An interesting article about Blogs and teachers' professional development.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/oHocszvsnyaPmDCibSoaCicNtgAWTo assert that schools are hostile to learning is a bold statement�but if you've worked in education for any length of time, chances are you were nodding your head as you read Elmore's thoughts.
Blogs become a forum for public articulation�and public articulation is essential for educators interested in refining and revising their thinking about teaching and learning.
Wow - that's some article! So many interesting resources - so little time!
Thanks Inky!
Really though-provoking article- thanks for the link Inky! It's good to see that many teachers are now becoming more aware of learning styles, learning preferences, and offering choices to students (choices in both complexity and challenge), rather than the old "One-size fits all" and "We've got to cover this by the end of next week" syndrome..
As a teacher who has sat through way too many stupid professional developments, I can totally sympathize with this article. I need a course on how to make parents give a darn about their kid, how to lower the importance of football and increase the importance of books, and how to manage the sheer volume of paperwork!
On what Thinks said- I think the unfortunate part of our current education system paralyzes teachers. I have been very lucky to only teach in the charter school system. However, many friends are in traditional public schools. You can learn all about learning styles and make all the plans in the world, but it only comes down to those April test scores. Scores don't go up? You lose your job. Sadly, this is why many GT kids get left behind. Their scores are already up so it doesn't help much. Teachers have to raise the lowest 20% to really protect themselves. Depressing really... it doesn't work well for anyone.