K-12 Teachers in the Midst of Reform: Common Thread Cases

Preface PURPOSE OF THE BOOK When groups of teachers come together to analyze practice, either as novices or those proficient in their craft, the vitality of the analytic process depends upon the richness of the practices being examined. Our goal in creating this compendium of true teacher stories is to help catalyze dynamic learning communities. When teachers collectively engage in analytic problem solving and take action based on fresh but well-reasoned insights, they constitute the types of communities for which these cases are designed. Whether in university classrooms, district professional development contexts, or Professional Development School sites, or on the Internet, these authentic accounts beckon systematic reflection. What went well and why? What would I have done differently, under what circumstances, and with what potential consequences? What theories and research support my decision making? APPROPRIATE COURSES The ten cases featured here, selected from our two earlier volumes, have proven effective catalysts for analytic thinking in mixed groups of K-12 educators. Each case shows the consequences of teacher action in the face of a complex problem. As such, these cases have been used as supplemental readings to raise and explore key issues in such diverse undergraduate and graduate courses as Inquiry, Thinking and Knowing, Philosophy of Education, Theoretical Foundations of Pedagogy, Curriculum, Change Strategies, and Analysis of Practice and Supervision. These kaleidoscopic tales invite the use of multiple lenses for examination and, hence, fit well in a range of courses. In teacher education contexts, professors often use the cases for courses that focus on one's philosophy of teaching. For them, the cases illuminate how philosophies and/or teaching approaches (such as those described inApproaches to Teachingby Fenstermacher and Soltis, Teachers College Press, 1998) play out in practice and may either contribute to or detract from the teaching/learning context. At the graduate level, including doctoral courses, we have found them extremely useful in curriculum courses because real curriculum is seen in real contexts. Standards How do performance standards come alive in unique combinations? Using the INTASC matrix on page xxii, you see how standards are embedded in each case. The interplay between specific performance standards and actual classroom practice is the basis for thoughtful discovery: how and why does this occur? At the conclusion of every chapter, discussion questions are linked to relevant INTASC standards. Furthermore, opportunities for reflective practice (INTASC Standard #9) are abundant within these stories. The subjects of the cases themselves show varying commitments to reflective practice, which are applicable to the broad spectrum of K-12 teachers. For example, the reflective process used by the teachers in "Stagnant Pools and Flowing Waters" is relevant for any teacher, regardless of subject area or years of experience. How These Cases Came About Case subjects were selected based on recommendations from their peers and other prominent educators in reform contexts. The cases are not intended to be "models" of standards-based practice but rather to provide windows into the provocative pedagogical issues embedded in the standards. They are examples of real practice. Our commitment as case authors has been to accurate documentation such that embracing a specific approach to change becomes the reader's choice. During extensive observation and interviewing, we encouraged teachers to discuss their experiences and important insights. Questions were open-ended, and we spent much time clarifying the meaning of what we saw and heard. The development process was collaborative throughout, with a mutual commitment to authenticity. In five of the ten cases, we use the real names and contexts of the teachers involved. Each priTraci Bliss is the author of 'K-12 Teachers in the Midst of Reform: Common Thread Cases', published 2001 under ISBN 9780139373275 and ISBN 0139373276.