I recently read Walking Papers in which Francesco Clark tells the story of his spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed.  He describes the treatments he has sought out, how he has dealt with a variety of attitudes within the medical profession, and how he has started a business creating skin care treatments.

The medical professionals provide a great analogy for education professionals.  We want therapists and doctors who are experts who know their craft.  We should want the same from our teachers.  Given the choice between two doctors, who would you pick:

• Doctor Adams:  I have experience treating hundreds of patients for many years.  I have an idea that I think will work in your case that we will try.
• Doctor Benz:  I have worked in this field for years, I collaborate with colleagues constantly and keep up with the journals and research.  I have studied a new treatment that we will try.

We want our doctors to choose our treatments based on research and collaboration, but we should practice the same thing in our classroom.  Sure, we develop lessons or activities acting on epiphany moments, but they should be based on our academic knowledge and understanding of pedagogy.  We continue learning about how students learn.  We do this in several ways:

• Book studies
• Collaboration with colleagues
• Classes and certifications
• Professional Learning Communities that focus on results and what works
• Lesson study