Ever since Socrates, teaching has been a difficult and even
dangerous profession. Why is good teaching such hard work?
In this provocative, witty, and sometimes rueful book, David K.
Cohen writes about the predicaments that teachers face. Like
therapists, social workers, and pastors, teachers embark on a
mission of human improvement. They aim to deepen knowledge, broaden
understanding, sharpen skills, and change behavior. One predicament
is that no matter how great their expertise, teachers depend on the
cooperation and intelligence of their students, yet there is much
that students do not know. To teach responsibly, teachers must
cultivate a kind of mental double vision: distancing themselves
from their own knowledge to understand students thinking, yet using
their knowledge to guide their teaching. Another predicament is
that although attention to students thinking improves the chances
of learning, it also increases the uncertainty and complexity of
the job.
The circumstances in which teachers and students work make a
difference. Teachers and students are better able to manage these
predicaments if they have resources common curricula, intelligent
assessments, and teacher education tied to both that support
responsible teaching. Yet for most of U.S. history those resources
have been in short supply, and many current accountability policies
are little help. With a keen eye for the moment-to-moment
challenges, Cohen explores what responsible teaching can be, the
kind of mind reading it seems to demand, and the complex social
resources it requires.
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