RTT/Resources

Books used by teacher training programs
This book contains the 49 strategies used by the most effective teachers the author observed from hours of video footage. These techniques will be important to determine what master teachers in more traditional settings do to most effectively teach a classroom of students.
 * Lemov, Doug. Teach like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Print.

Based on evidence from classrooms across the country, Teach for America has discovered much about effective teaching practice, and distilled these findings into the six principles: set big goals, invest in students and their families, plan purposefully, execute effectively, continuously increase effectiveness, and work relentlessly. These goals were designed with the worst schools in mind, taking a more holistic approach to improving teaching.
 * Farr, Steven. Teaching as Leadership: the Highly Effective Teacher's Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Print.

Fred Jones identifies specific techniques that teachers can use to effectively discipline, to deliver content more effectively, and to better motivate students to learn. The book is broken into short, illustrated, and often humorous chapters that can be digested by teachers in any order at the time they need a specific skill. It works especially well as a reference when teaching errors have been pointed out by a peer or mentor.
 * Jones, Fredric H., Patrick Jones, and Jo Lynne Talbott. Jones. Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation. Santa Cruz, CA: F.H. Jones & Associates, 2000. Print.

CITW, as it is often called, takes some of educational research’s most significant results and wraps it with a how-to guide for teachers. Research shows that identifying similarities and differences, cooperative learning, and nonlinguistic representations are all important. This book goes into detail to show what kinds of situations can benefit from these strategies. It includes samples of assignments and reinforces the value of using the strategy.
 * Marzano, Robert J., Debra Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001. Print.

The First Days of School is 320 pages of critical things that can make or break a school year in just the first few days. It talks about classroom setup, behavior policies, how you choose to interact with students, and what norms you set. It does not focus on lesson plans, pedagogy, or things that are more fluid throughout the year. However, it helps teachers send a clear message to students, in just a few days, that they are a caring, professional, and in-control teacher.
 * Wong, Harry K., and Rosemary T. Wong. The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher. Mountainview, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, 1998. Print.

Articles evaluating teacher training

 * Decker, Paul T., Daniel P. Mayer, and Steven Glazerman. The Effects of Teach For America on Students: Findings from a National Evaluation. Rep. no. MPR Ref. No.: 8792-750. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc, 9 June 2004. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. .

This thorough study of Teach for America gives evidence to the claim that the program is succeeding and making a difference in student performance. The study finds that TFA teachers have the greatest impact in math education, while yielding comparable results to other teachers in reading and literature. Also see http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/education/teach4amer.asp


 * Heilig, Julian Vasquez, and Jez, Su Jin. "Teach For America: A Review of the Evidence." Education Policy Research Unit, June 2010. Web. 8 Oct. 2010. .

This study looks at the impact of TFA on schools and claims that schools should only use TFA teachers if the alternative is substitutes or unlicensed teachers. It emphasizes the importance of experience in teaching and the heavy costs related to a high-turnover teacher.


 * Malian, Ida M., and Ann I. Nevin. "A Framework for Understanding Assessment of Innovation in Teacher Education." Teacher Education Quarterly (2005). Summer 2005. Web. 29 Apr. 2010. .

This article provides a means to evaluate current programs and a new program for teacher education. It will be especially helpful when looking for metrics to measure innovation and effectiveness.

Web Links

 * Who will be a good teacher? Gladwell: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/15/081215fa_fact_gladwell
 * Free educational psychology textbook (for referencing alternative readings): http://www.oercommons.org/courses/educational-psychology
 * Free resources on "leadership in education:" http://www.oercommons.org/browse/subject/Leadership%20in%20Education
 * Free resources on "classroom management:" http://www.oercommons.org/browse/subject/Classroom%20Management
 * WikiEducator link to Teacher Mentoring: http://wikieducator.org/Teacher_Mentoring
 * OER on teaching teachers in Africa: http://www.tessafrica.net/images/stories/pdf/tessa_working_with_teachers.pdf

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