A must read about the dilemmas of teaching

This is a must read about one of the dilemmas of teaching– in this case, the dilemma of when to switch gears in a classroom because you have a responsibility to cover a certain amount of material.

Chazan, D. & M. Schnepp, (2002). Methods, goals, beliefs, commitments, and manner in teaching: Dialogue against a Calculus backdrop. In J. Brophy (Ed.), Advances in Research on Teaching, Vol. 9: Social Constructivist teaching (pp. 171-195). JAI Press.

This will be the third time this year that I’ve returned to read it. I keep coming back to it. It talks about why “methods” of teaching can’t be judged in the abstract. It argues that that methods must be evaluated against the backdrop of context, goals, beliefs, and commitments. This article is fun, engaging, and ends with a nice interview between the two authors. Lots to think about.