Teachers Without Borders

Teaching Might Be One of the Most Complex—and Most Human—Jobs in the World ... and new research shows what helps thrive.

Every day, teachers manage an extraordinary mix of challenges: students who learn at different speeds, varied skill levels in literacy and math, and young people arriving in classrooms carrying emotions, energy, and lived experiences that shape how they show up.

Teaching is deeply human work—and because of that, it takes practice, mentorship, and support to do it well.

A recent study published in the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness compared "traditional" teacher prep (reading and discussing theory) with "practice-based" approaches (active rehearsal and coaching).
The verdict? Practice trumped theory.

➡️ Pre-service teachers who practiced specific instructional moves (eliciting and responding to student thinking) became significantly more proficient than peers who only studied strategies theoretically.
➡️ Real-time feedback and guided rehearsal helped teacher candidates learn how to respond to both correct and incorrect answers more effectively.
➡️ These practice-based approaches helped teachers develop confidence and readiness for the messiness and unpredictability of real classrooms.

In other words, practice, coaching, and supported reflection help new teachers translate ideas into responsive, student-centered learning.

At a moment when the complexity of teaching is more visible than ever, this research reinforces what many educators already know:
💡 Impactful teaching grows through cycles of observation, practice, feedback, and needs a community of peers.
💡 Mentors and instructional coaches play a pivotal role.
💡 Time to plan, rehearse, and reflect is a cornerstone of professional growth.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19345747.2025.2456716
and
https://www.edutopia.org/visual-essay/the-10-most-significant-education-studies-of-2025



Image credit: Google Gemini

As a Luxembourg Peace Prize laureate, the Schengen Peace Foundation is offering Teachers Without Borders 15 scholarships for one of three 13-week Zoom courses offered by the European Business Institute (https://ebulux.lu/)

— Gender and Equality
— Business Negotiation and Communication
— Women and Leadership

Each of the courses is worth €740. They only require a €37.50 euro sign-up fee.

The deadlines and dates for the respective term are:
— Summer Term III 2024 Enrollment Deadline May 1st, 2024
— Commencement Date May 27th, 2024 – September 1st, 2024

PLEASE let us know if you are interested, and we will send you the discount code.

NEW BOOK: "In the Small Places: Teacher Changemakers and the Power of Human Agency" by Teachers Without Borders founder. PRE-ORDER TODAY at https://inthesmallplaces.com/order or wherever you get your books.

ALL AUTHOR PROCEEDS will be DONATED to the Jane Goodall Institute and global science-of-reading programs.

See the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpClCi7bkdw

Book Trailer_In the Small Places Teachers are the largest professionally-trained group in the world. They know who is sick, missing, orphaned by disasters, and at risk for human trafficking....

Today, on World Teachers' Day, we say to all teachers around the world: Thank you for bringing your knowledge, dedication, patience, creativity, compassion, and care to classrooms around the world. You are agents of change and role models to countless children and young people around the world.

Mr. Sam in Ghana: https://lnkd.in/ehZD_Hiv
Mrs. Rita in Indonesia: https://lnkd.in/eCi_MiEX