Teacher Learning Just as Critical as Student Learning in Common Core Era

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As teachers nationwide face the challenge of implementing Common Core-aligned curricula in their classrooms, what kind of professional development is needed to help teachers translate policy into practice?

"Adjusting to meet the rigor of the new standards is putting teachers back into the role of learners," says Cheryl Dobbertin of Expeditionary Learning, a K-12 education nonprofit. "It is requiring a hefty amount of intellectual courage to rethink the way we teach."

As she writes in her current Education Week blog (http://bit.ly/13N7FIk), "It's one thing to have a growth mindset about the things we all find challenging – like Organic Chemistry – but another to maintain the intellectual courage to confront what you deeply believe to be true about your own capacity to be good at your job."

Expeditionary Learning, which developed the Common Core-aligned curriculum for New York State that has been downloaded 2+ million times nationwide, is working with teachers to recast "PD" into a much more active, powerful, and effective process for educators.

"Over time," Dobbertin writes, "professional development has earned a troubling reputation as something to be stoically endured. We have all had that 'bad PD' session where the leader of the work talked instead of modeled, where a PowerPoint replaced discussion, and where compliance and 'PD hours' stood in for real learning. Instead, let's insist on working together to solve authentic problems, to question and probe, and to seek and use feedback in order to refine our work in service of students' learning."

At the New York State Reading Association (NYSRA) Conference this week, Dobbertin and her Expeditionary Learning colleagues will discuss how teachers can meet the challenges around the Common Core. A key topic will be ways for teachers to design compelling yet challenging curriculum. Such curriculum compels students to work hard and think critically.

To speak with Cheryl Dobbertin, or for more information about Expeditionary Learning, please contact Suzanne Oaks Brownstein or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or [email protected].

About Expeditionary Learning
Expeditionary Learning (EL) is a leading K-12 education non-profit that is meeting the national challenge to raise student achievement. Combining challenging work with the joy of discovery and pride in mastery, EL offers the education we would want for every child: one that prepares citizens with both the skills and the character necessary for success throughout college, work and life.

EL's portfolio of instructional materials and coaching services draws on 20+ years of success in more than 160 EL Schools, serving 4,000 teachers and 53,000 students in 33 states. Based on founding principles of meaningful work, character and respect for teachers, EL's offerings transform teaching and learning to promote habits of scholarship and character that lead to high student achievement, regardless of student background. In addition to success on standardized tests, EL students demonstrate critical thinking, intellectual courage and emotional resilience; they possess the passion and the capacity to contribute to a better world. For more information, visit http://elschools.org. 

SOURCE Expeditionary Learning

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