Writing at Master's Level
These notes were originally prepared for fellow-tutors as a first contribution to a debate, and never intended for wider circulation, but feedback from their first accidental appearance justifies their (minimally revised) re-appearance, and requests from a number of universities to adapt and re-print them. So you may have seen them somewhere else already! Recognising work at Master's level is one of those "I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it" situations. Unfortunately, that is not very much use to programme participants who want some idea of what to expect and what to work to. These pragmatic and potentially prejudiced notes may eventually lead to increased consistency in marking from the tutors' side, and a clearer idea of expectations from the participants' side - but so far all they do is to articulate some of the ways in which I go about recognising Master's level work. Writing at Master's level is a specialised activity or genre. 1 It is literate 3 It has evidence
New Help for School Administrators: Programs and Initiatives Offer Guidance
Support for school leaders is on the rise. Principal Mike Chappell appreciated the focused nature of the University of North Carolina’s Higher School Performance Program. Credit: Mike Chappell "[The principalship is] a position that is absolutely critical to educational change and improvement. A good principal can create a climate that can foster excellence in teaching and learning, while an ineffective one can quickly thwart the progress of the most dedicated reformers."-- Richard Riley, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Riley's words, spoken during one of the Department of Education's Town Meetings in June 1999, echo the sentiments of educators and policy makers throughout the country. All that's changing, though, as more and more local, state, and national education entities hold their principals accountable for the success and failure of their students. That's as it should be, says Vincent L. Combining Theory and Practice Help from Critical Friends Portable Knowledge
Professional Development
Frames of Reference
This is here for three reasons: To explain what I mean by "Frame of Reference" in Tools for Thought Reflexively, the very idea of a frame of reference (or its cousins, discourses) is an example of a tool for thought, and Quite differently, as an example of a basic (rather than a critical) literature review, which may be of use to students trying to get their heads around how it works "Frame of Reference: The context, viewpoint, or set of presuppositions or of evaluative criteria within which a person's perception and thinking seem always to occur, and which constrains selectively the course and outcome of these activities" Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (2nd edn: 1988) "We are told about the world before we see it. We imagine most things before we experience them. and those preconceptions, unless education has made us acutely aware, govern deeply the whole process of perception. The notion of the "frame of reference" has to bring together ideas from a number of disciplines.
Center for New Principals
Welcome to the NASSP Center for New Principals! Whether you are new to the principal’s position or new to the school, the first few years are likely to be your most challenging. NASSP provides resources, assistance, and support to meet your needs as you improve your school. You’ll find advice from experienced principals, quick tips to help you day to day, and publications focused on specific issues to help new principals build on and improve their knowledge and skills as learning leaders. For regular updates and news of note, follow the CNP on Twitter and ScoopIt! You can also network with other new principals by joining NASSP's School Leaders Network for New Principals on EdWeb. The resources in this center are sorted in a variety of ways, making your search on a specific topic quick and efficient: Topics of special interest for new principals, online resources for new principals, and reference materials for download. Can’t find a specific topic of interest? New!
The Do's and Don'ts of Supporting the Reluctant Teacher
I want to talk about a mythical creature – the Reluctant Teacher. This teacher has no desire to try anything new – it either does not interest them, or they do not see how it can possibly improve the way they teach. Despite the whole school, and even the whole profession heading in a particular direction, the Reluctant Teacher does their bit in holding back the tide. After all, they know best. Eventually, though, the impossible happens, and they yield, cautiously embracing change. Don’t pair up your “strong” teacher with your Reluctant Teacher. Do let teachers know that this is training – that is, they are allowed to try new things and fail, without any concerns of being judged. Don’t set up templates for your Reluctant Teacher. Do show them effective, simple and manageable reasons to use technology. Don’t encourage using technology just because it is available. Do avoid the glitz – show them function instead. Do show relevant examples – not generic ones.
What works best
This page has now been revised (May 2010) in the light of John Hattie's recent apparently definitive work Visible Learning; a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement (London; Routledge, 2009). The first thing to change has been the title, which used to be "What works and what doesn't". Hattie points out that in education most things work, more or less. The questions are around those which work best and therefore best repay the effort invested. This site is mainly about your own individual practice as a teacher, and as such it tries to take into account your particular circumstances, such as the students you teach (assumed largely to be over school-age), your subject, your setting (school, college, university, work-based or informal adult education). It recognises that it is difficult and even unreasonable to generalise, but we ought to set alongside this the results of very generalised research in the form of meta-analyses. Hattie, 2009: 7-8 (my emphasis) Feedback But!
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Questioning Toolkit
Essential Questions These are questions which touch our hearts and souls. They are central to our lives. They help to define what it means to be human. Most important thought during our lives will center on such essential questions. What does it mean to be a good friend? If we were to draw a cluster diagram of the Questioning Toolkit, Essential Questions would be at the center of all the other types of questions. All the other questions and questioning skills serve the purpose of "casting light upon" or illuminating Essential Questions. Most Essential Questions are interdisciplinary in nature. Essential Questions probe the deepest issues confronting us . . . complex and baffling matters which elude simple answers: Life - Death - Marriage - Identity - Purpose - Betrayal - Honor - Integrity - Courage - Temptation - Faith - Leadership - Addiction - Invention - Inspiration. Essential Questions are at the heart of the search for Truth. Essential Questions offer the organizing focus for a unit.
