The Teaching Brain: An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart of Education

257 Pages·2014·2.42 MB·English

by  Vanessa Rodriguez

5.625 × 8.5 SPINE: 0.5 FLAPS: 3.5
Education/Science $26.95 U.S.
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teaching, illuminates the role and ability of teachers, PRAISE FoR THE TEACHInG BRAIn
and delivers new tools for making sense of the oner- Almost since the first school bell
ous reform battles engulfing educators, schools, and rang, experts and everyday people alike
communities today. Filled with fresh inspiration for “What a fascinating idea. The Teaching Brain touches on critical underlying issues have grappled with what teaching is all
all who are working toward truly meaningful educa- about. An adult at the front of the room imparting
in the current ‘reform’ debates. It would be clearer to one and all after reading this
tional reform, The Teaching Brain is a novel book for knowledge to rows of children lives on as the persis-
challenging and inspiring work that we need to understand the importance of what
parents, teachers, and anyone desiring a better under- tent stock image of a classroom, and opinions about
teacher-learning brings to the act of teacher-teaching.”
standing of how the mind works—one that challenges what teachers should do and how they should do it
assumptions, uncovers the mystery of teaching, and —Deborah Meier, are endless. Yet few have dared to question the very
unlocks the teaching brain in all of us. author of The Power of Their Ideas and In Schools We Trust foundation upon which our most basic notions of
teaching are built. Now Vanessa Rodriguez, a former
“This book comes at an important time. As the critical issue of teacher quality gains classroom teacher herself, challenges widely accepted
theories of teaching and offers a unique idea based
prominence, there is an unfortunate tendency toward the simple fix: just give teach-
V a n e s s a on a simple yet empowering truth: we are all teachers.
ers a fixed set of skills, just get rid of the lowest-performing ones. The Teaching Brain
In The Teaching Brain, Rodriguez and co-author
Rodriguez represents an important challenge to this way of thinking and ultimately provides T
h Michelle Fitzpatrick draw on the science of human
taught humanities in hope that we might build a more humane and comprehensive system of teaching
e development to redefine teaching as an evolutionary
the New York City pub- and schools.” —Jesse soloM on, cognitive skill that develops in all people over time.
lic schools for more T
executive director of BPE and founder of the Boston Teacher Residency e On a journey through the inherently interactive na-
than ten years before a ture of teaching, a wealth of research and experi-
deciding to return to c
ence are marshaled to construct an entirely innova-
graduate school in pur- “Drawing on brain science, education research, and her own experience, Vanessa h
tive framework for thinking about, talking about, and
suit of understanding Rodriguez eloquently presents a new, humanizing, and compelling take on how, in
supporting this essential social endeavor. Familiar
exactly what—beyond why, and when teachers teach effectively. The Teaching Brain is an important book g
classroom examples are punctuated by rarely dis-
her love of children—inspires her love of teaching. She for teachers, future teachers, policy makers, and anyone who cares about children B cerned glimpses into teaching. Bored and cooped up,
is now a doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate and learning.” —susan linn, r Thomas, age seven, teaches his four-year-old brother
School of Education, where her research has been a
how to play Mouse Trap; Eva’s father, during a typi-
recognized for its innovation and potential impact on psychologist, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and author of The Case for Make Believe in
cal before-school routine, must teach her to button a
education with the prestigious Hauser Initiative for
coat because she’s only ever snapped one; and Claire,
Learning and Teaching (HILT) award. A New Yorker at “The Teaching Brain is a significant contribution to understanding the interaction
a veteran classroom teacher, skillfully turns a student’s
heart, she currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. among teachers, students, the environment, and the content of learning.”
witty remark into an engaging way for her students to
This is her first book.
—herbert Kohl, choose summer reads: speed-dating their books.
Michelle Fitzpatrick author of more than forty books, including “I Won’t Learn from You” and 36 Children wV Resisting the shortsighted trend of offering one-
has co- itA size-fits-all and quick-fix solutions—and combating
authored many nonfiction books, including a number hn
of New York Times and international bestsellers. She “We would never think of the bonding of a newborn with parents as a unilateral Me the persistent tendency to draw sweeping conclusions
writes on a wide variety of topics, including health, experience, yet, as so clearly illuminated in The Teaching Brain, we’ve been compla- ichss farnodm F iotnzplya troibcske rdveitnagil tfievaec hdiinstgi nicnt aarcetaios no—f Rawodarriegnueeszs
psychology, sexuality, neuroscience, and education. cent in failing to identify the profound interactions between the teaching and the eA
She has an MA in literature and creative writing from learning brains. As the authors identify the dynamic, interactive system created by ll R that must be carefully developed to become an expert
e teacher and provide a survey specifically designed to
tahned UEndiuvecrastiitoyn o ffr Homou Hstaornv aarndd. an EdM in Mind, Brain, bofo tlhea srtnuidnegn. Tt hainsd b toeoakc hperor,v aid geas pv ailsu fiabllleed g iuni dtahnec nee ounr ogsecnieenractei nagn ad scyongcnhitriovneo sucsi eflnocwe FitzodR afuplplyr amisaep y othuer omwinn dte oafc hai ntega bchraeirn, .T Thhee T fierasct haitntegm Bprta itno
in the classroom.” —JuD y Willis, pAtRigu duenlevaerst hins two hthy,e a dt eav etilmopem wehnetnal astttaagcekss oofn t eteaacchhinegrs aanrde
neurologist, teacher, and author of How Your Child Learns Best ice
kz epidemic, professional teachers are so crucial and so
THE NEW PRESS valuable.
www.thenewpress.com
In an original work at the intersection of educa-
tion, neuroscience, and everyday experience, the in-
Jacket photograph by Martin Wimmer / Getty Images sight in these pages breaks new ground with a game-
Photograph of Vanessa Rodriguez by Jill Anderson (Harvard Graduate School of Education) THE changing analysis that transforms common notions of
Jacket design by David Shoemaker NEW
PRESS
[continued on bAck FlAp]
THE
TEACHING
BRAIN

T H E
T E AC H I N G
B R A I N
AN EVOLUTIONARY TRAIT
AT THE HEART OF EDUCATION
VANESSA RODRIGUEZ
WITH MICHELLE FITZPATRICK
© 2014 by Vanessa Rodriguez and Michelle Fitzpatrick
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form, without written permission from the
publisher.
Requests for permission to reproduce selections from this book should be mailed to:
Permissions Department, The New Press, 120 Wall Street, 31st floor, New York, NY 10005.
Published in the United States by The New Press, New York, 2014
Distributed by Perseus Distribution
ISBN 978-1-59558-996-5 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-62097-022-5 (e-book)
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This book was set in Goudy Oldstyle and Futura
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
“It would be very strange for people to see someone
without [a daemon]. It’d be just as strange as seeing
someone without a head. Someone without a daemon
would be considered horribly mutated—missing
something essential.”
—Chris Weitz, director of The Golden Compass
This book is dedicated to my daemon—without him none of
this would be possible.
h
“We have a lot of rocks in the classrooms . . . we study
rocks. We’re learning about prehistory. We’re learning
about the beginnings of the planet. We’re learning about
patterns and cycles. [A visitor to our school] once said,
‘Why are there so many rocks in the school? What can
you do with a rock? You can write a story about a rock.
You can learn a little about rocks—then you’re done.’
And I thought, no. You can spend a lifetime with a rock.
And that is the way I feel about teaching anything.”
—“Liz,” a fourth-grade teacher in New York
This book is also dedicated to all the teachers who believe you
can spend a lifetime with a rock.

CONTENTS
Introduction ix
Part One: What Is Wrong with Our
Definition of Teaching?
1. The Theories That Have Led Us Astray 3
2. Cookie-Cutter Solutions and Other Missteps 26
of Education Reform
Part Two: It’s All About Systems
3. Understanding the Learning Brain 43
4. Why Do We Need Teachers? 63
5. Teaching as a System of Skills 82
Part Three: The Teaching Brain
6. Becoming an Expert Teacher 103
7. Developing the Teaching Brain 134
8. Your Teaching Brain 155
9. The Teaching Brain and Next Steps for 176
Education Reform
Appendix A: Abbreviations 189
Appendix B: Methods Used to Investigate the Cognitive 191
Processes of the Teaching Brain
Appendix C: Types of Teaching Ability Developed Across
the Life Span 195
Acknowledgments 199
Notes 205
Index 221
About the Authors 233
INTRODUCTION
There’s no shortage of complaints about the state of schooling
today, no shortage of calls to reform our educational system, no
shortage of opinions on how to fix what many (even those who
fervently disagree on the particulars) agree amounts to a major
social dilemma. The contemporary challenges facing formal edu-
cation in the United States are vast, complicated, and emotion-
ally charged. Educators, scientists, psychologists, government
officials, and bestselling authors are all part of the mix of voices
creating the conversation and, in part, prolonging the controver-
sies, both warranted and not.
But it seems the biggest elephant in the proverbial room is
how we think about teaching and our teachers. All sides of the
teaching debate have sought to define “good teaching.” However,
this effort is as misguided as one that would label a student a
“good learner.” We need to keep the terms “good” and “teach-
ing” forevermore apart. Indeed, the concept of a perfect teacher
for all students is a complete myth. Instead we need to be asking
new questions.
Our questions should begin with one in particular: What is
teaching?
A five-year-old child, absent any formal training of the sort
ix