105- How Teachers Learn

Q: Throughout this reading, I found the one major stumbling block to really supporting teachers being that there are so very many ways to do it, but few programs that do enough to truly support teachers, according to the article. Knowing that all teachers learn differently, how do we possibly select the most effective (including time-effective and cost-effective) manners to support teachers without overwhelming them?


Q: "Action research is an approach to professional development in which,typically, teachers spend 1 or more year working on classroom-based research projects. While action research has has multiple forms and purposes, it is an important way for teachers to improve their teaching and curricula, and there is also an assumpting that what teachers learn through this process can be shared with others." (199/200?). I found this quote interesting because, having just come from college where I was accustomed to doing research and getting credit for it, my brain is somewhat still in that 'mode.'Being in that mode, and knowing that I benefit from this type of collaboration, I think pushing myself to do this in the future, could really benefit me as a teacher, and also make me feel significantly more productive just personally.


C:One thing that really struck me was when the article discussed how the percentage of money invested by schools in educating their teachers is minimal-- 1 to 3 percent of the operating budget. When you consider that, it seems to be no wonder that teachers can feel so isolated and unsupported in the typical classroom setting. I do not feel this so much at Rocketship, but this feeling was a huge possibility we were warned about this summer at Institute. I can only imagine how much more success schools might see in teacher retention if they truly invested in making their teachers have important resources. The Guided Reading in-services are something I really appreciate about Rocketship, and seeing that statistic only made me appreciate them more.