“Being a teacher is not just about delivering content, it's about creating a space where students can imagine who they want to be.” In this episode, David Krulwich and T'Keyah Robinson promote the idea of treating teachers as artisans - encouraging intensive coaching and collaboration to better shape their craft and ultimately improve outcomes for students.
David Krulwich is principal and T’Keyah Robinson is vice principal of South Bronx Early College Academy. They both previously worked at the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science in the Bronx, and together with Kenneth Baum, have developed the Artisan Teacher Model. This new model merges the idea of teamwork with the concept of an artisan-apprentice relationship - a more intense teacher feedback system designed to promote growth and build stronger classrooms for students. Highlights from their conversation with Rod and Jal include: an opening conversation on the unique election cycle in Canada; how politics affect teacher and student dialogue; a vision for where South Bronx Early College Academy fits within the larger education ecosystem; an attempt to answer the really big question of "What's great teaching?"; the value of bringing real world content into traditional lessons and treating kids like adults; how the artisan model works, including concrete examples from lived experiences; why teachers need to be more involved in discipline cases; and a lightning round overflowing with good advice.
Check out their book: "The Artisan Teaching Model for Instructional Leadership: Working Together to Transform Your School"
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Email us at freerangehumanspod@gmail.com or Tweet us at @jal_mehta and @Rodroad219