The Flexible Teacher

I read the article The Flexible Teacher by Leila Christenbury from the Educational Leadership December 2010 / January 2011 edition.

In this article I read about effective teaching and what it encompasses.  Christenbury says in the intro that she has explored ineffective teaching through herself and has written this article because of her consistent aspiration to become a better teacher.  Then she goes on to point out and explain the effective teaching characteristics.  A few of the characteristics pointed out were:  Effective teaching is variable.  Effective teaching is contextual. Effective teaching is premised on students’ intellectual curiosity.  Effective teaching must be somewhat autonomous.  A final comment in the article was,

“ Once we improve teaching with school content and student need, we can look more confidently to a future where all students can experience success.”     

What I have gained from this article is frustration.  We are in the midst of MAPS testing.  Why is there such a focus on all this testing! At our last 3^rd, 4^th combined grade level discussion a teacher commented on administration’s motives with MAPS.  She said it has moved from the students and has begun to center on teachers because she feels if a class tests low on a MAPS math test and another class tests high she said they (administration) feels they need to move that teacher to teach the class that scored low.  Now…are they looking at ALL factors making this decision????  Has this way of thinking come about because “teaching” has not always been a central part of the public discussion on education reform?? 

What am I doing resulting from reading this article? I am keeping the characteristics of effective teaching in a spot where I will take time to read them over when I get frustrated with lack of time, etc.   I am remembering a part of the article that said, “ Good teaching comes not from following a recipe, but from consistently putting student needs first.”  Also, when I get concerned about MAPS testing, getting through the curriculum, etc., a comment from the article comes to mind, “ Students always should learn more, less, or differently than “what they should”.” And the article mentioned, “Good teaching is integral to student success, it can not supersede the many other factors that contribute to educational success or failure. “  Why can’t all who are concerned about educating children think “outside the box” about achieving success and not so one-dimensional?       

Christenbury, L. (2010-2011). The Flexible Teacher. Educational Leadership, 68, 46-50. doi:http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec10/vol68/num04/The-Flexible-Teacher.aspx