A powerfully convincing way to learn about experiential instruction: A review of Ron Berger’s An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students

 

cover of Ron Berger's book

An Ethic of Excellence

At last! A book on education that resonates with me on every page.

This book is not new, but it is powerfully convincing. And it’s the best way to learn about the kind of high-quality, experiential instruction to which Ron Berger has devoted his life.

In his own words, education is something we “should sweat over and make sure it’s strong and accurate and beautiful and you should be proud of it.”

That sentiment seems to have gotten lost in the high-stakes testing era. I believe we should bring it back.

Berger reminds us that education is a calling, a long-term commitment motivated by the desire to bring out the best in our youth and ourselves.


Berger is also a carpenter, and he brings the spirit of craftsmanship to the classroom. He shares his educational tools, techniques and ideas with the reader, recognizing that every school is different. 


His narrative is richly detailed and meticulous. There is no one answer, and there is no easy answer.

The quality that Berger seeks manifests itself in a work product — something that students produce as an outcome of their own exploration, experience, investigation, interpretation, composition and writing, often using multimedia presentations.

This work is exacting, reflective, multidisciplinary, integrative and above all, experiential.

His narrative is filled with diverse examples, drawn from the K-12 world, but widely applicable to higher education as well. The College of Education and Human Ecology will be drawing upon it in its creation of college signature courses.

Berger emphasizes that culture matters. He says, “When children enter a family culture, a community culture or a school culture that demands and supports excellence, they work to fit into that culture.”

This kind of excellence can’t be scaled up, but the methods and understandings can be. Berger provides a map that we each can use to guide our own journey and efforts toward teaching excellence.

Please read this book. If you have read it already, I urge you to read it again. It’s that good.

 

Ron Berger’s An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students, 2003, is published by Heinemann.