Should strategies for change focus on increasing content knowledge, improving pedagogical technique, or providing more resources?
I don’t really like to separate developing content understanding and developing pedagogical skills. To think about developing pedagogical skills without content is like making a really elegant basket with nothing in it. But I don’t want the need for teachers to know more content to translate into, “They have to go back to college and take courses.” Teachers can strengthen their grasp of content and how to teach it through the kind of on-the-job learning that business and industry do. You don’t need to pull teachers out of classrooms for them to learn. We can do a lot in the school and in the classroom—coaching, action research, study groups built around what teachers are teaching and what they are struggling with. We have to develop respect for internal expertise, make sure teachers have the opportunity to work with each other, and not rely on the “expert.” People need help when they need help, not when an “expert” is available. Q. And as for resources? Often it’s a matter of reallocat
