An Introduction to Teacher Development (Transcript)

Teacher: The whole point is that you’re supposed to experiment with ideas. I would love it if you’re on the edge of what you understand.

Narrator: In the 21st century effective teachers need more than solid knowledge of subject matter.

Teacher: We call it the Think-First model.

Narrator: They should know how to promote social and emotional intelligence.

Teacher: When you are getting provoked it’s important to do what?

Student: Size up the situation.

Teacher: Good.

Narrator: Be comfortable with instructional methods like project-based learning.

Teacher: Alright, looking at how the wheel is operating right now, what might you change about it?

Narrator: And keep up with rapidly evolving technologies so they can facilitate learning at any time and place.

Student: We could do two if we wanted.

Teacher: Yeah.

Student: Right?

Teacher: Yep.

Ada Beth Cutler: I don’t believe that good teachers are born. I believe that we educate people to become good teachers. But I think good teachers have to enjoy sharing their love of learning. There has to be a passion for learning that they want to share with young people.

Teacher: This one, do you know this one?

Student: [Inaudible]?

Teacher: Right, [inaudible].

Student: Okay.

Narrator: Schools of education are realizing that good teachers are acting as mentors, coaches, and guides, encouraging students to take charge of their own education.

Teacher: We want to be careful we don’t come out in the end with your DNA barcode-

Narrator: High Tech High in San Diego created its own on-campus School of Education to develop the kind of teacher that will thrive in classrooms that feature cross-curricular projects.

Teacher: Yeah, I have them do each this page in their table groups and I went around to each table group-

Larry Rosenstock: What I like to see in a teacher is somebody who has deep content knowledge of their subject matter.

Teacher: And you want to check it out, write down some observations, what it smells like, what it looks like.

Larry Rosenstock: Somebody who is passionate about their subject matter.

Jeffrey Robin: No, no, no. I like how it bounces back and forth.

Larry Rosenstock: And people who are very dynamic in their ability to infect kids’ curiosity.

Teacher: What is special about this leaf that is going to help it live in the understory?

Student: There’s just a little bit of light that will help it survive?

Narrator: In the best teacher preparation programs educational theory is integrated with practical field experience, strong mentors include professors and classroom teachers, there is ongoing support for new teachers after graduation, and continuous self-assessment and reflection.

Teacher: Alright, this is a silent exercise, and when it is over we’ll look at what we’ve got and make some comments about it.

Narrator: The learning doesn’t stop with a credential. Professional development programs play a critical role in creating successful teachers, especially during the first five years of teaching.

Teacher: Have you all been doing the reading or just watching the video? Joseph?

Narrator: At Yes Prep in Houston, Texas a full time dean of instruction does periodic classroom observations and gives feedback to veterans and new teachers alike.

Michelle LaFlure: And we have a pretty intensive rubric that we use so I go into every classroom approximately five times a year. The majority of my time is spent observing then debriefing with them. And then after we talk about high expectations for this particular lesson then we’ll go into student-center classroom.

Narrator: Teachers who are well-prepared and trained stay on the job longer. They have the ability to fully engage their students. They model social and emotional intelligence and are able to provide an invaluable human touch that can make a difference in their students’ lives.

Teacher: What’s that letter?

Student: “E”.

What’s that letter?

Student: “N”.

Teacher: Look how smart you are. You’re so smart I can’t even take it.