http://www.choiceliteracy.com provides many valuable ideas for educators. A recent publication dealt with teacher study group ideas.
Jennifer Allen provides some excellent guidelines for teacher study groups. She observes “Teacher study groups are becoming more popular in schools, fueled in part by the surge of interest in adult book clubs in the U.S. over the last decade.” In Allen’s study groups, teachers explore a topic of interest in-depth by reading and discussing a book about the issue, trying out new practices in classrooms, and returning each week or month for more conversation. Allen has condensed her experience from the past seven years as a literacy specialist in Waterville, Maine:
• Choose a clear focus in advance
• Seek volunteers--never have mandatory attendance
• Limit the number of participants (eight or less works well)
• Set meeting dates in advance so participants can reserve them
• Order books for everyone in advance
• Organize resources for participants
• Limit sessions to an hour, and stick to the time limit
• Meet in a relaxed, comfortable environment
• Provide plenty of refreshments
• Don't teach--the goal is a conversation where everyone talks freely
• Establish a predictable format
These guidelines sound like excellent advice for any group activity, including classrooms. They exude respect for the participates' comfort and thinking - a winning combination.
Allen is a keen advocate of teacher study groups because of the large base of research that demonstrates this teacher-initiated, in-house professional development is more likely to lead to sustained change in classrooms than other staff development models. Allen further recommends consulting two websites, http://www.readinggroupguides.com/ and http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/rstfocus.pdf, and Diane Sweeney's book Learning Along the Way available from Stenhouse.
When forming a teacher study group there are some basic questions to consider:
• What do you hope will happen for children as a result of this study group?
• What are all the ways to encourage attendance?
• Who might you consider inviting outside the immediate faculty?
• How involved are the participants in designing the format and content?
• Are there rituals that you can use to define your study group?
• Do you need a facilitator? Should this position rotate or be held by the same person each time?
• How can you encourage the principal's participation?
• How will you and the group assess its effectiveness?
Successful teacher study groups provide concrete suggestions:
• Make faculty meetings the study venue. Coaches can get the ball rolling by introducing the book and chapter 1. Grade levels can take assigned pages from chapters to read and share.
• Door prizes, a book---sometimes a "big book" or a book w/cassette, can be given to the first teacher who arrives for the study. Vary the forma, from coaches who led discussions to other faculty members taking the lead. Teachers can also sit in "literature circles," and all share with one another - the nature of the discussion can dictate the format
• Hold book study sessions every three weeks with everyone in attendance, so all "heard" the information presented even if they didn't add to the discussion. One person can gave chapter summary/highlights and facilitate an open discussion. Coaches may have some back-up questions just in case the discussion lags but it seldom will.
• Bring in a small group of students every other week or so a coach can demonstrate, it makes the study groups more real. For example, if you are reading a chapter on "inferring," bring five kids in and do a short lesson with them on inferring so teacher can observe and make connections to their own settings. You might also find it useful to do short bursts of adult reading, asking participants to follow their own thinking as they read.
The experience of others also provides some less effective strategies…
• Mandatory attendance
• Inservice with little interaction
• Assuming the role of an expert
• Excluding certain grade levels or groups i.e. specials teachers, paras, or principals who may wish to be invited
• Rehashing unpopular district or school policies
• Allowing one or two participants to dominate or discourage
• Assuming what you are not sure about
What better way to instill rigor and relevance into classroom learning than to engage teachers in the instruction experience you want them to institute in their classroom?
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