meaningfully broken down to sets of competencies as in trades’ work the number — of variables in complex social situations mean we can never be certain of the outcomes of a strategy prior to using it, which is why we speak of teacher education rather than teacher training. This does not mean that it is not possible to identify and teach sets of strategies that professional teachers can use routinely in their practice; it means that because the outcomes of strategies in social situations are notoriously unpredictable, teachers have to use their professional judgement about which strategy is most likely to work well in any given instance, and exactly how to use it. How else can teacher education be changed to meet the needs of teachers? Teacher mentors talk mainly in trial of what are generally referred to as for ‘tips teachers’ — Break instructions down into manageable chunks. Start new learning from what the students already know and can do. escalating minor incidents into major power struggles. Get the student’s account of what happened, and their understanding of your response to it. Be clear about your expectations and their responsibilities (but stop thinking that means Rules, Rules, Rules). Understanding these can form a practice-relevant basis for teacher education courses. Such tips are in fact suggestions for strategies; strategies seldom have just one function and also they implement theories and reflect cultural and educational values. For example, the tip to consistent’ involves: ‘be A strategy to use to be consistent (eg. warn, warn, consequence). ‘3-strikes’: A function of consistency is to establish through routines. ‘normality’ Psychological theory validates consistency by explaining the need for routines, how reinforcement works, and how an emotionally safe learning environment assists learning. Some educational values in being consistent are that it is efficient, socially just, and helps to reduce stress which all contribute to a safe learning environment. When tips for teachers have been developed in such a way, I refer to them as of practice’ because they are principled guides to action; that is, they are ‘principles general recommendations for action, and they are also in the sense that ‘principled’ they are validated by experience, theory and educational values.
meaningfully broken down to sets of competencies as in trades’ work — the number of variables in complex social situations mean we can never be certain of the outcomes of a strategy prior to using it, which is why we speak of teacher education rather than teacher training. This does not mean that it is not possible to identify and teach sets of strategies that professional teachers can use routinely in their practice; it means that because the outcomes of strategies in social situations are notoriously unpredictable, teachers have to use their professional judgement about which strategy is most likely to work well in any given instance, and exactly how to use it. How else can teacher education be changed to meet the needs of teachers? Teacher mentors talk mainly in of what are generally referred to as ‘tips for teachers’ — Break instructions down into manageable chunks. Start new learning from what the students already know and can do. escalating minor incidents into major power struggles. Get the student’s account of what happened, and their understanding of your response to it. Be clear about your expectations and their responsibilities (but stop thinking that means Rules, Rules, Rules). Understanding these can form a practice-relevant basis for teacher education courses. Such tips are in fact suggestions for strategies; strategies seldom have just one function and also they implement theories and reflect cultural and educational values. For example, the tip to ‘be consistent’ involves: A strategy to use to be consistent (eg. ‘3-strikes’: warn, warn, consequence). A function of consistency is to establish ‘normality’ through routines. Psychological theory validates consistency by explaining the need for routines, how reinforcement works, and how an emotionally safe learning environment assists learning. Some educational values in being consistent are that it is efficient, socially just, and helps to reduce stress which all contribute to a safe learning environment. When tips for teachers have been developed in such a way, I refer to them as ‘principles of practice’ because they are principled guides to action; that is, they are general recommendations for action, and they are also ‘principled’ in the sense that they are validated by experience, theory and educational values. trial
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