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FREE
NEWSLETTER GREAT
GIFT--especially for yourself!
Contents TEACHER
THINKING EDUCATION
MYTHS
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Teaching
In Mind: How Teacher Thinking Shapes Education was published in
January, 2002. The following are reviews and comments presently
available. Forthcoming reviews will be posted as they become available.
Scout Report (A Review of the Teacher's Mind website)
From the March, 2002 Midwest Book Review
The following is an excerpt from a review in Library Journal, Dec 2001 v126 i20 p143(1) For the full text, see Library Journal or the Expanded Academic ASAP in Infotrac. "What does it really mean to learn, to teach, or to understand? These are some of the fundamental questions that longtime teacher and trainer Yero considers in this eclectic blend of psychology, philosophy, and educational criticism. Drawing on literary, educational, and psychological research, popular culture, and a range of humanistic criticism of the schools from George Leonard to John Taylor Gatto, Yero examines how our fundamental beliefs about teaching and learning affect our professional work as educators. Teachers are invited, for example, to examine their "personal metaphor" for the educational process and to consider how an individual change informed by this self-scrutiny might have a positive impact on teachers' performance."
From Fearless Book Reviews, March 2002. "Everyone knows that good teachers are important. Author Judith Yero takes this common wisdom a radical step further, asserting that teachers — and more importantly, the unconsciously held beliefs and metaphors that shape a teacher’s behavior — are the single most significant factor in determining a child’s educational experience... “[I]ndividual teachers . . . decide the goals and indeed, the very meaning of education. . . . modify the official curriculum according to personal preferences . . . [and] teach [their] personal beliefs and values. . . I suggest that individual teacher control of classroom practice has existed from the earliest days of formal schooling, exists now, and will continue to exist.” If teachers truly hold such ultimate power, then it is vitally important for teachers to be aware of their operative metaphors. With sharp insight, Yero points out how even the simplest and most universally held concepts used by teachers are grounded in metaphors, including the concept of a concept itself. She asks, “What if, instead of perceiving concepts as generic objects, we perceived them as tools?” Yero suggests that teachers would then have students learn to use these tools, rather than merely collect them. Yero also dissects commonly held educational assumptions, such as the idea that students must learn the “basics” before they can tackle complex problems. (“Have you ever learned anything where you jumped in at a fairly complex level and eventually worked your way down to the basics?”) She examines beliefs about curriculum, standards, knowledge, understanding, and more. She presents a well-researched array of optimistic visions about what education can be, nearly all of which are characterized by “joy” (as opposed to, say, boredom). In the end, she offers an extensive self-inventory for teachers to identify their own core beliefs and metaphors, and to understand how these bear on what they do in the classroom. Backed by abundant scholarly research, this book offers an extraordinarily revealing and hopeful message for educators." — M.POLONSKY • 3/02
"What goes on in the minds of teachers facing the challenges in today's classrooms? A master teacher offers valuable insights and useful strategies based on twenty years of experience working with a great diversity of students. ...brilliant, usable, and highly inspirational...a fine contribution to educational reform literature." Dee Dickinson, Director of New Horizons for Learning
From the April issue of Anchor Point: The Practical Journal of NLP. To read the entire review, click here. "This book is a must for anybody who takes part in any kind of educational process. Teachers [and] professors will find in this material a treasure to discover and enjoy. An extensively documented book, richly illustrated with excellent and relevant examples of real situations...This is definitely a book to be read more than once..." Laura Szmuch, Co-founder of Resourceful Teaching, Buenos Aires, Argentina
From Education Review, May 2002 Judith Lloyd Yero takes a different approach to improving teaching and learning in Teaching in Mind. While many books on education proscribe a specific philosophy or practice, Yero delves deeper into the teaching experience by analyzing the "unconscious underpinnings" and subjective realities that each teacher brings to the classroom. Focusing on that perspective, Yero attempts to convince readers that knowing what beliefs lie beneath each instructor's teaching practices will lead to more effective teaching and, thus, more effective learning on the part of students. Throughout thirteen chapters, Yero provides the structure to help teachers reflect and analyze their beliefs and behaviors. In Chapters 3 to 5, she explores "the metaphors teachers use to describe their work" and explains why the ones used are significant. Subsequent chapters investigate how commonly held beliefs influence teachers' decision-making and actions. Yero also examines the "conventional wisdom" of education. The last chapter is a call for action, in which Yero implores teachers to make conscious decisions to change their realities and behaviors in order to become better educators. The book concludes with a Self-Inventory and substantial bibliography, which includes websites. Using both research and anecdotal evidence, Yero carefully builds the case for her call to action, encouraging teachers to become more self-aware and self-reflective and to develop the vision and courage to change their moribund teaching methods. She offers some insightful observations and provides the structure for teachers to explore - and change -- their own assumptions. ...[E]ducators interested in investigating new approaches to education will find this very readable book illuminating and helpful. Reviewed by Shellie Jeffries, Aquinas College
"I finished reading the book over the weekend (for the
first time).
From the Scout Report, April 26, 2002 Teacher's Mind Resources Philosophically, the site's author is convinced that popular efforts to apply "universal" educational standards are meaningless - if they fail to take into account what each teacher brings to the class as an individual. Thus, it focuses on the teacher's mind as a unique tool destined to interpret every mandated standard differently and uniquely. Offering forums, media, and recently published research in the area, the Teacher's Mind site looks both to inform and engage all users. |
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