Customer Reviews

Working on the Work: An Action Plan for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents (Jossey-Bass Education)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The thesis of the author, offer students work that is meaningful and engaging, is a paradigm shift. The usual way of improving students' experience in the classroom is to offer professional development seminars to teachers so that they might become better educators. However, Schlechty shifts the focus away from improving instruction to working on the work that we require students to do.

I thought the book was convincing of its proposal and an approach that educators need to work on. My only disappointment with the book is that the author did not offer any examples of what "engaging" work might look like. Educators often are bombarded with "theory" and little "practical" examples - which would have been great to have in an Appendix. It is in the "practical" that the book is lacking. Yet, it is a great read and a revolutionary approach.

This is the sort of book school administrators love and teachers hate. It's long on vague, lofty sounding goals and absolutely no specifics to help teachers get there. What teacher wouldn't want to be more engaging? Who wouldn't want to inspire their students? Simply stating "be more engaging" doesn't get a teacher there any more than the teacher telling their student to "be smarter". But admin types love Schlechty's program. It puts the burden on the teacher to "work smarter, not harder...", "work the work" and "be more engaging and entertaining", and absolves students, parents and administrators from any responsibility for student improvement.

I'd like to see specifics. And I'd like to see specific approaches backed up by hard research that will tell me the approach works. I haven't seen that yet, not in this book or any of the other 1,000 wunderkinds that run around the educational establishment spouting the latest miracle makeover.

But I'm an optimist. I'm still looking for any information that will help me become a better teacher, information that's backed by experience and hard, objective research showing measurable results. I didn't see it here....

Schlechty's Shaking Up the Schoolhouse is the parent to Working on the Work. Both books make the effort to provide information and put forth a different perspective. It's disheartening to read the reactionary comments from educators who are familiar with Schlechty and the WOW book. When is the blame shifting going to stop? How long will teachers focus on all the things they cannot control instead of on the things they can? Nothing gives a teacher more freedom by administrators than success. By shifting our focus to what we give our students to work on, we do work smarter, which brings more joy to the passion for kids that led us to teaching. Teaching the same way we always have is why we continue to have a 30% drop out rate at the high school level(and rising). The book does not say that no teachers want to be more engaging. It simply gives a framework for improving the tasks that we assign our students. If you don't like your job, get out! Education has to continue to make the paradigm shifts needed if we are to expect a responsible, informed citizenry. Here are the facts:

-Research tells us that the engagement precedes learning. Without authentic attention and investment, true and deep learning does not occur.

-Research tells us that a variety of tasks and instructional delivery is required to meet the needs of the variety of learners in any given classroom.

-Research tells us that the most effective teachers are those who are risk-takers in the classroom and make great effort to connect personally with their students.

-Research tells us that last year's lessons won't necessarily work with this year's students.

Any job you take will be evaluated, be it education or not. If we, as teachers, do not continue to reflect on the kinds of work we give our students, then we are simply a warm body in the classroom. What's the great harm in looking more closely at our lesson design and thinking outside the box? I say this book is an interesting read that can encourage any educator to take stock of what is happening in their classroom. Open your lessons up for some reflection and criticism. That's the only way we can grow as educators.

This book takes the most basic teaching principles and turns them into something of a project. The focus seems to me process not product--more of a top down approach in a roundabout way. I agree with the other criticisms that this offers little in the way of new and exciting ideas yet screams of educational lingo in an almost College of Education type of style. Most good educators strive everyday to be more innovative, creative and seek to develop a love for life-long learning in students. Why else would we be in the field? I am not sure that I needed to read this book to remind myself of that when I have 130 students to remind me of my purpose everyday. The reader that said that administrators love this and teachers hate it hit the nail on the head.

After reading the reviews given to this book, it is obvious to me who are the ones who were told to read the book and who are the ones who were asked to read it as well as offered support with the content. It is just like our students. If we just say "read the book", how engaging is that? If we are given the support to utilize the theory, the book makes much more sense. So, I can understand both ways of seeing the book. I, fortunately, am in a district where we were asked to look into this program (which is really what Working on the Work is) and decide if we would like to use it, as a district. We first, though, were given the opportunity to attend a conference where the presenter was from the Schlechty school. This was where the "practicality" came from. The reviewers are correct in that the book does not give those practical, concrete examples and studies we, as teachers, crave for our own learning. But, that is exactly the point of the program. How can we make our tasks as engaging as we are? The standards at the back of the book are going to be the most useful for teachers. Those are how you structure a lesson to be most engaging. So, I highly recommend that if you get this book that you pair it with some kind of support or research, so that the practical part can be understood along with the theory.

This book is a complete waste of time... but not money. It's made PLENTY of that for Schlechty, whom I consider little more than a snake-oil salesman. I have this book--it is unbelievable that people would actually PAY for such a waste. Bear in mind that its author, who is going to tell teachers HOW they should teach, hasn't spent so much as a single semester IN the trenches actually teaching grade-school children. Nope, he establishes an institute, hitchhikes on all the $$$ to be made from the so-called 'professional development' scam, and offers us things that when reviewed in retrospect would make any half-decent educator say... 'Well DUH!'. All this thing does is repackage the concept that kids need to be motivated -- another 'DUH' moment. If you really NEED this book, it is my opinion that you're either not a professional school teacher, or not a very good one because it is so full of nebulous, and yet obvious common sense ideas. Oh, they give it nice catchy names and terms, and Dr. Schlechty has made quite a comfortable living telling people how to do what he has never done as a career, and school systems that are obsessive about PR moments lap up his Kool-Aid like thirsty camels. They even ADMIT in the book that its actual results are pretty much NOT empirical--(translated: you won't be able to measure the impact of the program--that's not a program)...directly from the text: "NO systematic research program has been directed at assessing the impact of WOW on improving schools. The primary reason this is so is that WOW is NOT a program. It is a system of thought and a way of life"... (gag!)

How's that for insulating yourself from any potential negatives? Schlechty asserts that the book is primarily aimed at principals and superintendents--why? Because they can IMPOSE this nonsense on teachers on a system-wide basis. And they do, much to his doubtless fattening bank account. I wonder if he's had any of his minions purchase it so they can 'review' it for the benefit of upping the ratings? I know of NO teacher who buys this as anything other than what it is--repackaged, then regurgitated basics.

Finally, he also asserts the three things that can be done to improve schools/education are to "work on the students, work on the teachers, or work on the work WOW !!!!" Funny, I thought a LOT of what happens to these kids originates at HOME, and yet there is no suggestion whatsoever about working on the "parents". Nope it's all about being "engaging" the latest buzzword for simple motivation. Yes he gives all the nice sounding rhetoric, and renames umpteen basic ideas of good common-sense classroom techniques; but to even suggest this is new is tantamount to claiming Brand X cleans your laundry better than brand Y when all Brand X has done was use exactly the same formula and ingredients... but simply repackaged the contents and put a different name on it. That, in essence, is all WOW is about. As someone else has suggested, if you're already a decent teacher--don't waste your time. If you're an administrator looking to look good for the public... buy it in massive quantities, shove it down your already overworked teacher's throats and spend lots of money convincing a gullible public that you've really made strides in improving... on the wheel!

Revolutionary. In a simple, practical format, Phillip Schlechty sums up a lifetime educational research and reform. He has written dozens of books, but this one focuses on one simple concept: the importance of providing meaningful, engaging work for students.

Most reform efforts focus on the students. Do things to make them learn more. More measuring. More assessment. More direct instruction. Some reforms focus on the teachers. More accountability. More measurement. More in-service. Few reforms focus on what matters most--the work. When the goal becomes improving the work provided to students, a shift occurs. Professional development becomes meaningful. Real collaboration occurs, and as a result, the quality of work provided to students increases. Everyone become engaged. Motivation soars.

I've been around education enough and have seen enough success and failure stories to realize that the primary drivers of success are motivation and opportunity. Unfortunately, we spend most of our time focusing on secondary drivers: ability and skills--and most people believe you can't do much about ability, so that leaves us with skills. Though skills are important, I do not believe they make or break ultimate success. That's why I like this book so much.

This book emphasizes the importance and central role of student engagement--which leads to motivation--and broadcasts the message loud and clear that teachers can and should control the level of student engagement occurring in their classrooms by the quality and kind of work they provide. Brilliant stuff.

There are many great quotes throughout this book, but my favorite is found on page 85 when Schlechty describes the kind of leaders our schools need..."superintendents who are prepared to lead school reform rather than simply endorse it. It requires principals who are prepared to assume responsibility for developing teachers rather than simply supervising them. It requires teachers who are flexible and creative rather than rigid and pedantic. It requires faith in the proposition that all students can learn and will learn at high levels if they are provided with schoolwork that is responsive to their personal needs, values, and interest."

A must read for anyone thinking beyond the most recent educational fad and is concerned about long term improvement and reform.

Our principal makes us do a book study each year. This is another book that simply tells you what teachers should be doing but in very vague terms. Most teachers agree with what the author is saying, but he offers no real steps to take. Another waste of time, which we have too little of anyway.

Working On the Work is truly an action plan for teachers, principals, and superintendents. Useful information provided in book.

Book arrived within a few days of being ordered in very good condition. Working on the Work: An Action Plan for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents (Jossey Bass Education Series)

Anyone with educational experience knows that good teachers try to make lessons engaging and meaningful. All this program does (if your district uses it) is create more work for educators with no real support or help, just a lot of demands in time and paper work. If you don't or didn't share and get help from your colleges before this program shame on you! How did you get through your Collage of Education? Anyone with business experience knows this is just a great example of marketing; it plays on the notion of helping and lets administrators look like they have a plan to the public. If your district administrators needed this program they should have resigned their positions. After a few years of experience you should not have to invest the kind of money and resources this program requires. Who is making the money? Who gets the kick backs? Not the classroom teacher who works longer hours than paid for already. Don't fall for the hype; this is just the latest educational reform gimmick. Making someone rich? Mark Twain had it figured out when it came to school boards. Look it up.