Closing the Gap...
I got into an interesting conversation with a colleague who is a cooperating teacher the other day when she noted that student teachers often come to the classroom with a "deep-rooted understanding of 'thinking outside the box,' but usually know very little about curriculum, assessing learning, and many other the practicalities of the job."
I immediately saw my own weaknesses in her statement. I truly feel underprepared when it comes to developing effective assessments, reliably measuring student learning and spiraling a curriculum. Not only did I have little preparation in these areas in my undergraduate education, I've had few opportunities to participate in meaningful professional development in these areas since entering the classroom 14 years ago.
Isn't that shocking?
What's worse is that I've been aware of these gaps in my abilities for a few years now. I've been reading books on classroom assessment and seeking out opportunities to work with colleagues that I see as 'experts' in this area on a pretty regular basis. All of this extra effort, though, comes after school or on the weekends---whenever I can find a few spare moments between sets of papers that need to be graded. It's inconsistent at best--far from the systematic, on the job learning that leads to real professional growth.
Can we really close achievement gaps between student groups before we address the knowledge gaps that teachers bring to their classrooms? Is it time to begin differentiating professional learning opportunities for teachers based on their individual skill sets and self-identified needs?
Why are we so resistant to teacher driven professional development?
I got into an interesting conversation with a colleague who is a cooperating teacher the other day when she noted that student teachers often come to the classroom with a "deep-rooted understanding of 'thinking outside the box,' but usually know very little about curriculum, assessing learning, and many other the practicalities of the job."
I immediately saw my own weaknesses in her statement. I truly feel underprepared when it comes to developing effective assessments, reliably measuring student learning and spiraling a curriculum. Not only did I have little preparation in these areas in my undergraduate education, I've had few opportunities to participate in meaningful professional development in these areas since entering the classroom 14 years ago.
Isn't that shocking?
What's worse is that I've been aware of these gaps in my abilities for a few years now. I've been reading books on classroom assessment and seeking out opportunities to work with colleagues that I see as 'experts' in this area on a pretty regular basis. All of this extra effort, though, comes after school or on the weekends---whenever I can find a few spare moments between sets of papers that need to be graded. It's inconsistent at best--far from the systematic, on the job learning that leads to real professional growth.
Can we really close achievement gaps between student groups before we address the knowledge gaps that teachers bring to their classrooms? Is it time to begin differentiating professional learning opportunities for teachers based on their individual skill sets and self-identified needs?
Why are we so resistant to teacher driven professional development?
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