Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h3IFaEU25278; Fri, 18 Apr 2003 11:36:14 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 11:36:14 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <986026825russell@literacy.upenn.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Mary Russell <russell@literacy.upenn.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:228] A few thoughts on teacher learning X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Mailer: QuickMail Pro 2.1 (Mac) Status: O Content-Length: 2154 Lines: 17 A few thoughts on teacher learning, inspired by Eileen Eckert’s statement : Disagreement or controversy over what constitutes evidence shouldn't be an excuse to avoid the question of what difference PD makes in teachers' knowledge and practice, and more importantly, in students' lives. I want to address the issue of what difference PD makes in teachers' knowledge and practice. As Eileen mentioned, because teacher learning is fairly recent as a research topic there is not a great deal of data on it and the studies that are available have largely been conducted with primary and secondary teachers (see, for example, Lampert & Ball, 1998; McAninch, 1993; Richardson, 1996). It is probably safe to say, however, that what is known about adults as learners generally applies to teachers specifically. My experience with professional development and reading has shown me that teachers share with other adult learners the desire to have their instruction be needs based and centered on life situations. In their professional studies, they prefer to incorporate their experience, exercise some control over their learning, and to have their learning differences accommodated. It is probably also worth noting that socially constructed concepts of teacher learning have been advocated as particularly applicable to professional development for teachers of adults (Lytle & Cochran-Smith, 1998; McAninch, 1993; Richardson, 1994; Shulman, 1996). These concepts have in common a focus on the classroom as the site of investigation, and an emphasis on the importance of building community among teachers. Instead of taking a position in the debate about what teachers need to know, these models ask instead how teachers might come to know those things. As Lampert and Ball point out, "learning to teach—like learning to be an architect or a doctor—means learning to think like one"(1998, p. 36). What does "thinking like a teacher" mean for adult educators? Responses welcome. -- Mary Russell National Center on Adult Literacy University of Pennsylvania 3910 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA 19104 Phone: 215-746-6742 Fax: 215-898-9804 http://literacy.org
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