The Most Appealing Ideas
The major idea presented in the book by Burke is based on the difference of standards for each state of the US. In particular, the author pointed out that the standards may differ in terms of the language used for their introduction, as well as the goals they target. As a result, there are no standardized approaches or rules as to the conversion of these standards into rubrics for teachers and students in each state. Much confusion may result from this tendency. Alongside, there is a need for a systematized guidance helping educators transform educational requirements into practical plans and strategies. This issue particularly concerns the formation of various types of assessments that would allow the provision of timely feedback to learners on a daily and hourly basis.
In that way, Burke’s idea is very interesting because it is focused on the creation of general guidance for educators throughout the country to use in accordance with their individual standards. This idea is appealing because it can help educators from various establishments align their performance and academic demands with the needed requirements, thus facilitating the coordinated evaluation of students’ work in the entire district or school.
Moreover, the author’s idea is also oriented at the provision of guidance as to the level of academic performance that needs to be expected from students in accordance with their grades and age. Finally, the coordination of the educational units with the official standards will help enhance the development of skills that are valued in the contemporary world and that the modern young adults are expected to have as they search for employment.
The Implications of Ideas in the Book for Me as an Educator
The book by Burke was written specifically for educators for the purpose of improving the organization of their professional performance and the provision of a set of recommendations. According to these recommendations, educators from all around the country could coordinate their plans and activities with educational standards accepted for their states and locations. In that way, the major implication of the ideas presented by the author is an opportunity for educators to align their performance with the current requirements effectively and without confusion.
Reading this book, I was clear that it was written by an educator who is well aware of the issues faced by her peers and colleagues. As a result, Burke’s intention to offer a proactive solution to some of the most common professional issues is understandable and appreciated. The author organized her guidance for educators in six steps that allow the creation of a plan and various checklists that could help professionals monitor their own performance alongside the performance of their students.
The ideas presented in the book imply that the educators who may want to use them will have to spend additional time working on the reorganization of their strategies and approaches in accordance with the recommendations offered by Burke, as well as their local standards. It may seem like an inconvenience for a busy professional with a wide range of duties and responsibilities to make time to reorganize their performance. It is possible that many professionals would have to learn some new skills in order to fit all the needed requirements. However, the time spent on these changes could be viewed as an investment in personal improvement and the perfection of professional performance, as well as its effectiveness. In other words, the change is likely to result in multiple benefits for the educator and for their students.
The Ideas That I Challenge
The practical value of the book written by Burke is impossible to underestimate. The work that was done by the author, as well as her level of dedication to the problem, is admirable. The ideas are presented in a clear and concise manner so that they could be comprehended by readers quickly. Multiple ideas and pieces of data are presented in the forms of lists and schemes that speed up the process of comprehension of the provided knowledge and materials. Moreover, most of the ideas offered by Burke in her book are supported by a substantial body of research which increases the levels of reliability and validity of the proposed solutions and recommendations.
At the same time, I would like to challenge one aspect of this incredibly useful book. While the information presented by the author is well-organized, attractive, and aligns with findings of educational researchers, it lacks evidence-based practices. To be more precise, what I would like to notice about the book is the lack of information about how the recommended practices and plans can be implemented in classrooms using actual examples.
In my opinion, the inclusion of some real-life stories and anecdotes demonstrating the application of the proposed strategies using the standards of certain states as instances could increase the practical value of the book significantly. Other than that one issue, I believe that the book should be regarded as a lifesaver for most of the contemporary American educators in terms of its diversity, universality, and the level of coverage of the most critical aspects of teachers’ performance.