In his book, Why Knowledge Matters, ED Hirsch Jr. writes that:
Teacher effectiveness is contextual
At first sight this seems completely common sensical and, indeed it is in theory. It is just in practice where too many involved in education undermine this simple adage. Hirsch gores on to say:
We are blaming teachers because of our disappointments with the results of our reforms.
How many times do we hear that we have the best generation of teachers ever as yet another round of top down management or governmentally driven accountability measures undermine that very concept?
Hirsch sees that the disappointing results of reforms is more likely to be structural in nature rather than down to the characteristics and proclivities of teachers. He puts this in the following way:
Educational success is defined by what students learn – the received curriculum.
Hirsch sees that the fundamental problem with the curriculum is…
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