1.Teachers need to develop and be certain of their personal values and goals in teaching. Once teachers have a clear understanding of what they want to accomplish in the classroom, the burdens and the complaining that is often associated with teachers can be diminished by focusing on what is important. Teachers thus need to be reflective in their thoughts and their practice by taking time to journal, conduct discussions with colleagues and students and to give evaluations so that they can ascertain whether their values and goals are being reached. And then once their values and goals are identified they need to be lifelong learners and participate in activities that help them reach those goals.
2. Teachers need to be risk-takers and to take steps, no matter how small, to foster change and growth. The authors are asking the teachers to be the first ones to try something for the good of the others at their school site.
3. This book encourages teachers not to be hermits and “balkanize” or segregate into their own teaching departments. They encourage teachers to share their ideas and experiences and especially how they have risked so that all can benefit from the knowledge of the staff. Teachers are to be leaders no matter what official role that they serve. Every teacher is an expert at something and that experience needs to be shared for the common good. Teachers need to support all their colleagues including their administrators.
4.Teachers should understand that their development is tied hand to hand with the development of their students. When teachers continue to improve and have desire to increase their realm of knowledge, the students will benefit from this and more development with occur in them.
All of these points put alot of the reform possiblilities and failures of schooling back on the classroom teacher.
1 comment:
I have a minor in Arts Adminstration and really thought through college that that was where my career would go. The first thing I did when I became a teacher was to write a "mission statement" for teaching. In one year your students will remember less then 10% of what you said. What do you want them to remember?
I'm the dork that gets excited when the principal introduces his visions for school growth. I sit and formualte what can be done, how can we show people we are doing it and what do we need to get there. Yah, I'm eccentric like that.
I really believe the teacher as a reflective practicioner theory. I myself am a reflector of the people around me. If the teacher is continually learning, growning and developing, the students will reflect that.
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