Certified expertise

Immediately after I established this blog, Tetsuro and I had a long conversation about what we mean when we say "teaching expertise." Well, apparently National Board Certification has the answer, because they are certifying teachers for possession of just that, i.e., teaching expertise. I am going to look into the ways in which teachers must demonstrate expertise in order to receive this certification. In the meantime, if someone can shed some light on this, I would be happy to hear from you.

http://readme.readmedia.com/16-Iowa-State-Education-Association-members-earn-National-Board-Certification/1803155

How does morale play into the development of expertise?

This is the question I find myself contemplating after reading this very distressing article on the Washington Post website. Take some time to read the article. I won't say it's uplifting, but even in the midst of the turbulent changes occurring in our schools, we can still see the dedication that these teachers have to their jobs and the children they teach. At the same time, we can also see how their morale is being sapped by increasingly larger numbers of students to teach in each class, micromanagement, lay-offs and budget cuts, etc. I don't imagine that many teachers teaching in these conditions feel motivated enough to continue their professional development, but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/teachers/teachers-how-much-more-can-we.html

High quality teachers...

Another article, this time about a white paper on education in the UK, emphasizing the importance of attracting "high quality" recent college graduates into teaching careers. One thing that concerns me about this trend is the implied (or sometimes implicitly stated) idea that we should be attracting potential teachers to the profession who have a good deal of subject matter expertise. However, there seems to be little emphasis on attracting those who might have potential in terms of developing teaching expertise, or who have already started to acquire it..

http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/39757

Co-teaching and expertise

I have had many opportunities to co-teach in Japan. It is always a challenge to adjust styles, but the end result usually comes out better than expected. Also there is the added benefit of professional development: As I and my colleague blend our ideas and expertise to fit the students we are teaching, I often wind up adding to my bag of tricks, and find myself growing through them. So, when I came across this brief article, it struck a consonant chord in me. I thought I might share it with the hope that others who have co-taught or team-taught before would contribute their experiences with this approach to teaching, too. 

http://www.gcnews.com/news/2010-12-03/School/High_School_Teachers_Share_CoTeaching_Approaches.html

Getting serious about improving teaching?

This editorial from the StarTribune points out a disturbing "coincidence":  Children of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to be taught by less qualified teachers than those of higher socioeconomic status. In other words, poor children have a greater chance of meeting inexperienced teachers or teachers teaching outside of their field of expertise in the classroom than rich children do. Although the need for expert teachers is acute at all levels of the education system, it seems to me that teachers with the most expertise are needed in schools where children may lack options other than attending public schools or the support at home necessary for them to thrive academically. Please take a look at the editorial and let us know what you think.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/111082899.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUvDEhiaE3miUsZ