The education landscape is rich with contemporary theory that serves as a solid base for contemporary practice.
The following is a sample of the theories I am currently using to inform my work as a system leader. It challenges and stretches you as a professional and gives rise to those ’lightbulb’ moments.
As educators, we owe it to our school communities to be up to speed with contemporary theory, research and best practice.
What I personally think, prefer or believe provides a lens though which I view these theories but it should never replace it.
The most recent work of Sir Ken Robinson who questions the purpose of schooling, Brian Caldwell who calls for a more balanced curriculum and John Hattie whose evidence on what makes the greatest difference to student learning provides diverse yet sound approaches to school improvement.
This is why intellectual rigour is so important – it reguires an engagement on the part of everyone to be discerning and critically reflect on current theories and research that informs practice. What can you add to the list?
4 responses so far ↓
Cameron Paterson // July 3, 2009 at 12:54 pm |
I concur with all three of your suggestions.
Perhaps also worth looking at John Abbott’s work with the 21st Centruy Learning Initiative http://www.21learn.org/
Cameron
Frances Manning // July 4, 2009 at 12:49 pm |
I wouldn’t mind adding the work of Will Richardson & his ideas on networked learning http://weblogg-ed.com and John Connell
http://www.johnconnell.co.uk/blog/.
Greg Whitby // July 7, 2009 at 3:35 pm |
Thanks Cameron and Frances. John Abbot’s blog is rich with observations and fertile questions and Will Richardson is one of the trail blazers of school 2.0.
Jan Heyworth // July 10, 2009 at 10:18 am |
For me, Richard Elmore’s work has been profoundly influential, especially on my thinking around professional learning. Elmore’s dryly observed second law, that the impact of professional learning is inversely related to the distance from the classroom, is grounded in his own deep understanding of learning. This comes in part from his commitment to spend one day each week in schools, working with leaders and teachers to improve student learning outcomes.
As he said in a recent article in the Melbourne Age… teaching is not rocket science – it’s much more complex! This is why working together on real issues of practice is so important.