Teacher Update: Too Much Teaching?

[Howard Hartman]

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Republishing of Teacher Update e-newsletter and access to articles courtesy of edweek.org

	February 5, 2009
Discussion TOP Too Much Teaching? A new report says that U.S. teachers average a significantly greater number of classroom-teaching hours per year than their counterparts in top-performing European and Asian countries, and thus have less time for planning and collaborative, job-embedded professional development activities that are common elsewhere. What's your reaction? Are U.S. teachers given too great a teaching load? Do you wish you had more time during the school day to work with colleagues on instructional issues? What would you do with 15-20 hours of non-teaching time per week? Join the discussion. Got a topic you want to discuss? Start your own forum discussion. Top Stories TOP Get these and other stories at: www.teachermagazine.org. (Note: Links to AP stories expire in 30 days.) Best Practices + Are Your Students High-Maintenance? Tired of giving directions multiple times, one middle school teacher uses competition to make her class more independent. Teacher Leaders Network + The Right to Planning Time Members of the Teacher Leaders Network discuss prep time and working conditions in collective-bargaining versus right-to-work states. + Teacher Training Deemed Fragmented In the U.S., teacher professional development occurs too often in isolation rather than in collaborative school-based settings, a report says. (Education Week) + K-12 Funding Changes Needed in Calif. As state leaders struggle with the budget deficit, the largest teachers’ union is mobilizing against a plan that would increase class sizes and reduce teaching positions. (AP) + Minn. Debates Expanding Merit Pay Lawmakers will have to rely on anecdotal evidence rather than data when deciding whether to increase funding for the state’s teacher pay-for-performance program. (AP) + 'Green' Classes Flourish in Schools Courses focused on renewable and alternative energy are taking hold across the country as educators seek to channel students’ concerns about the environment and conservation into classroom lessons. (Education Week) Live Chat TOP Tech-Literacy Confusion: What Knowledge and Skills Really Matter? Join us Thursday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. Eastern time for an online discussion to tackle the question: What is technology literacy and how should it be taught and measured? Submit a question. Chat Transcript: Working With Students with Autism Web Watch TOP Our Web Watch feature is now a daily blog! Get the latest and most provocative education news for teachers. Comments welcome. Not-So-Sunny Florida With $100 million in education budget cuts looming, Florida educators express concerns about their jobs, their students, and the future of their schools. A Million Dollars for Your Thoughts The teaching profession recently got a financial boost from billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, according to eSchoolNews. His foundation is funding $10 million in grants to study teacher effectiveness. Recess Recession According to a new study published in the February 2009 Pediatrics journal, there is a strong connection between recess time and elementary students’ good classroom behavior. Teacher Blogs TOP The Book Whisperer Kelly Gallagher, author of Readicide, makes a stop on his blog tour to answer Donalyn Miller's readers' questions about his book. Living in Dialogue Science standards focus on facts and concepts, says Anthony Cody, but students learn best through inquiry. Eduholic Letter grades can have a lot of value, but the one thing they indisputably are not is objective, says Emmet Rosenfeld. A Place at the Table Susan Graham takes issue with a poem written by a Teach For America leader, saying that it perpetuates an "us vs. them" mentality that distracts from the goal of good teaching. New Terrain Neither snow nor rain nor sleet stays D.C. public school teachers from closing the achievement gap, says Jessica Shyu. Unwrapping the Gifted After hearing the concerns of a former student who just finished college, Tamara Fisher worries that university ed studies programs ignore lessons on gifted-student teaching. Blogboard Teacher's look at what's new and noteworthy in educator blogs. Recently: Oh Say Can You Sign, Grading the Graders, Empty Praise, and more. Career Corner Questions remain about the necessity of education budget cuts and the potential impact of revenue redistribution.	Advertisement Reader Poll TOP Teacher Buyouts If your school or district offered you a buyout package, would you accept? Add your vote to our online poll. See the results of last week's poll. Advertisement View All Top School Jobs + Aspiring School Principals, New Leaders for New Schools, New Orleans, LA + Principal, Kabbalah Children’s Academy, Beverly Hills, CA, 90212 + KIPP NYC Executive Director of Middle Schools, New York, NY + New Bedford Public Schools, Multiple Vacancies, New Bedford, MA Advertisement Quality Counts 2009 TOP Portrait of a Population — How English-Language Learners Are Putting Schools to the Test has arrived and is now fully available online. Review the full report now. Archived Webinar: Quality Counts 2009: Portrait of a Population Watch this presentation on the report's major findings from the experts who produced it. Register here. Quality Counts 2009 is sponsored online by: Advertisement Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook TOP Different Students, Different Approaches The Fall 2008 issue of the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook is now online! This issue focuses on the fast-growing practice of differentiated instruction—in which teachers work to accommodate and build on students' diverse learning needs. The Sourcebook also includes our exclusive resource directory of professional development products and services, updated and expanded. Search resources in Differentiated Instruction, English/Reading, English-Language Learners, Classroom Management, and more.
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