ABSTRACT
If one wished to design a better form of education than what school-age students typically experience, how would one go about it? For many teachers the answer is clear: try something new in their classroom and see what happens. The two of us can certainly relate. Each year our courses slightly improve, as we learn to explain a concept more clearly or eliminate a boring reading. Burkhardt (2006) calls this the “craft-based” approach to educational reform, in which “innovation comes from a few people pushing the boundaries of good practice, trying something new and seeing if it works—for them” (p. 122). Undoubtedly, much benefit accrues from this—a thousand teachers in a thousand schools, all refining their pedagogy year after year.
