The Artisan Teacher: A Field Guide to Skillful Teaching

by Mike Rutherford

An artisan is skilled in the applied arts, combining artistic expression, scientific knowledge, and practiced labor to create uniquely valuable works. The most successful gap-closing, achievement-producing teachers view teaching as a craft. Like traditional artisans, Artisan teachers combine art, knowledge, and skill in a labor of love. Rutherford Learning Group, Inc. is a research and professional development consultancy focused on high-performance teaching and effective school leadership. With over 25 years' experience and study, RLG designs and delivers award-winning training, media resources, institutes, and customized professional development services to education clients worldwide.

Genres: Teaching

179 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2014

About the author

Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford was born the son of Annette and Crawford Rutherford on October 02, 1950 at 7.30p.m. in Surrey, in the south of England. He has a sister four years his elder, Nicolette. His youth was influenced by the navy since his father was Captain at the Navy Gunnery School in Portsmouth. When Mike was six, his father retired. The family moved to Cheshire and Crawford found a job in industrial management. At the age of seven, Mike was sent to a boarding school. He attended The Leas in Hoylake near Liverpool. At that time he first came into contact with music and found that he wanted to learn how to play the guitar. His parents bought him his first instrument, a 6-string nylon guitar. His sister influenced his musical taste because she would listen to Elvis and The Everly Brothers at that time. Mike experienced his first concert with his parents. They took him to see Cliff Richard and The Shadows at the Palace in Manchester. These early musical impressions led to Mike buying his first electric guitar – to the ‘delight’ of this father who from that time on had to deal with the neighbours complaining about the ‘noise’ coming out of the house. With his school buddy Dimitri Griliopoulos and another friend he formed his first band, The Chesters. They would rehearse songs like Sweet For My Sweet for a school concert.




In September 1964 Mike entered Charterhouse School. His first year there was “terrifying”. He had to find his feet in this very strict world. Luckily, he soon met Anthony Phillips, another Charterhouse pupil, with whom he got along very well. Mike was influenced by The Beatles, The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones in these years. In early 1967 two Charterhouse bands, Anon (founded by Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips) and The Garden Wall, joined forces and became Genesis. Mike became the bass player in the new band. His strength, however, lay in playing the 12-string guitar, an instrument he grew to know and love. Over the years he would develop “an original and wonderful 12-string sound” (Tony Banks) with Anthony Phillips.
Luck and fate would have it that Genesis got a record contract thanks to a couple of well-made demo tapes and the nose of producer Jonathan King. In March 1969, they released their first album, From Genesis To Revelation. History took its course. October 1970 saw the release of Trespass. Some time before, in July or August 1970, Anthony Phillips had decided to leave Genesis. This must have been a hard blow for Mike. Both musicians had become close friends. The fact that Anthony’s successor-to-be Steve Hackett had to audition at Mike’s sick-bed before he was accepted showed how important working with Anthony had been for Mike and how determined he was to keep up and develop the special guitar sound he and Phillips had found.
During the next years there was a long string of fantastic Genesis records. Mike grew ever more competent at playing both the guitar and the bass guitar both on the records and countless live shows. The double-neck guitar became a long-time trademark of Mike Rutherford. He would use it up until the Mama tour of 1984. It was made up of a twelve-string part (upper neck) and a four-string part (lower neck). At first he used a Rickenbacker double-neck, but later he switched to a Shergold product. Supper’s Ready was the reason why Mike began to use a double-neck guitar. This opus (released in 1972 on the Foxtrot album) has many fast changes, and he just could not work with two instruments. That was why he chose “this big heavy object hanging round my neck”, as Mike put it.

Another anecdote about guitars. Let’s hear Mike himself: „I used to play the original ‚stick’ Steinberger which looked quite ridiculous because I am so tall… I asked Steinberger whether they could change the design for me. They said no, as a small company they could not afford custom jobs. So one night I laid my guitar on a big sheet of cardboard and drew up the

Reviews

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presented 23 characteristics a quality teacher possesses. The author called these characteristics themes in the sense that you would see these reoccurring themes in a successful classroom. The themes were presented clearly with excellent examples making the book very easy and engaging to read. Each theme was only 3 to 4 pages, so you never felt overwhelmed with information. I highly recommend this book for ANY person in education to have a well-rounded view of the essentials aspects of a quality education!

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept behind this book is genius! I love that Dr. Rutherford and team combed through classrooms looking to identify the “it” factor. Even as a veteran teacher, I really learned so much! It is so helpful to have names for all of these skills, so that teachers and stakeholders can have powerful conversations about good teaching. I wish I would have read it before my first year: I know I would have had a way more successful first few months in terms of organizing and designing with intention.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so practical and can be used immediately. I would live to introduce (actually review) three or four strategies eAch staff meeting and report o. A way you used a strategy effectively and/or witnessed a peer using it effectively. Must be shared next staff meeting or department meeting for maximum effectiveness. Would provide common vernacular for best practices.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great book for a teacher preparation program in university or as a book study in a school with a lot of young staff or staff who became teachers through alternative certification. Solid basics. Short chapters, easy to read but quality info that is applicable across grade levels.

[Adam Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good read. The chapters are short, but thought provoking. I used this in a book study with other teachers. I was both encouraged and challenged by what I learned.

[Reagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, lots of good ideas, applicable to classroom practices

[Cassie Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one textbook worth purchasing.