I find it interesting that Dr. McGreal finds 45-year-olds unwilling to change. This may be the case for those who have been teaching successfully for 20-odd years and don't see the benefits of change…or possibly see the disadvantages of change. However, a number of people in this age bracket are relatively new to the profession and have been trained in all the methods McGreal discusses as more effective. Most teachers want better ways to impart and share information with students, but grow frustrated when new methods don't seem to work, due to poor training, untried philosophies, difficult school systems, and a host of other reasons. I don't believe that most teachers deliberately fight change, but with experience goes some skepticism toward methods that claim instant success.
 
 

I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. McGreal in that cooperative or engaged learning requires long-term planning. If we can't manage our classrooms, chaos ensues. Cynthia (our cohort) brought up this same issue in her reflection on cooperative groups. If there isn't a great deal of thought and planning, the classroom activities end in disarray, with little or no learning taking place.
 
 

On diversity. Again I agree with Dr. McGreal's look at inclusion of special needs students. "As much as we admire instruction in special education, this is no way to prepare people for the complexities of handling special needs kids in regular education settings." I'm not sure that short-term professional development would be enough to address the many types of needs in each classroom, but some training is essential if we are to include, involve, and teach these students.
 
 

"…technology is a wonderful tool to help us engage kids in longer term activities, as well as just short term learning." Techology will possibly make an enormous difference to students who are having difficulty focusing, showing behavior problems, and who cannot relate to authority figures. My own study shows significant reduction of negative behaviors, as well as a notable increase in time on task due to the use of highly interactive computer programs.
 
 

"As you think about designs for professional development for your schools, one of the things that you need to understand is that all of our evidence shows that people function more effectively in teams and groups, than they do individually." I agree that professional development works better when people are doing this as a group, however, I don't feel that groups ALWAYS are more effective than the individual. We still need our Einsteins, Moores, Hawkings, and other individuals who may be supported by staff or community, but indeed create and develop life altering ideas on their own.