The National Academies has released a new book titled, Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs, that declares:
Assessing Accomplished Teaching finds that teachers who earn board certification are more effective at improving their students' achievement than other teachers, but school systems vary greatly in the extent to which they recognize and make use of board-certified teachers.
Likewise, the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has released two reports addressing the needs and skills required by the 21st Century teacher. Empowering Teachers: A Professional and Collaborative Approach (pdf) and Technology-Based Assessments Improve Teaching and Learning (pdf) both describe the need for technology based approaches to professional development learning communities and classroom practices.
In addition, Digital Youth:"Kids' Informal Learning with Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures", a collaboration between the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley, has issued its final report. Titled Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project (pdf), the report finds that:
Youth could benefit from educators being more open to forms of experimentation and social exploration that are generally not characteristic of educational institutions... Youth using new media often learn from their peers, not teachers or adults. Yet adults can still have tremendous influence in setting learning goals ... Youths’ participation in this networked world suggests new ways of thinking about the role of education.
Web sites like Brightstorm have emerged because:
Great learning starts with great teaching. We've assembled recognized teachers from around the country to help high school students reach their full potential via engaging online videos.
This U.S. based site means students can be self-directed learners, and the best style of teaching can be differentiated for each student.
A teacher then becomes a manager of a student's personal learning network and continuous assessment and feedback.
For teachers to achieve this transformation SETDA identifies five essential components of professional development:
- Leadership - effective schools and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement
- Knowledge - a deep understanding of the subject-matter content
- Resources - access to resources and tools necessary to implement learning strategies appropriate to the goals of teaching and learning
- Collaboration - participation in professional learning communities
- Evaluation - use of data to improve instructional approaches, improve student achievement, and evaluate teacher effectiveness
- Sustainability - ongoing and sustainable professional development for improving teaching practices
