Creating Renaissance Teachers
By Barbara Bray (published in Professional Development column OnCUE 05)
Ask any teacher why they became a teacher and they will probably tell you “to make a difference.” When I remember my favorite teacher, I think of Mrs. Jones, my third grade teacher. I can hardly remember my other teachers because they made us sit in rows and told us to keep our hands clasped until called on. Mrs. Jones was different. She never taught the same way even on the same day. Sometimes she would have us work in groups creating a poster about our community. Another time she divided the class in two where we would race to the front and back of the class with the correct answers for math. We even put on plays about the Sequoyah Indians. Now this was a long time ago when I grew up in Maryland before there was lots of technology, but I do remember that Mrs. Jones made an impression on me. I couldn’t wait to go to class and learn. In my opinion, Mrs. Jones was a Renaissance teacher. Just imagine Mrs. Jones with technology today.
A few years ago, when I was working with teachers in Oakland, California, I met some Renaissance teachers. Their working conditions were difficult, to say the least. However, they knew that the children in west Oakland needed more than traditional teaching to help them grasp math, to get excited about history, or even to want to read. I met Ana Thomas (, 5th grade teacher) and Jeff Taylor (, 6th grade core teacher) in 1998 through several Technology Challenge grants. There was something about both of these teachers that was and still is special. Just watching them teach and how they interacted with students was unique. Then we threw in technology to the mix. Wow!
Ana was drawn to video. She became an Apple fellow and received training at Apple with some of her students. All of her curriculum became a story to tell with her students as producers, writers, directors, and actors. They created Room Nine Productions and produced videos about Gregorio Cortez, slavery, and how to write coordinates in math. Ana thought way out of the box – in fact, I don’t think she knew there was a box. Students would create costumes and go search and schedule sets including riding stables in the hills and historical reproductions of boats at Lake Merritt. Just imagine what these students will remember.
As soon as Jeff learned Powerpoint, he created a template where his students worked collaboratively to design Jeopardy games about Ancient History, math, and other curriculum. Students were not only learning but teaching each other. Jeff shares his projects with his colleagues and creates collaborative projects with another teacher, Lila Morris. Jeff has entered contests where he won a projector, computer, and purchases resources from R.A.F.T.: all for his students. His students call him Mr. T for technology. Jeff’s students were proud to share their projects at the last Spring CUE in Palm Springs. This was the first time many of them had been in an airplane. Jeff made it happen.
With the emphasis on accountability and testing, teaching is changing. Project-based learning tends to not be a focus in California and other areas of the country. Administrators change often in urban schools, so a school that allowed risk-taking may now be pretty stringent on what is taught. Ana has moved to another school and is teaching 4th grade where the curriculum is focused on Open Court. Jeff’s school is moving to only eighth grade so Jeff will be teaching that grade level which is new to him. How do you become or stay a Renaissance teacher in these times?
Several professional developers from my listserv () shared ideas about being a Renaissance teacher and on technology integration.
Denise Abdale, () a Special Education teacher in a Master program in New York, shared how she became a technology using teacher:
1. complete assignments on the computer (write, analyze, revise)
2. use internet sites to do research
Denise then shared that professional developers can help teachers integrate technology and become Renaissance teachers by going through the following steps:
1.Start small using CDs on specific curriculum topics to be used as a learning center.
2.Share safe educational websites such as discoveryschool.com or middleschoolscience.com.
3.Create a website with approved sites for independent research.
4.Provide mini-workshops or coaching sessions on specific skills teachers need to make their projects successful.
Sarah Zykanov, () Curriculum and Technology Integration Specialist at San Rafael City Schools, California, wrote “that a Renaissance teacher must be confident in the use of various technologies, open to troubleshooting problems, and confident in all areas of their curriculum. Renaissance teachers need to work with other teachers, share strategies, model and observe each other in action.” Sarah encourages teachers to collaborate in grade level teams where they discuss technologies that would support their curriculum where each year they add deeper levels of activities with more constructivist projects as they and their students build their skills. Sarah added, “teachers are very concerned about teaching what students will need to master the newly required fifth grade science test, so we will be integrating explicit teaching into the project-based approach.”
Janice Friesen, ()Technology Coach who was with eMINTS in Columbia, Missouri, and now an independent professional developer in Austin, Texas, shared “helping teachers to move from lecture style to a more constructivist classroom is definitely a process and something that should not be rushed. It helps to begin by helping them to choose a project that they and the students will be successful with and, if needed, assisting in the preparation of the lesson including providing advice on classroom management strategies. One other thing that helps is to put teachers together into some sort of cohort so that they can share and learn from each other what works.”
I think of Mrs. Jones when I work with new and veteran teachers. Even though it is expected for teachers to focus on increasing test scores, most of the teachers I know want to make a difference in their students’ lives. They want to be Renaissance teachers where they are developing activities that enhance and extend the existing curriculum. Professional developers can be the facilitators that guide them and technology can be the catalyst that helps them reach their goals.
Barbara Bray writes a regular column on professional development for OnCUE and is President/Owner of My eCoach ( an online learning community for educators. Barbara's expertise is professional development, adult learners, and coaching. You can contact her at .