science education by assisting in the p rofessional develop- reforming teacher sional development a
ment of practicing teachers. preparation. They part of the daily work
recommend creating of teachers. Offers sug-
Lieberman, Ann,and Lynne Miller. Staff Development for Education in the professional develop- gestions for improving
90’s: New Demands, New Realities, New Perspectives. 2nd Edition Teachers ment schools to forge professional practice to
College Press: New York,NY 1991. Phone: (800) 575-6566 q Leading educa-
, stronger connections meet the needs of stu-
tors argue that effective staff development cannot be dictated from above, but between university- dents in the 21st century.
must be based on needs identified by teachers. Their essays offer tips to help based studies and
teachers take control of continued learning and urge communities to make a classroom realities.
sustained commitment to ongoing professional development.
9
L E A R N I N G T O T E A C H
Tyson, Harriet. Who Will Teach the Children?
Progress and Resistance in Teacher Education.
Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA,1994. Phone:
(800) 956-7739. q Through portraits of teacher
education in Oregon and at five schools of
education in the South and Midwest,the author
conducts an in-depth examination of teacher
preparation,including structures and policies
that can hamper or support real reform.
Villegas, Ana Maria, Beatriz Chu Clewell, Bernice
Taylor Anderson, et al. Teaching for Diversity:
Models for Expanding the Supply of Minority
Teachers. Policy Information C enter, Educational
Testing Service: Princeton, NJ, 1995. Phone:
(609) 734-5694. q Examines successful strategies
for recruiting, preparing, and graduating minority
teacher education students. Several different
approaches are explored, including helping
paraprofessionals become certified teachers.
“Too many staff development Contact Information
programs are adult pull-out 2
Lynn Cherkasky-Davis Teacher • 5
Neal Strudler Associate Professor and
programs, where teachers are The Foundations School, Coordinator of Educational Computing •
taken out of the classroom to 2040 West Adams Street, College of Education, University of
be taught, but the job setting Chicago, IL 60612 • Nevada, Las Vegas,4505 Maryland
remains unaffected. Individual Phone:(312) 534-7605 • Parkway, Las Vegas,NV 89154 •
learning has to occur within Fax: (312) 534-7604 • Phone: (702) 895-1306 •
the redesign of the workplace E-mail: LynnieCD@aol.com Fax:(702) 895-4898 •
of teachers.” E-mail:strudler@nevada.edu
3
David Haselkorn President • Recruiting
Dennis Sparks,7 Executive Director,
6
National Staff Development Council New Teachers, Inc.,385 Concord Avenue, Karen Ambrosh Milwaukee Public School
Suite 103, Belmont,MA 02178 • Teacher and Alverno College Alumna •
Phone: (617) 489-6000 • 1022 West Eden Place,
1
Linda Darling-Hammond Co-Director • Fax: (617) 489-6005 • Milwaukee,WI 53221 •
National Center for Restructuring E-mail: rnt@tiac.net Phone and Fax: (414) 483-6097 •
Education,Schools and Teaching, E-mail: KDBrosh@aol.com
4
Teachers College, Columbia University, Joan Cone English Teacher •
7
Box 86,525 West 120th Street, El Cerrito High School, West Contra Dennis Sparks Executive Director •
New York,NY 10027 • Costa Unified School District, National Staff Development Council,
Phone: (212) 678-4142 • 540 Ashbury Street, 1124 West Liberty Street,
Fax:(212) 678-4039 El Cerrito, CA 94530 • Ann Arbor, MI 48103 •
Phone: (510) 525 0344 • Phone:(313) 998-0574 •
Fax:(510) 525-1810 • Fax: (313) 998-0628 •
E-mail:joancone@uclink4.berkeley.edu E-mail:sparksnsdc@aol.com
