What Every Teacher Should Know: Reflections on “Educating the Developing Mind”

Over the past half century, much has been learned about the ways in which students develop and learn. Unfortunately, this knowledge often does not find its way into the classroom. Teachers can begin to use this knowledge by focusing on a few key ideas. They need to go beyond the presentation of content to helping students acquire strategies for processing that content. They need to achieve a balance between knowledge and process (rather than choose one or the other). They need to minimize teaching content in isolation, choosing instead to contextualize the content in real-life experiences and applications. Finally, they need to help students learn to make informed, defensible decisions on their own. Changes in curriculum, both at the macro- and micro-levels can assist teachers in making these changes in their teaching.