Teaching Matters Most
A School Leader’s Guide to Improving Classroom Instruction
- Thomas M. McCann - Northern Illinois University, USA
- Alan C. Jones - Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Gail A. Aronoff - Community High School District 94, West Chicago, IL
Foreword by Deborah Meier, A Co-Publication With Learning Forward
A laser-beam focus on improving instruction to improve learning
Saying "teaching matters most" is easy, and seems obvious. Making it the top priority for school leaders and staff is not so easy—in fact, it's messy. If we want to change how students write, compute, and think, then teachers must change how they teach. They must transform the old "assign-and-assess" model into engaging, compassionate, coherent, and rigorous instruction. The authors show school leaders how to make this happen amidst myriad distractions, initiatives, and interruptions.
Unlike other books that stop at evaluating teachers and instruction, this work demonstrates how to grow schools' instructional capacities with a three-step process that involves:
- Envisioning what good teaching looks like
- Measuring the quality of current instruction against this standard
- Working relentlessly to move the quality of instruction closer and closer to the ideal
The authors provide helpful guidance on issues such as hiring, induction, professional development, mentoring, and teacher evaluation. Each chapter offers specific action steps toward building the blueprint for improvement. Also included are frameworks for completing instructional audits in schools, and probes, instruments, and protocols for measuring and tracking the quality of instruction. Leaders will find excellent guidance for spearheading and sustaining a focused and aligned effort to improve the quality of teaching to impact all learners.
"A comprehensive book that provides site administrators not only the opportunity to reflect on their own practices but challenges them to reconsider the daily operations of their schools. The recommendations meld theory and practice together in an administrator-friendly way."
"This is a good book principals can use for faculty book study. It will lead to authentic dialogue about good teaching: how to get to it and how to maintain it."
"This is an excellent book for administrators to build a focused, long-term solution to improve what happens in every classroom on a daily basis."
"A major strength of this book is how it identifies and puts in one place the key elements needed to improve student learning."
"I recommend this book for new principals and superintendents in induction programs. The content will inspire thoughtful discussions and lead to effective action plans."
"In Teaching Matters Most, the authors remind us that to provide students with the highest quality of education, we must refocus on defining the quality of instruction in the classroom and building support systems for the teachers providing that instruction."
"I am grateful to, and appreciative of, the authors of Teaching Matters Most for their efforts to improve student learning through the examination of classroom instruction. The authors offer practical and useful strategies that allow teachers to review their practices through frequent reflections. The book guides staff through activities that focus on their instructional practices for maximum student learning. I believe that study of this book can be a continuous professional development activity for teachers and school leadership teams."
good text. wonderful!
This is on my recommended book list for EDUL 6333, Leadership for Curriculum Development. It is excellent!!
