Opening Classroom Doors Heroes for the Good of the Profession By
James Hiebert, Ronald Gallimore, and James W. Stigler At a
recent meeting of mathematics teachers and educators in
Wilmington, Del., an eighth-grade math teacher named Crystal
Lancour was introduced to enthusiastic cheers and heartfelt
applause. Had she won an award? Had her students accomplished
something special? No, nothing like that. Then what prompted the
applause? The answer to this question takes a little time, but
is worth telling because it opens a new pathway for teacher
learning—a path that might in time change the face of classroom
teaching in the United States, if the country is wise enough to
take it. The story begins with a bit of history. Traditionally,
classroom teaching in the United States has been viewed as a
personal skill, invented and refined by each teacher during his
or her career. Good teaching is considered to be the result of
each teacher's doing his or her job behind the classroom door.
Good teaching is believed to b