The most common conceptualization of what happens when we learn is some version of inputting: We imagine that learning involves taking something located outside of our brain and bringing it inside. Though intuitive, this conceptualization of the learning process is problematic. This is the way that many teachers think about student learning, and it is also the way that teacher preparation programs approach the learning of prospective teacher’s. Indeed, this philosophy of teacher preparation may actually be at the root of our failure to adequately prepare teachers for the demands of the profession. I intend to explain why I think this is so, and offer an alternative model of learning that seems to me less problematic and more promising.

When prospective teachers enroll in a teacher preparation program, usually at a university’s school of education, they take courses where they learn about educational psychology, curriculum design, and teaching methods. All of this is generally interesting and potentially valuable. However, this inputting, though arguably necessary, is not sufficient. Once teachers enter a classroom, Continue reading →

Teach for America (TFA), the teacher-placement and social justice organization venerated by some and maligned by others, is in the news once again. In March, Mathematica Policy Research released a report suggesting that TFA teachers perform just as well as their non-TFA counterparts, which predictably led to polemic commentary. With articles like “Teachers in Teach for America aren’t any better than other teachers” and “Teach for America Passes a Big Test,” writers responded with everything from questions of the validity of the study to “I told you so!”

Although I do have some thoughts about TFA (which I hope to share in future posts), I want to pause for a moment. Continue reading →