What do we know about Socrates and the teaching method that, having taken his name, has become widely used from kindergarten through postgraduate seminars? The practitioners employing so-called Socratic methods include vastly different styles, the author says, noting that "we may be mistaking common phrasing for common practice." The differences…

"Tough Liberal," a book penned by the author of this article, traces the life of Albert Shanker (1928-1997) chronologically from birth to death. Shanker was the longtime head of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) in New York City (1964-1986) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) nationally (1974-1997). "Tough Liberal" recounts the…

With the demise of the "suffering heroes" in public education, the operating style of the educational enterprise must also change. Instead of meeting draconian reform measures, schools should be restructured along the same lines as the postal service and the medical profession. Teachers should expect good pay and good working conditions but should…

This exploration of the teaching profession, the institutionalization of teacher education, and the relationship between knowledge and practice in teaching argues that a set of latent contradictions (including quantity versus quality and excellence versus equity) and defensive reactions to these contradictions darkens the prospects of teaching…