SRF-CHAPTER 28

Here is my SRF for Chapter 28. Chapter 28-Teaching
Ourselves To Learn: The Professional Learning Community
 
Description of Reading: The authors describes current
developments taking place among some professional
educators that are centered on creating communities of
academic inquiry. The participants involve teachers and
administrators collaborating with each other to develop
effective teaching and learning methods that will meet
current and future academic needs.
 
Theme: The basic foundation of this type of learning and
teaching is based on the belief that education is a
science and as such, needs to embody scientific inquiry
based on: discovery, experimentation and making
recommendations on effective teaching skills. These
strategies are to be utilized and commented upon by a
community of professional educators, teachers and
administrators for the purpose of facilitating learning.
 
Author’s Perspective: The authors stresse the need for
educators to arrange cooperative, collaborative and
ongoing investigation into and the practice of teaching
strategies in order to solve current and future problems
confronted by educators. They recommend a team model
composed of coaching partners who assist each other in
their teaching practices by recommending and practicing
ways to enhance the teaching strategy; how to read the
students when the strategy is being applied; and when it
is appropriate to use the newly acquired strategy. The
authors state that new learning both by the teachers and
the students is at first difficult, especially if it
involves “vertical transfer” which requires acquisition
of an entirely new set of teaching skills. They also
remind educators that all new learning can be
frustrating until it is practiced several times. This is
one of the reasons why they recommend teachers forming
coaching teams. 
 
Agreement: I agree with the authors, that educators
today, need to sound out new teaching skills and
practices. They need to experiment with a number of
methodologies while having the support of their
administrators at the local and state level. It is
almost impossible to take the time for trial and error
unless there is a companion teacher to support you in
observation, application and success. These
relationships are critical to this type of structure and
need to be monitored carefully so they do not reach a
personal level. 
 
Enhancement of Understanding of Education: Many of us
today are engaged in learning new ways of teaching at
all educational levels. We are struggling with the
technology that is essential for us to know and use now
and in the future. Grappling with technology is
frustrating and the system at times appears primitive
and at the same time too complex. It would ease
educators’ learning process a great deal if each one had
a partner he or she could collaborate with and exchange
knowledge.
 
Recommendation: I recommend that educators read this
chapter and urge them to try this kind of model in their
schools. So often teachers are left alone with their
knowledge and strategies and are not willing and/or
cannot spend any additional precious moments on
experimenting with other teaching and learning
strategies. This chapter discusses how developing new
ways of learning is important for both the teachers and
the students in order for all of us to succeed in this
fast-paced world.