Building a Better Teacher

1. Teaching is a Learnable Craft, Not an Innate Talent

"In no other sector in this society would we think the way to supply skillful work would be to go find people, hope they do it well, leave them on their own to figure it out."

Professional Skill Development. Teaching is a complex professional skill that can be learned, practiced, and mastered through systematic training and deliberate improvement. Just like medicine, law, or engineering, teaching requires specialized knowledge, techniques, and ongoing professional development.

Evidence-Based Learning. Researchers have demonstrated that effective teaching can be broken down into specific practices and skills that can be taught. By studying expert teachers, researchers like Deborah Ball and Magdalene Lampert have developed frameworks for understanding and improving teaching techniques.

Misconception Challenge. The widespread belief that teaching is an inherent talent prevents meaningful investment in teacher training and professional development. By treating teaching as a learnable craft, educational institutions can develop more effective strategies for preparing and supporting teachers.

2. The Myth of the Natural-Born Teacher Prevents Educational Progress

"By imagining teaching as a 'voodoo' mixture of personal charisma and passion, we are saying, essentially, He who has intelligence, does. He who has charm, teaches."

Barriers to Improvement. The narrative of the "natural-born teacher" creates significant obstacles to educational reform by suggesting that teaching effectiveness is predetermined rather than developable. This myth discourages systematic approaches to teacher training and professional development.

Research Contradictions. Studies have consistently failed to find a correlation between personality traits and teaching effectiveness. Great teachers can be extroverts or introverts, serious or humorous, rigid or flexible. The key differentiator is skill, not inherent characteristics.

Professional Recognition. Treating teaching as a complex profession requiring specialized knowledge and skills would elevate the status of educators and create more structured pathways for improvement. This approach recognizes teaching as an intellectual and strategic profession.

3. Educational Infrastructure Requires Coherence and Systematic Approach

"We have a moment when we could do something different. But if everybody does it their own way, forget it. It's going to be the same thing again."

Systemic Challenges. The American education system suffers from profound incoherence, with fragmented approaches to curriculum, standards, teacher training, and assessment. This lack of coordination undermines educational quality and prevents systematic improvement.

Infrastructure Components. Effective educational systems require three key elements:

• Common curriculum defining learning objectives
• Standardized assessments measuring student progress
• Comprehensive teacher education programs

Collaborative Development. Successful educational models, like those in Japan, demonstrate how coherent infrastructure can be built through collaborative research, shared practices, and continuous improvement strategies.

4. Pedagogical Content Knowledge is Essential for Effective Teaching

"Teaching, as she practiced it, was a complex craft."

Beyond Subject Expertise. Effective teaching requires more than just content knowledge. Teachers must understand how students learn, anticipate common misconceptions, and develop strategies for explaining complex concepts.

Subject-Specific Skills. Different disciplines require unique approaches to teaching. Mathematical knowledge for teaching, for instance, involves understanding how students typically misunderstand mathematical concepts and developing targeted interventions.

Specialized Training. Teacher education programs must focus on developing specialized pedagogical skills that go beyond generic teaching techniques, emphasizing subject-specific strategies for supporting student learning.

5. Classroom Management and Discipline Require Sophisticated Skills

"Discipline was not a black and white choice—tight or loose, structured or joyful. It was, says David Levin, 'unstructured structure.' And it was much harder."

Complex Discipline Approaches. Effective classroom management is not about strict control or complete freedom, but about creating supportive environments that balance structure with emotional connection and learning opportunities.

Developmental Perspective. Discipline should focus on helping students develop social and emotional skills, not just enforcing rules. This requires teachers to understand students' individual contexts and developmental needs.

Relationship-Centered Strategies. Successful discipline involves building strong relationships, creating safe learning environments, and helping students understand the reasons behind behavioral expectations.

6. Teacher Training Must Focus on High-Leverage Practices

"All teachers in all districts need to be prepared to help students learn."

Critical Teaching Skills. Effective teacher training should concentrate on high-leverage practices that have the most significant impact on student learning, such as:

• Explaining content effectively
• Leading whole-class discussions
• Eliciting and interpreting student thinking
• Building relationships with students and families

Practical Preparation. Teacher education programs must provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to practice these skills in increasingly complex and authentic settings.

Continuous Learning. Professional development should be an ongoing process of refining teaching practices, not a one-time training event.

7. Learning is a Complex Process of Sense-Making

"Children are sense makers."

Active Learning. Students do not passively receive information but actively construct understanding by connecting new information with existing knowledge and experiences.

Conceptual Understanding. Learning involves more than memorization; it requires helping students develop conceptual frameworks and strategies for reasoning.

Mistake-Driven Learning. Errors are valuable opportunities for learning, not problems to be immediately corrected. Teachers should create environments that help students explore and resolve their misconceptions.

8. Evaluation Alone Cannot Improve Teaching Quality

"Changing practice is slow, steady work."

Limitations of Testing. Standardized evaluations and value-added metrics provide limited insights into teaching quality and cannot, by themselves, improve educational outcomes.

Supportive Feedback. Effective professional development requires:

• Targeted, specific feedback
• Opportunities for practice
• Collaborative learning environments
• Ongoing coaching and support

Holistic Approach. Teacher improvement requires comprehensive systems that support continuous learning and development.

9. Collaborative Learning and Observation are Critical for Teacher Development

"Working together, watching each other and being watched, he and his colleagues could craft solutions."

Collective Improvement. Teachers learn best through collaborative practices like lesson study, peer observation, and shared problem-solving.

Knowledge Sharing. Effective educational systems create structures that allow teachers to:

• Observe each other's teaching
• Discuss teaching strategies
• Analyze student learning
• Develop shared understanding

Professional Community. Building strong professional learning communities is essential for ongoing teacher development and educational improvement.

10. Hope and Continuous Improvement Define Great Teaching

"Teaching is a profession of hope."

Transformative Potential. Great teaching requires believing in the possibility of change and continuously working to help students learn and grow.

Lifelong Learning. Teachers must maintain curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to personal and professional growth.

Inspirational Mission. Teaching is fundamentally about creating opportunities for students to develop their potential and imagine new possibilities.

Last updated: January 7, 2025