Services
Readers' Survey 2007: Best Blog for Educators
Edutopia readers weigh in on their favorites.
by Edutopia Staff
2¢ Worth
Tech-savvy soothsayer David Warlick walks away with it. Warlick's lively blend of wit and wisdom nicely complements his focus on modern thinking and design in the classroom. Warlick's approach is fresh and forward looking, but he also spent more than thirty years working with public schools, so he leavens his visionary ideas with the grit of reality. Says Warlick, "My goal is to inspire and energize with ideas and possibilities that will challenge [people] to expand their perceptions of teaching and learning, and dare to consider our professional future with optimism and excitement." Amen to that. Other popular blogs included Eduwonk, Edublogs, and Edutopia.org's own Spiral Notebook.
Our Take
Blog Wrangler
So many blogs, so little time. If you're interested in the latest blog blather about a specific topic, no matter who is writing about it, get thyself over to Google Alerts, which automatically emails you when new Google results for your search terms occur in its News, Web, Blogs, and Groups directories. The Google folks say many alerts are set up by people monitoring a developing news story, keeping current on a competitor or an industry, tracking medical advances, or getting the latest on a celebrity or a sports team -- or, may we suggest, staying abreast of educational developments.
NEXT PAGE OF READERS' SURVEY: Amount you spend out of pocket each year on classroom supplies
2007 Readers' Survey Home Page
Novice to expert teacher
Submitted by Katherine Underhill (not verified) on May 14, 2008 - 10:59.
I enjoyed the reading on Becoming an Expert Teacher. I will bring this article to the attention of my district's administrators. Hopefully they will examine it and respond by bringing in professional development programs to our faculty, that will enhance the six areas of knowledge. We can all use a little meaningful instruction.
Readers' Survey 2007: Best Blog for Educators
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 8, 2008 - 06:47.
Hi everyone, I have never "blogged before". What do I do? How can I join in?
Is there such a thing as an expert teacher?
Submitted by T. Busherd (not verified) on May 6, 2008 - 13:53.
Is there such a thing as an expert teacher? When a teacher feels he or she is an expert, I believe they are not really looking at themselves. How does one become an expert? What makes a person an expert? The curriculum as well as the students change on a daily basis. A teacher must be willing to change with the times. With this ever changing society a teacher is never an expert. One might be very close, but will not and cannot be an expert.
I am a brand new teacher, who is considered a novice, a newbie. I have many years of teaching before I can move up the line. I will work hard and try my best to get close to expert, but the day I say I am an expert teacher is the day I quit. I am currently working on my Master's. This of course will help me climb and scaffold my ideas in order for me to get closer to expert. I am clay that is waiting to be molded!
The teacher, the expert
Submitted by Chelsea King (not verified) on May 15, 2008 - 18:34.
I beleive that a teacher is never an expert as well, you have to be flexible in the world today relate to your students and the challenges they face in society! As a teacher you are always learning and reflecting on what you could of changed or improved on. The day in my classroom can never really be planned out, there are always challenges to face and behavior problems to control. If I need to modify my lesson to fit the level of my students and their needs I will do that, if I have to stop and use some creative way to engage my kids I will take the time. I only have my students for a short time, but If I can get one thing out of them it would be, for them to try at everything they do in life, make good choices, and take the opportunities they are given. All a teacher can do is to hope they will be a great influince on the students.
From a Novice to an Expert Teacher
Submitted by Katherine Underhill (not verified) on May 13, 2008 - 11:26.
I do not believe that anyone can truly become a master of anything. The opportunity to continue to learn is always available. People, who assume they are experts in their fields, have perhaps reached a point where they have lost the desire to improve themselves. I consider myself to be a novice with a lot of experience. I find that every day when I enter the classroom, there is always something new to learn, even if it is as simple as learning to have patience with that one child who struggles to be organized. The word master implies perfection, and there is no such thing. Continuing to become educated and integrating every new experience to improve the impact one has on their environment and community is what constitutes my definition of a good teacher.
Novice to Expert Teacher
Submitted by Waverley Parkerson (not verified) on May 1, 2008 - 06:25.
As we all know, in this profession there is no such thing as a perfect teacher. The needs of our students change daily. The guidlines of education change all the time. Education is a neverending loop of changes. I believe that most of us have a little bit of novice and expert in us. There would be no challenge or push for us if we were all expert. By pushing ourselves and taking risks, we allow ourselves to become vulnerable just like a novice. We open ourselves to criticism, the hope to be better at something, and the desire to want to do even more. I believe the novice in all of us is what keeps us in this profession. We become experts in things such as classroom management and the expectations for our children (their very best). There will always be more for us to learn. Teaching is about learning and by us taking risks we grow professionally. This helps to create a stronger you in the classroom.
Novice 2 Expert - why choose?
Submitted by Elizabeth Wargo (not verified) on April 4, 2008 - 17:00.
I agree with the process of reflection however what I don't agree with is having to label oneself. This reminds me of how my students sometimes act when I pass back a rubric. They all switch off, "where done learning", "grade = done."
However isn't what we strive for for students/colleges/administration/political leaders/people to never stop learning?
Our world is changing so fast, especially web 2.0 and if anyone honestly thinks they are less than a novice, please share! Sure I use an aggregator and try to stay up with social networking but more often than not when I get online I am confronted with a "new" way to do things and certainly "new" information that changes the way I think. Knowing that I am a lifelong learner "novice" makes me take the time to pay attention to the world changing around me .
When helping our students understand this concept I believe that we as teachers need to show empathy by being "novices" (to me is synonymous with lifelong learners) and at the same time express our "expert" ability to empower students to love the learning process.
A 10th year teacher who is a little burnt out
Submitted by Baltimore Teacher (not verified) on April 3, 2008 - 19:26.
I am in my 10th year of teaching and a little burnt out from teaching a new subject along with my A.P. class. Can someone give a seasoned teacher a new idea on how to get over the blahs...
Re-energizing the teacher within
Submitted by Katherine Underhill (not verified) on May 14, 2008 - 10:48.
My suggestion to you is to take a college strategies course that will reenergize you. I found that just by taking a good professional development class, my excitement returned and I was able to incorporate new ideas into my classroom. The more excited I got, the more my students responded. This then made me even more excited, like a "round robin". My other suggestion is motorcycle riding. I just started and it is a sensory experience that has awakened things in me that I felt were long ago smothered. Adding excitement into my life, has made it possible for me to become excited about what I do every day in my career.
Good luck.
Go on a vacation :)
Submitted by Waverley Parkerson (not verified) on May 1, 2008 - 06:28.
Go on a vacation :) Seriously, do something that you wouldn't typically do. Go out on a limb and surprise yourself and your kids.
Post new comment