Data: Not a Dirty Word

December 4, 2014

Vivian Gussey Paley, a long time, highly esteemed teacher and author writes, “As we seek to learn more about a child we demonstrate the acts of observing, listening, questioning, wondering. When we are curious about a child’s words or our answers to these words the child feels respected. The child is respected. ‘What are these ideas that are so interesting to the teacher? I must be somebody with good ideas.’ ” Most teachers go into teaching with a vibrant interest in how children think and develop their ideas. Successful teachers are especially adept at communicating this genuine interest to their students. For Paley, a teacher’s use of data to understand her student’s learning--which for her was any form of evidence she could find that showed her what sense her students were making of the work they were doing-- is an essential part of good teaching. Yet many teachers have “data” fatigue. Currently, the very word brings a range of associations most of which are connected with the standardized testing movement. Very few teachers with whom we speak at the outset of our project link data with authentic information about student learning.

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The Critical Missing Piece in Developing Teacher Learning: Creating Opportunities for Understanding

September 25, 2014

In this article on developing deep teacher learning, Mills Teacher Scholars' Executive Director Carrie Wilson calls for an increased attention to creating the time and support for teachers to make sense of the practices they are implementing and their impact on students.    As those of us who came to education with a social justice framework know, understanding is the pathway to agency. 21st Century Learning and the Common Core are giving greater emphasis to understanding and “deeper learning” for students. There is a refreshing insistence that students must be able to do something with what they know. Their knowledge must be deep and their understanding must be flexible. But what about teacher learning and teacher knowledge? What do teachers have to know in order to create learning opportunities for students that allow for deeper learning? And what opportunities do they need to learn this? This month Mills Teacher Scholars published two rich blog posts from Oakland Unified teacher scholars Laura Alvarez and Michelle Cascio that help us answer that question. Their Teacher Scholars' work sheds light on two important—and often overlooked—requirements for teacher learning: time and support. Teachers need both time and support to clarify their desired learning goals and to make sense of what is happening for students. They need time to think-- both alone and with colleagues.

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Academic Discussion: Seven Powerful Takeaways

August 13, 2014

In response to the Common Core’s  emphasis on conversations that promote learning, many of our teacher scholars chose to focus their inquiries on academic discussion during the 2013-14 academic year. Through support from Mills Teacher Scholars staff, participants looked at...

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Celebrating Teacher Learning at the 2014 Teacher Inquiry in Action Forum

June 5, 2014

Our 2014 Teacher Inquiry in Action Forum was a success! Over 250 teachers, district administrators, district coaches, foundation program officers, college faculty, and school-site parents from across the Bay Area enjoyed the poster and breakout sessions, learning from teacher scholars who have spent the academic year immersed in systematic inquiry around an area of their teaching practice.  The event started with a poster session in which attendees could learn about the range of inquiry projects, mingle, and dialogue with teacher scholars.

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