Restructuring in the Classroom: Teaching, Learning, and School Organization

"Restructuring in the Classroom" documents three schools' attempts to translate the `big picture' of structural reform into changed pedagogy. Pedagogic change really is the key to effective structural change. It is always legitimate to ask- "How will change X improve students' learning?" Most practitioners will attest, that there is often a dearth of information to support the linkage. The great thing about this book is that it reveals changes, and the process of change, in teacher practice. The book portrays teachers in a realistic way and readers will be able to relate to the issues, circumstances and pedagogy. The four conclusions that the respected authors draw should be inscribed in stone. One short example will be immediately recognised by educators as a universal truth- " .. the transformation of teaching practice is fundamentally a problem of enhancing individual knowledge and skill, not a problem of organizational structure..." This is an excellent book for personal, group, school and district level professional development because it gives us rare and yet realistic insights into how our colleagues teach. Neil MacNeill