Duckworth on Teacher Preparation

I’ve been thinking about teacher preparation, and keep coming back to Duckworth:

“First, teachers themselves must learn in the way that the children in their classes will be learning… Second, the teachers work with one or two children at a time so they can observe them closely enough to realize what is involved for the children. Last,  it seems valuable for teachers to see films or live demonstrations of a class of children learning in this way, so that they can begin to think that it really is possible to run their class in such a way. The fourth aspect is of a slightly different nature. Except for the rare teacher who will take this leap all on his or her own on the basis of a single course and some written teachers’ guides, most teachers need the support of at least some nearby co-workers who are trying to do the same thing, and with whom they can share notes. An even better help is the presence of an experienced teacher to whom they can go with questions and problems.”

From the Essay ‘The Having of Wonderful Ideas’ by Eleanor Duckworth