Teachers as Designers
It is uncomfortable to stray from accepted classroom strategies and attempt to design lessons that tackle the needs of learners by addressing problems of practice. With standardized testing occurring at designated times each school year, teachers resist developing their own lessons. Due to the timeline and imminent importance of satisfactory performance on these tests, it feels safer to teach the recommended lessons and obey the more traditional plans that team teachers often contribute at content meetings. The results of the students’ tests are then not solely the teacher’s responsibility. When these standard lessons are what every teacher on the team uses, success of failure is a team responsibility and not an individual’s responsibility. A teacher may feel uncomfortable or that their lesson is “messy” when they begin to design lessons. Recognition of a teacher’s problem of practice means that the teacher has identified through observation and discourse, what the students are ex...