ProfHacker now aligned with CHE

The blog which discusses technology in teaching, ProfHacker, is now under the umbrella of the Chronicle of Higher Education blogs. This is from their post about the move...
"Today marks a new partnership between ProfHacker and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Since George and Jason founded the site, ProfHacker has focused on pedagogy, productivity, and technology, and the various ways these intersect in higher education. ... The Chronicle was interested in the idea of a site that looked at the practical side of academic life, and rather than starting one themselves, they offered to bring us on board."

What makes a great teacher?

Great article in the Atlantic on how Teach for America has spent the last many years figuring out what makes some teachers able to move their kids ahead while others stagnate and fail. "Those who initially scored high for 'grit'—defined as perseverance and a passion for long-term goals, and measured using a short multiple-choice test—were 31 percent more likely than their less gritty peers to spur academic growth in their students." Having a master's degree is not a determiner of classroom effectiveness they found. The article is linked here.
Ripley, A. (2010). "What makes a great teacher?" The Atlantic , Jan/Feb. Accessed 2/9/2010 at http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/good-teaching

What Works Clearinghouse: 2 new Quick Reviews

The Advantage of Abstract Examples in Learning Math: "This study examined whether college students are better able to apply knowledge of simple mathematical concepts when they are taught the concepts using abstract symbols or concrete examples... College students taught the mathematical concepts using abstract symbols were better able to apply this knowledge to a new example than college students taught using concrete examples."

The Effects of Teach for America in High School: "This study examined whether having a Teach For America (TFA) teacher instead of a non-TFA teacher affects the academic performance of high school students...TFA improved student performance on standardized end-of-course tests in math and science—by about one-tenth of a standard deviation. This is equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 54th percentile."