Acknowledgements About the Author Preface 1. Why Professional Conversation? The Imperative for Improvement in Teaching The Nature of Teacher Learning Promoting Professional Learning Through Conversation Assumptions Underlying Professional Conversations Summary 2. Power and Leadership in Schools Overview The Reality of Power Reconciling Power and Leadership Summary 3. The Big Ideas that Shape Professional Conversations What Constitutes Important Learning? What Causes Learning? How Are Students Motivated? The Merging of All These Ideas Summary 4. The Topics for Conversations Power, Leadership, and the "Big Ideas" Summary 5. Conversation Skills Setting the tone for conversation Linguistic Skills Paraphrasing Summary 6. Informal Professional Conversations Purpose Settings for Professional Conversations Procedure Summary 7. Implementation Issues Finding Time for Conversation Communicating the Purpose Establishing Trust Forging Understanding and Consensus on the "Big Ideas" Elaborating the "Topics for Conversation" Summary 8. Conversation Activities for Implementation Establishing the Foundation Communicating the Purpose Establishing Trust The Big Ideas: Considering High-Level Learning How do People Learn? Worthwhile learning experiences Human Motivation Topics for Conversation Summary References Index
Talk About Teaching! helps educators understand the value and power of meaningful informal conversations about teaching to promote teacher learning, improve classroom teaching, and increase learner achievement. It also provides all educators with the "mental maps" and practical tools to enable them to conduct meaningful, although frequently informal, professional conversations about practice. This book: Identifies topics for professional conversations that are linked to the "big ideas" or essential components of successful teaching Links the "big ideas" to both critical research and to the author's frameworks Identifies and describes research-based conversation skills, including setting the tone, probing, paraphrasing, and inviting thinking Demonstrates how to create an environment that supports informal and effective professional conversations, e.g., making time for the conversations, establishing the necessary trust, reaching consensus on the essential components of successful teaching Provides an entire chapter of very specific conversation activities or protocols organized around the "big ideas" that comprise suggested questions, materials to support the conversations, and likely outcomes of discussions
Charlotte Danielson, a former economist, is an internationally-recognized expert in the area of teacher effectiveness, specializing in the design of teacher evaluation systems that, while ensuring teacher quality, also promote professional learning. She advises State Education Departments and National Ministries and Departments of Education, both in the United States and overseas. She is in demand as a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and as a policy consultant to legislatures and administrative bodies. Ms Danielson is a graduate of Cornell University (history), Oxford University (philosophy, politics, and economics) and Rutgers University (educational administration and supervision.) She has taught at all levels, kindergarten through university), and has worked as a curriculum director and staff development director, and is the founder of The Danielson Group. Her Framework for Teaching has become the most widely-used definition of teaching in the United States, and has been adopted as the single model, or one of several approved models, in over 20 states. Ms. Danielson's many publications range from defining good teaching ("Enhancing Professional Practice: a framework for teaching," 2007), to organizing schools for student success ("Enhancing Student Achievement: a framework for school improvement," 2002), to teacher leadership ("Teacher Leadership that Strengthens the Profession," 2006), to professional conversations ("Talk about Teaching! Conducting Professional Conversations," 2009), to numerous practical instruments and training programs (both onsite and online) to assist practitioners in implementing her ideas. Click here for more info on Talk about Teaching!