Teaching Tips from Teach for America

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/good-teaching

One of the better articles I've read about teaching. A few snippets. (And here's the link to the forthcoming book - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0470432861/theatlanticmonthA/ref=nosim/).

"the most stunning finding to come out of education research in the past decade: more than any other variable in education—more than schools or curriculum—teachers matter."

"Parents have always worried about where to send their children to school; but the school, statistically speaking, does not matter as much as which adult stands in front of their children. Teacher quality tends to vary more within schools—even supposedly good schools—than among schools."

"First, great teachers tended to set big goals for their students. They were also perpetually looking for ways to improve their effectiveness."

"Superstar teachers had four other tendencies in common: they avidly recruited students and their families into the process; they maintained focus, ensuring that everything they did contributed to student learning; they planned exhaustively and purposefully—for the next day or the year ahead—by working backward from the desired outcome; and they worked relentlessly, refusing to surrender to the combined menaces of poverty, bureaucracy, and budgetary shortfalls."

"one way that great teachers ensure that kids are learning is to frequently check for understanding: Are the kids—all of the kids—following what you are saying? Asking “Does anyone have any questions?” does not work, and it’s a classic rookie mistake"

"In fact, for many highly effective teachers, the measure of a well-executed routine is that it continues in the teacher’s absence.”

"What did predict success, interestingly, was a history of perseverance—not just an attitude, but a track record. . . . Gritty people, the theory goes, work harder and stay committed to their goals longer. (Grit also predicts retention of cadets at West Point, Duckworth has found.)"

"But another trait seemed to matter even more. Teachers who scored high in “life satisfaction”—reporting that they were very content with their lives—were 43 percent more likely to perform well in the classroom than their less satisfied colleagues."

"In general, though, Teach for America’s staffers have discovered that past performance—especially the kind you can measure—is the best predictor of future performance. Recruits who have achieved big, measurable goals in college tend to do so as teachers. And the two best metrics of previous success tend to be grade-point average and “leadership achievement”—a record of running something and showing tangible results. If you not only led a tutoring program but doubled its size, that’s promising."