It was in this chapter that I felt I finally really got to know the author as a person. He suddenly came to life for me and I felt a connection with him. As I read chapter four of The Global Achievement Gap, I could feel Tony Wagner's genuine passion and curiosity for wanting to learn more about the profession and it is very sad and disappointing that his experience in the field of teaching was such a negative one. However, it prompted him to want to research possible solutions to the dismal situation he experienced and witnessed. He offers some great ideas to implement and I'm very proud to say that I work for a school district that actually practices many of these suggestions. I don't know if it's just a coincidence or if it's a result of his research. I'm sure it's the latter because our superintendent wouldn't be having us engage in practices that are not research-based.
One of the practices Tony Wagner believes is very powerful is a "learning walk". At our school district, out in Lakeside, we refer to them as "instructional rounds". Every school in our district participates in these "learning walks". This is the second school year that we plan them and they prove to be very productive for EVERYONE. The norms and expectations were established at the beginning of last school year and they are conducted in a most respectful and productive manner. Of course, we always briefly review the norms prior to conducting our learning walks. I was glad to see it being talked about in this book.
Tony Wagner also talks about his experiences as a student-teacher. Unfortunately, his master teachers didn't really cover much with him. They didn't share their thoughts or perspectives with him. I was very fortunate to have had master teachers who did share their private thoughts with me and gave me a lot of background information so that I could understand why certain things were taking place. They were definitely transparent learners around me.
Maybe I work at an exceptional school because everyone always tries to state, even their frustrations, in the most positive way possible and everyone is always wanting to learn from each other at our campus. We understand that the more we collaborate, the more we will grow as a staff and the more our students will benefit from us being open towards each other. We also teach Stephen Covey's Seven Habits to our students and we internalize those habits so that we model them in the most natural way possible. I believe that helps tremendously in ensuring that our campus is an innovative one in which we believe in being problem-solvers, not complainers. We believe in collaborating and sharing (being transparent learners), not working individually and selfishly. We welcome visitors onto our campus during learning walks and we know that we can only grow and become stronger as a united staff.
As far as research is concerned regarding master degree programs that were in place up until 2005, it was disturbing to read that not a single example of an effective educational leadership prep program in the U.S. could be found (Wagner, 2010). I'm glad that I didn't pursue a master's degree back then! I am very confident that all this research was taken into consideration when the master's degree program I am currently in was being designed.
I am also in a program called I.D.E.A.S 2.0 in which we are focusing on developing many of the skills that Tony Wagner has researched and refers to as being critical for effective teaching. Reading this chapter resonated with me because I kept making connections to many of the teaching practices we are working on refining through the I.D.E.A.S. 2.0 grant and through the master's degree program. This chapter validated and confirmed that we are on the right track to ensuring best practices for our students!
One of the practices Tony Wagner believes is very powerful is a "learning walk". At our school district, out in Lakeside, we refer to them as "instructional rounds". Every school in our district participates in these "learning walks". This is the second school year that we plan them and they prove to be very productive for EVERYONE. The norms and expectations were established at the beginning of last school year and they are conducted in a most respectful and productive manner. Of course, we always briefly review the norms prior to conducting our learning walks. I was glad to see it being talked about in this book.
Tony Wagner also talks about his experiences as a student-teacher. Unfortunately, his master teachers didn't really cover much with him. They didn't share their thoughts or perspectives with him. I was very fortunate to have had master teachers who did share their private thoughts with me and gave me a lot of background information so that I could understand why certain things were taking place. They were definitely transparent learners around me.
Maybe I work at an exceptional school because everyone always tries to state, even their frustrations, in the most positive way possible and everyone is always wanting to learn from each other at our campus. We understand that the more we collaborate, the more we will grow as a staff and the more our students will benefit from us being open towards each other. We also teach Stephen Covey's Seven Habits to our students and we internalize those habits so that we model them in the most natural way possible. I believe that helps tremendously in ensuring that our campus is an innovative one in which we believe in being problem-solvers, not complainers. We believe in collaborating and sharing (being transparent learners), not working individually and selfishly. We welcome visitors onto our campus during learning walks and we know that we can only grow and become stronger as a united staff.
As far as research is concerned regarding master degree programs that were in place up until 2005, it was disturbing to read that not a single example of an effective educational leadership prep program in the U.S. could be found (Wagner, 2010). I'm glad that I didn't pursue a master's degree back then! I am very confident that all this research was taken into consideration when the master's degree program I am currently in was being designed.
I am also in a program called I.D.E.A.S 2.0 in which we are focusing on developing many of the skills that Tony Wagner has researched and refers to as being critical for effective teaching. Reading this chapter resonated with me because I kept making connections to many of the teaching practices we are working on refining through the I.D.E.A.S. 2.0 grant and through the master's degree program. This chapter validated and confirmed that we are on the right track to ensuring best practices for our students!