Using
protocols to guide group discussions
A
protocol is a structure and a set of guidelines to promote
meaningful conversation about teaching practice. Having
a structured agenda provides a safe environment for
a teacher to share their students' work, reflect on
a dilemma, or give and receive feedback about the quality
of an assignment, test, or unit. The protocol structure
helps the group focus for a set period of time on an
important question brought to the group by a teacher.
The protocol gives people permission to ask challenging
questions of each other and builds in time for the presenter
to listen and reflect back. The use of a protocol is
one way to make the most of the small bits of time that
teachers have to engage with their peers. The point
is not following the protocol exactly but to have in-depth,
meaningful conversations about teaching that lead to
improvements in practice. A variety of protocols have
evolved to meet different teacher learning needs. See
www.essentialschools.org
and use the "Teacher Learning" link to connect
with an exhaustive list of protocols that serve different
purposes. We have included specific references to protocols
SERVE has used in our work.
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