1. TEACHER STUDY GROUPS What can we learn from each other?
2. STUDY GROUPSWHAT IS THE PURPOSE? * Teachers joined together
to learn about a common interest * Why it was formed? Teachers feel
that certain issues need to be addressed in the classroom or
outside the classroom. * Who formed it? These groups are ususally
formed by teachers who want to make a difference in their students
lives.
3. ORGANIZING STUDY GROUPS * Have a set time for meetings If a
certain amount of time is set aside then more people will be likely
to come to support the meetings * Be specific in the goals of the
group In order to get the people who are interested in the group,
make sure the goals are clearly stated.
4. THE BEGINNING STAGES * Training Finding teachers who are
qualified in the goals that the group are addressing * Visitation
Find similar teacher groups from other areas and observe how they
handle their meetings * Outreach Send out feelers to see who would
be interested in helping with the group from around the community *
Professional Development Library Find as much information as you
can to provide everyone in the group with valuable literature
Launch This is after you spend some time with the group. Spend some
time to ask about lessons learned and how to use them in the
future.
5. MEETINGS TYPES * Brainstorming Primarily meeting to listen
to everyones ideas * Narrowing the Topic After hearing everyones
thoughts, deciding which areas deserve the most attention *
Extended Meetings These are more specific meetings that deal with
the questions about the narrowed topics * Reflection on Process and
Content This is the meeting that you review the process and
evaluate.
6. DISCUSSIONS * Make sure everyone has a voice * Stay on topic
* Dont let one person take over the conversation * Listen to what
is being said * Try to balance interruptions
7. THE ROLE OF A PRINCIPAL They need to be treated like an
equal in a teacher study group for them to be effective.
8. CONCLUSION In order for a teacher study group to be
effective, teachers must be willing to be a lifelong student.
