Why Didn't I Learn This in College

Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century

by Paula Rutherford

Number of pages: 322

Publisher: Just Ask Publications

BBB Library: Education

ISBN: 9780979728013



About the Author

Rutherford is the author of books like: "Instructions for All Students," "Leading the Learning," and "Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners." She is president of Just ASK Publications. She also leads Mentoring in the 21st Century® Institutes.

Read More...

Editorial Review

This title is in no way meant to condemn those who direct our collegiate experiences. The realities are that we may well have studied these topics and earned a good grade on a test over the theoretical aspects of this information but had no classroom experience on which to hook the information, that we took an alternative approach to entering the profession, that our focus was elsewhere at the time, or perhaps, in fact, it was not taught. Whatever the case may be, teachers new to the classroom clearly need support and a repertoire of effective teaching strategies during their first years of classroom work and this book is designed to provide just that.

Book Reviews

"I have purchased four of Paula’s books. They are excellent tools. I used Leading the Learning and The 21st Century Mentor’s Handbook as a mentor teacher. Several of the strategies and activities from Why Didn’t I Learn This in College? I have used with new teachers and Instruction for All Students was taken from me by a teacher the moment she flipped through the pages. The material is easy to read, nicely organized and easy to understand. It is clear and every strategy and piece of advice is useful. They are the greatest resources one can use. " - Gina E. E. Davis Director of Instruction and Staff Development

Books on Related Topics

Wisdom to Share

Just like students need different levels of support in order to learn well, so do parents. It is conventional wisdom that parents are their children’s first teachers.

Teachers are in no position to give parenting advice.

There is no certification required for parenting, and it may be the only work harder or more complex than teaching. At least if the child is really difficult, we only have them for one year.

It has often been said that time is the currency of education.

Careful planning and preparation are essential for each and every day. Having said that, it is understood that there is a certain anxiety about the first days and the first weeks of school.

In order to facilitate learning, we have to adjust the design of the learning experience based on the data we collect not only at the beginning of the learning experience, but throughout the work.

In order to call ourselves teachers, our students have to be learning from the learning experiences we orchestrate.

Leaders cannot be leaders if no one is following.

Information is power, so put students in the driver’s seat by letting them know where the learning is headed.

We seldom start out for an automobile trip without having a destination in mind and a plan for getting there.

When we focus on being well-educated as opposed to well-managed, we must admit we should not only believe in the capacity of our students to achieve high levels, but that we have a sense of self-efficacy as well.

The dilemma with focusing on management is that at the end what we have in mind for our learners is not that they become well-managed, but that they should be well-educated at first.