THE DETAILS OF THE SKILLFUL TEACHER FRAMEWORK
Part One of The Skillful Teacher explores the Foundation of Essential Beliefs. Part Two addresses the Management areas of performance—those most pressing and immediate needs for many teachers. Part Three address- es Instructional Strategies. Part Four tackles Motivation. Part Five examines Curriculum—the design skills for decisions about what education is for, what shall be taught, and how to know if it has been learned. Thus the chapters move from the specific and discrete to the complex; from those parts of teaching that are moves, to patterns of moves, to decisions about design. Each chapter ad- dresses a different area of performance. We frequently start by describing why the area of performance is important and how it relates to the bigger picture of teaching and learning. Then, we define concepts and categories useful for understanding the area of performance and look at each category to lay out the repertoire of ways teachers handle pertinent situations. We do this with examples as often as possible. Next, we usually examine what is known about matching teacher choices to students, situations, or curricula.
It is not absolutely necessary to read the chapters in order, but there are certain cumulative benefits that make that desirable. Good discipline, for example, builds on a foundation of teacher skills with Attention, Momentum, Expecta- tions, and Personal Relationship Building. A teacher who is struggling with a difficult class can turn to the chapter on discipline, which has references back to specific management, instructional, and motivational areas of performance, and are the first places to check when working with very challenging students.
Even experienced teachers should check their skills against the repertoires available in each area of performance to see if there are ways to add to their range, effectiveness, and ability to match the diverse needs of students in their classrooms.
Video: All areas of performance impact learning