Teaching Matters Most
Purchase
Description
A laser-beam focus on improving instruction to improve learning
Saying "teaching matters most" is easy, and seems obvious. Making it the top priority for school leaders and staff is not so easy—in fact, it's messy. If we want to change how students write, compute, and think, then teachers must change how they teach. They must transform the old "assign-and-assess" model into engaging, compassionate, coherent, and rigorous instruction. The authors show school leaders how to make this happen amidst myriad distractions, initiatives, and interruptions.
Unlike other books that stop at evaluating teachers and instruction, this work demonstrates how to grow schools' instructional capacities with a three-step process that involves:
- Envisioning what good teaching looks like
- Measuring the quality of current instruction against this standard
- Working relentlessly to move the quality of instruction closer and closer to the ideal
The authors provide helpful guidance on issues such as hiring, induction, professional development, mentoring, and teacher evaluation. Each chapter offers specific action steps toward building the blueprint for improvement. Also included are frameworks for completing instructional audits in schools, and probes, instruments, and protocols for measuring and tracking the quality of instruction. Leaders will find excellent guidance for spearheading and sustaining a focused and aligned effort to improve the quality of teaching to impact all learners.
Contents
Foreword by Deborah Meier
Foreword by Deborah Meier
Preface: Lessons Learned From Experience
- A “New” Take in School Improvement
- Central Theme
- Organization of the Book
- What Makes This Book Distinctive
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
- 1. What are common practices in schools?
- What We Found in Classrooms
- Truths Hidden in Plain View
- Transforming Accountability
- New Direction
- Are There “Best Practices” in Teaching?
- Bringing Best Practices to Scale
- Are Some Practices Better Than Others?
- The Poverty of Prescribing Best Practices
- 2. What distinguishes quality teaching?
- Three Classrooms, Three Practitioners
- A Simple Truth Hidden in Plain View
- Disjointed Teaching
- Why Teachers Are Frustrated
- What Is Quality Teaching?
- Observing High-Quality Teaching
- Instructional Systems
- The Road Less Traveled
- 3. How do we learn about the quality of our teaching?
- How to Make the Case for an Emphasis on Teacher Quality
- Three Leadership Requirements
- Defining Quality Teaching
- How to Engage School Personnel in Devising a Vision of Quality Instruction
- Some Rudiments of Quality Teaching
- The Importance of Curriculum Coherence
- Learning From Students
- The Current State of Teaching in Your School
- How to Evaluate the Quality of Teaching in Your School
- 4. What should induction and mentoring look like?
- Basic Components of a Teacher Mentor Program
- Facing Critical Junctures Together
- Planning for New Teachers’ Success
- 5. What should professional development look like?
- What We Know About Professional Development
- The Disregarded Truths of Professional Development
- The Components of a Professional Learning Culture
- Building Blocks of Professional Learning
- Leading Professional Learning Communities
- 6. How can teacher evaluaiton become more meaningful?
- “Drive-By” Teacher Evaluation
- “Absentee Landords”
- Lists and Rubrics Abound
- 7. How can we sustain a culture of exceptional instruction?
- Ten Actions to Sustain High-Quality Teaching
- Systems in Place
- Sanctity of the Classroom
- Envisioning Quality Teaching
- Right People in Right Places
- Balanced Leadership
- Clear and Timely Communication
- Standards for Professional Conduct
- Collaboration
- Reflection and Continuous Improvement
- Ongoing Professional Dialogues
- 8. How do we face our leadership challenges?
- Suppressing Distraction
- Building Principal’s Knowledge
- Building Trust
- Influencing Resistant Teachers
- Coping With the Pace
- Final Thoughts
Resources
- A. How Can You Spot a Really Good Teacher?
- B. Framework for Observing Classes
- C. Student Forum Questions
- D. Teacher Interview Questions
References
References
Index
Index
Description
A laser-beam focus on improving instruction to improve learning
Saying "teaching matters most" is easy, and seems obvious. Making it the top priority for school leaders and staff is not so easy—in fact, it's messy. If we want to change how students write, compute, and think, then teachers must change how they teach. They must transform the old "assign-and-assess" model into engaging, compassionate, coherent, and rigorous instruction. The authors show school leaders how to make this happen amidst myriad distractions, initiatives, and interruptions.
Unlike other books that stop at evaluating teachers and instruction, this work demonstrates how to grow schools' instructional capacities with a three-step process that involves:
- Envisioning what good teaching looks like
- Measuring the quality of current instruction against this standard
- Working relentlessly to move the quality of instruction closer and closer to the ideal
The authors provide helpful guidance on issues such as hiring, induction, professional development, mentoring, and teacher evaluation. Each chapter offers specific action steps toward building the blueprint for improvement. Also included are frameworks for completing instructional audits in schools, and probes, instruments, and protocols for measuring and tracking the quality of instruction. Leaders will find excellent guidance for spearheading and sustaining a focused and aligned effort to improve the quality of teaching to impact all learners.
Contents
Foreword by Deborah Meier
Foreword by Deborah Meier
Preface: Lessons Learned From Experience
- A “New” Take in School Improvement
- Central Theme
- Organization of the Book
- What Makes This Book Distinctive
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
- 1. What are common practices in schools?
- What We Found in Classrooms
- Truths Hidden in Plain View
- Transforming Accountability
- New Direction
- Are There “Best Practices” in Teaching?
- Bringing Best Practices to Scale
- Are Some Practices Better Than Others?
- The Poverty of Prescribing Best Practices
- 2. What distinguishes quality teaching?
- Three Classrooms, Three Practitioners
- A Simple Truth Hidden in Plain View
- Disjointed Teaching
- Why Teachers Are Frustrated
- What Is Quality Teaching?
- Observing High-Quality Teaching
- Instructional Systems
- The Road Less Traveled
- 3. How do we learn about the quality of our teaching?
- How to Make the Case for an Emphasis on Teacher Quality
- Three Leadership Requirements
- Defining Quality Teaching
- How to Engage School Personnel in Devising a Vision of Quality Instruction
- Some Rudiments of Quality Teaching
- The Importance of Curriculum Coherence
- Learning From Students
- The Current State of Teaching in Your School
- How to Evaluate the Quality of Teaching in Your School
- 4. What should induction and mentoring look like?
- Basic Components of a Teacher Mentor Program
- Facing Critical Junctures Together
- Planning for New Teachers’ Success
- 5. What should professional development look like?
- What We Know About Professional Development
- The Disregarded Truths of Professional Development
- The Components of a Professional Learning Culture
- Building Blocks of Professional Learning
- Leading Professional Learning Communities
- 6. How can teacher evaluaiton become more meaningful?
- “Drive-By” Teacher Evaluation
- “Absentee Landords”
- Lists and Rubrics Abound
- 7. How can we sustain a culture of exceptional instruction?
- Ten Actions to Sustain High-Quality Teaching
- Systems in Place
- Sanctity of the Classroom
- Envisioning Quality Teaching
- Right People in Right Places
- Balanced Leadership
- Clear and Timely Communication
- Standards for Professional Conduct
- Collaboration
- Reflection and Continuous Improvement
- Ongoing Professional Dialogues
- 8. How do we face our leadership challenges?
- Suppressing Distraction
- Building Principal’s Knowledge
- Building Trust
- Influencing Resistant Teachers
- Coping With the Pace
- Final Thoughts
Resources
- A. How Can You Spot a Really Good Teacher?
- B. Framework for Observing Classes
- C. Student Forum Questions
- D. Teacher Interview Questions
References
References
Index
Index
Reviews
Teaching Matters Most
A School Leader’s Guide to Improving Classroom Instruction
June 2012 | 208 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 01/01/2025 | 9781452205106 | $41.95 |
| Lifetime | 01/01/2025 | 9781452283883 | $38.00 |
A laser-beam focus on improving instruction to improve learning
Saying "teaching matters most" is easy, and seems obvious. Making it the top priority for school leaders and staff is not so easy—in fact, it's messy. If we want to change how students write, compute, and think, then teachers must change how they teach. They must transform the old "assign-and-assess" model into engaging, compassionate, coherent, and rigorous instruction. The authors show school leaders how to make this happen amidst myriad distractions, initiatives, and interruptions.
Unlike other books that stop at evaluating teachers and instruction, this work demonstrates how to grow schools' instructional capacities with a three-step process that involves:
- Envisioning what good teaching looks like
- Measuring the quality of current instruction against this standard
- Working relentlessly to move the quality of instruction closer and closer to the ideal
The authors provide helpful guidance on issues such as hiring, induction, professional development, mentoring, and teacher evaluation. Each chapter offers specific action steps toward building the blueprint for improvement. Also included are frameworks for completing instructional audits in schools, and probes, instruments, and protocols for measuring and tracking the quality of instruction. Leaders will find excellent guidance for spearheading and sustaining a focused and aligned effort to improve the quality of teaching to impact all learners.
Table Of Contents:
- Foreword by Deborah Meier
- Preface: Lessons Learned From Experience
- A “New” Take in School Improvement
- Central Theme
- Organization of the Book
- What Makes This Book Distinctive
- Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
- 1. What are common practices in schools?
- What We Found in Classrooms
- Truths Hidden in Plain View
- Transforming Accountability
- New Direction
- Are There “Best Practices” in Teaching?
- Bringing Best Practices to Scale
- Are Some Practices Better Than Others?
- The Poverty of Prescribing Best Practices
- 2. What distinguishes quality teaching?
- Three Classrooms, Three Practitioners
- A Simple Truth Hidden in Plain View
- Disjointed Teaching
- Why Teachers Are Frustrated
- What Is Quality Teaching?
- Observing High-Quality Teaching
- Instructional Systems
- The Road Less Traveled
- 3. How do we learn about the quality of our teaching?
- How to Make the Case for an Emphasis on Teacher Quality
- Three Leadership Requirements
- Defining Quality Teaching
- How to Engage School Personnel in Devising a Vision of Quality Instruction
- Some Rudiments of Quality Teaching
- The Importance of Curriculum Coherence
- Learning From Students
- The Current State of Teaching in Your School
- How to Evaluate the Quality of Teaching in Your School
- 4. What should induction and mentoring look like?
- Basic Components of a Teacher Mentor Program
- Facing Critical Junctures Together
- Planning for New Teachers’ Success
- 5. What should professional development look like?
- What We Know About Professional Development
- The Disregarded Truths of Professional Development
- The Components of a Professional Learning Culture
- Building Blocks of Professional Learning
- Leading Professional Learning Communities
- 6. How can teacher evaluaiton become more meaningful?
- “Drive-By” Teacher Evaluation
- “Absentee Landords”
- Lists and Rubrics Abound
- 7. How can we sustain a culture of exceptional instruction?
- Ten Actions to Sustain High-Quality Teaching
- Systems in Place
- Sanctity of the Classroom
- Envisioning Quality Teaching
- Right People in Right Places
- Balanced Leadership
- Clear and Timely Communication
- Standards for Professional Conduct
- Collaboration
- Reflection and Continuous Improvement
- Ongoing Professional Dialogues
- 8. How do we face our leadership challenges?
- Suppressing Distraction
- Building Principal’s Knowledge
- Building Trust
- Influencing Resistant Teachers
- Coping With the Pace
- Final Thoughts
- Resources
- A. How Can You Spot a Really Good Teacher?
- B. Framework for Observing Classes
- C. Student Forum Questions
- D. Teacher Interview Questions
- References
- Index