Expertise in Every Classroom: Guidelines to Bridging Research and Practice

Expertise in every classroom should be the norm, not the exception. We have all had that magical teacher, who we remember years later. We remember how this teacher made us believe we could do anything. The mythical experts exist and have much to teach us in our quest to build a powerhouse education system. Unfortunately, forty years of research and over 25 years of reform models have led to few changes in the teaching profession and in the overall outcomes in education. Both national and international research demonstrates expertise in teaching can be clearly defined and developed. Countries around the world have successfully revamped their systems to develop and support expert teachers. While we grapple with failed value-added models and are beginning to understand linkage to single achievement test scores leaves out the impact teachers have upon the students, peers, and the culture as a whole. We have erected barriers in the form of scripted curricula, overuse of testing, and failed professional development models. Yet some teachers overcome all the barriers and develop expertise. These teachers find avenues of development either in small pockets of peers or individually. While other countries are developing experts in mass numbers, the United States is creating such teachers in very, small pockets. Examining the thinking processes and practice of these teachers offers a glimpse into what we should desire in every classroom in every school. This book bridges both research and practical elements. We believe expert teachers desire both. We often discuss the disconnect between research and practice. This book is intended to bridge both academic expectations and practitioner expectations. We believe the academic community must make research accessible and user-friendly to practitioners and practitioners should be at the forefront of research discussions. We must blend the ivory towers of academia with the daily work in our schools if we are to create world class systems. Expert teachers are both academic researchers and critical practitioners. Reform movements are showing little progress. We need to redefine the profession.

Table of Contents:
Dedication Acknowledgements Introduction Section I: Why Experts Matter Chapter 1: Defining Expert Teachers Chapter 2: The Impact of Expert Teachers Chapter 3: The Why: Teacher-Student Kinship Section II: The Thinking Processes of Expert Teachers Chapter 4: The Expert Lens Chapter 5: The Expert Thinking Process Chapter 6: Creating Conceptual Mastery Chapter 7: Learning Segments Chapter 8: Day-to-Day Section III: Building Expert Capital Chapter 9: Expert Capital within Schools Chapter 10: Professional Kinship Chapter 11: Collective Expert Thinking Process Final Thoughts Appendix: Professional Learning Activities References

About the Author :
Amanda Shuford Mayeaux Ed.D. NBCT, Assistant Professor in Educational Foundations and Leadership at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is a multi-national award winning educator with a passion for developing expertise in educators at all levels. Her experience as an educator ranges from classroom teacher to leadership. Her research focuses on expert educators, professional learning communities, and organizational barriers to student success. Dianne F. Olivier, Ph. D., Professor in Educational Foundations and Leadership at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, has extensive experience as a classroom teacher and administrator in K-12 and higher education. Dianne's expertise has been recognized with at the university, national, and international levels in the area of professional learning.

Review :
Expertise in Every Classroom highlights inspiring stories and research focused on the passion and desire of educators striving to not only teach their students, but to change their lives. This research is a deep dive into what it takes to establish and maintain critical relationships and a guide to success for teachers and students. Expertise in Every Classroom is a riveting in-depth examination of exceptional teachers, their attributes in implementation and dedication to impacting teaching and learning. These intense explorations into reflective practice and systematic thinking show an alignment into the five Core propositions developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Each chapter is more powerful than the next, intentionally dissecting and reflecting through a variety of approaches that methodically diagnose necessary pathways to ensure every student, every zip-code, no matter their circumstance is academically supported, challenged, safe and validated. This book answers the question of what makes a good teacher. This foundational look at expert teaching is well written and approachable. From the models presented to the examples used, this book should be owned by all educators.