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Teacher Study Groups: Building a Community Through Dialogue and Reflection
brand new paperback. Normal shelf wear if any at all.
148 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1998
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 31, 2011
Only 20 pages in, and I already saw articulated 3 powerful reasons why the mandated PLCs at the high school I teach at will always fail:
1. They are mandatory. Teachers aren't encouraged to "thoughtfully critique [their] own beliefs and practices, explore alternate possibilities, and take charge of our own professional journeys" (13). We are given a rigid structure, told who to collaborate and told to keep the single pace set by the district.
2. They do not integrate or expect we integrate theory and teacher research. Instead of truly challenging our thinking as educators, mandated PLCs are simply about creating a set of activities and assessments to implement into a classroom without discussion of "why they would want to do that activity or sense of how to develop [our] own classroom engagements" (17).
3. They do not allow teachers to be a part of the dialog on how they can be successful. Every time I have suggested tweaks to the mandated program, I have been shut down. "Curriculum reform fails unless teachers are involved in defining their own problems, creating knowledge, and transforming themselves to help bring about educational change" (3).
It is no longer disheartening to me that schools are run this way; they will most likely always be blind, foolish systems. I now feel empowered, though, to make radical change in awesome ways and dedicate myself to professional growth, building my own teacher communities, instead of banging my head against a wall.
This handbook gives me solid, practical ideas on how to successfully facilitate teacher study groups. Recommended.
1. They are mandatory. Teachers aren't encouraged to "thoughtfully critique [their] own beliefs and practices, explore alternate possibilities, and take charge of our own professional journeys" (13). We are given a rigid structure, told who to collaborate and told to keep the single pace set by the district.
2. They do not integrate or expect we integrate theory and teacher research. Instead of truly challenging our thinking as educators, mandated PLCs are simply about creating a set of activities and assessments to implement into a classroom without discussion of "why they would want to do that activity or sense of how to develop [our] own classroom engagements" (17).
3. They do not allow teachers to be a part of the dialog on how they can be successful. Every time I have suggested tweaks to the mandated program, I have been shut down. "Curriculum reform fails unless teachers are involved in defining their own problems, creating knowledge, and transforming themselves to help bring about educational change" (3).
It is no longer disheartening to me that schools are run this way; they will most likely always be blind, foolish systems. I now feel empowered, though, to make radical change in awesome ways and dedicate myself to professional growth, building my own teacher communities, instead of banging my head against a wall.
This handbook gives me solid, practical ideas on how to successfully facilitate teacher study groups. Recommended.
February 2, 2015
I'd highly recommend this book to educators who are seeking ways to keep growing (and who don't find that growth comes from traditional PD).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews