Week+4

=Chapter 4=

Wagner states (p. 156) "Teachers and administrators, working alone all day every day, cannot possibly meet the new demands for improvement that are being thrust upon them with increasing urgency from all sides. Even though current accountability systems are primitive and do not yet measure the skills that matter most, they are nevertheless beginning to have a disruptive influence on old established patterns. Teachers cannot figure out all by themselves how to get **all** students to be proficient, and administrators, working alone, do not know how to create a system where**all** their teachers improve continuously. Indeed, no one could solves these problems, working alone. The challenges are too complex. Some educators know this; they know that, in the words of noted education leader Anthony Alvorado, 'isolation is the enemy of improvement.' "


 * Discussion starters:**


 * How do we improve the teaching profession?
 * How does a "text book" curriculum differ from a "thinking" curriculum?
 * How can we use the Iowa Core "movement" to create a "thinking" curriculum?
 * If you were to create the "perfect" teacher preparation program, what would it look like?
 * Recall your most influential teacher, what qualities did they possess that had the greatest impact on you? Would that still be effective today?
 * What situations would you be able to share with other teachers that would be valuable to their own learning experience?