Teaching Tip #59

Teacherscribe’s Teaching Tip #59

Surprise, surprise, surprise, I agree totally with this article: How to Make Better Teachers.

After all, his answer is simple: blogging. 

Shocker that I'd agree with that, right?

Blogging is reflection in action.  All good teachers reflect on their craft.

Blogging is transparency.  Teachers who blog open up a window into their classroom and their practice.

Blogging is community.  If you blog and follow other teachers who blog, you are not only pushing your ideas out to the community, but you are also likely reading and experimenting with the ideas of other educators.

I love the author's conclusion (in the actual article he bets his golf clubs that blogging will make you a better teacher) -

So here's my plan. Hire a teacher, give them a blog. Get them to subscribe to at least five other teachers in the district as well as five other great teachers from around the globe. Have their principal and a few central office people to subscribe to the blog and five other teachers as well. Require them to write at least once a week on their practice. Get conversations going right from the get go. Watch teachers get better.

Try that. If it doesn't work after a year, you get my golf clubs.

PS. The only people allowed to criticize or challenge this idea are people who have blogged for at least one year and written at least 50 posts. The rest of you can ask questions but you can't dismiss it.

In addition to blogging though, I'd also add being on Twitter.  I don't know if you can find better PD than Twitter and Blogging.  But it's putting yourself out that.  And that can be scary.  But the rewards far outweigh the fears.