Jonathan Eckert - The Novice Advantage: Fearless Practice for Every Teacher

Dr. Eckerts new book is a must read for every noviceand the teacher educatorswho prepare them for the realities of the early years of teaching. While filledwith practical advice for the new recruit, his book also serves as an antidotefor the scripted recipes foisted upon too many classroom novices today. TheNovice Advantage does not offer 63 steps to teaching effectivenessheaven but a blueprint for developing capacity to teach effectively over timeand learning to lead the profession that students and our public schoolsdeserve.

Barnett Berry

Founder and CEO,

Center for Teaching Quality

An insightful and refreshing reminder for aspiring teacher leaders and thosecontinually developing their expertise. Dr. Eckert highlights the value ofseeking those first days throughout our careersthat the joy and nervousnessexperienced in these transformational moments are critical to have again andagain if we are to grow personally and professionally. Dr. Eckert highlightsvaluable resources and processes that all educators need for this journey.

Patrick Ledesma

Director of Research and Knowledge Management,

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Stories are a powerful way to learn. Eckert reminds us of this critical lessonmore effectively than anyone in recent times. In his casting of continueddevelopment through the fresh eyes of the novice, he provides us with a specialgift. You will leave Novice as a better teacherand a wiser one aswell.

Joseph Murphy

Frank W. Mayborn Chair of Education and

Associate Dean at Peabody College of Education at VanderbiltUniversity

With humor and grace, Jon Eckertchallenges every teacher to let go of practices that restrain them in favor ofpractices that allow them to grow. The journey of personal growth meansrecapturing the hopefulness of novice teachers. As he writes, Eckert bares hisdeep belief that all individuals have the capacity for continued growth, thateven long-experienced veterans can get out of their ruts and tap into their deepwells of knowledge and abilities in the pursuit of improving school for allchildren.

Joan Richardson

Editor-in-chief,

Phi Delta Kappan

Jonathan Eckert explores and expounds a crucial tenet of effective teaching andinstructional improvement: When we take risks, when we fail, when we reflect,and when we revise, we are constantly learning. And when we are constantlylearning we are increasing the odds that we will be continuously successful.Eckert invites us into the often terrifying, disorienting, but exhilaratingworld of novice teachers to drive this point home. In a counter-intuitive butclear and convincing argument, Eckert tells us that we would all be betterteachers if we were to be more like novices in this regard, always learningthrough risk, reflection, and revision, as if we too had little choice in thematter. This is an engaging, insightful, and instructive read. I stronglyrecommend it to prospective, novice, and experienced teachers and to those whohelp prepare and support them.

Mark A. Smylie

Professor Emeritus, College of Education,

University of Illinois at Chicago

If youre ready to laugh, cry, wince, sigh, and nod about classroom adventures(others and your own), this book is for you. The stories will resonate with anyteacher who has had a cringeworthy classroom moment or two. As an experiencededucator, I began reading Jons insightful analysis expecting to come away witha renewed reminder of the novice world; instead, I was schooled by a greatteacher. We are ALL novices and should strive to stay in that space. Its wherelifelong learners hang out. Because we all begin something new each day, thisbook is not only for novice teachersits for all teachers who want to getbetter.

Ann Byrd

COO and Partner,

Center for Teaching Quality

Jon Eckert shifts the conversationand hopefully our mindsetsregarding growthand learning as educators, no matter where we are in our career. In his bookThe Novice Advantage, Eckert highlights the importance of thinking ofourselves as novices who are constantly growing instead of experts complacentwith our practice. This book pushes our thinking on expertise as educators and is great fodder for book groups,professional learning communities, or any collaborative professionalconversation. A must-read!

Megan Allen

Director, Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership,

Mount Holyoke College

I found myself laughing and taking notes throughout the book. Jons ability toweave humor with proven, field-tested techniques will empower both new educatorsand veterans alike.

Mawi Asgedom

Founder of Mawi Learning and author of

Of Beetles and Angels: One Boys Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard

So often we aspire to expertise with the false notion that experts areinfallible. In The Novice Advantage, Jon Eckert paints a more realisticpicturethat its actually failures and rigorous reflective practice that breedsexpertise. With deep case studies, practical strategies based in research, andamusing anecdotes, this book is a particularly useful addition to the tool beltof any professional, at any stage of their career. My recent shift from theclassroom to teacher leader, then to nonprofit leadership have forced me to relyon my Novice AdvantageI only wish the book was published while I was still inthe classroom.

Nick Greer

Managing Director of Programs, Thread, and

Former Director of Science in Baltimore City Public Schools

Eckerts book belongs in the hands of aspiring teachers and master teachersalike. He brings a writers touch and a teachers insight into what it means foreducators to be lifelong learners in the context of their career.

Brad Jupp

Senior Program Advisor on Teacher Initiatives,

U.S. Department of Education

If you see teaching as a step on a career ladder, dont read this book. But ifyou see teaching as a lifelong craft, worthy of a lifetimes dedication, thisbook is written for you. Our education system has plenty of resources to helpfirst-year teachers become competent. The Novice Advantage is written forthose of us who want to move beyond competence to excellence. Jon Eckert writesWe need teachers who innovate, risk, create, reflect, and grow. This book iswritten for that kind of teacher.

Justin Minkel

Second-Grade Teacher and 2007 Arkansas Teacher of the Year,

Jones Elementary, Springdale, AR

Jon Eckert has given the profession agift we desperately need. Real help and real inspiration for real noviceteachers (and those of us with a few more years under the bridge). It comes at acritical juncture, when the median years of service among teachers in the U.S.is one year. Unlike too many books for new teachers, this is not filled withquick tips or rote formulas, but rather with thoughtful, useful advice anchoredin the reality of teaching in America today. Most of all, it is genuineencouragement, reminding us that teaching is a calling that requires systematicpreparation, demands significant sacrifice, but yields eternal rewards.

Renee Moore

@TeachMoore, NBCT, blogger, author,

Center for Teaching Quality

The epitome of an expert novice himself, Eckert offers teachers at all stagesof the profession clear, precise, and inspiring strategies for reachingstudents. And by recognizing the contributions educators make both inside andoutside the classroom to shape great teaching, he elevates the teacher voice toits rightful position at the forefront of any discussion about the daily work ofour schools.