ERIC Number: ED583016
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Review of "Learning about Learning: What Every New Teacher Needs to Know"
Thomas, P. L.; Goering, Christian Z.
National Education Policy Center
As part of an ongoing series of reports by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), "Learning About Learning: What Every New Teacher Needs to Know" makes broad claims about teacher education based on a limited analysis of textbooks and syllabi. The report argues that teacher education materials, specifically educational psychology and methods textbooks, are a waste of funds and do not adequately focus on what the report identifies as six essential strategies. These inadequacies, the report contends, result in ill-prepared teacher candidates lacking in "research-proven instructional strategies" (p. vi). The report offers recommendations for textbook publishers, teacher education programs, and state departments of education. However, it is not grounded in a comprehensive examination of the literature on teaching methods, and it fails to validate the evaluative criteria it employs in selecting programs, textbooks, and syllabi. The single source it relies on to justify its "six essential strategies" provides limited support for NCTQ's claims. This primary source concludes, with only one exception, that the evidence supporting each of the six strategies is only moderate or weak. Limiting the analysis to one source that provides only tepid support renders the report of little value for improving teacher preparation, selecting textbooks, or guiding educational policy. Contains a list of combined notes and references. [For "Learning about Learning: What Every New Teacher Needs to Know," see ED570861.]
Descriptors: Beginning Teachers, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Research Reports, Preservice Teacher Education, Best Practices, Evidence, Research Utilization, Research Methodology, Validity, Educational Practices, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education, Teacher Effectiveness
National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice
Authoring Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A