Supporting Online SelfDirected Teacher Learning Communities

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Supporting Online Self-Directed Teacher Learning
Communities

• A view from the BRIDGE
• NECC 2007 Workshop

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Plan of Action

• What is a self-directed teacher learning
  community?
  
• Why online?
• One example The BRIDGE
• Community building through expertise sharing
• Community building through protocol-driven
  activities
  
• Tips for facilitating online, self-directed
  teacher learning communities
  

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Self-Directed Teacher Learning Communities

• Many models
• Lesson study
• Study groups
• Critical Friends Groups (CFGs)
• Common features
• Teacher directed/owned
• Participants define topics/issues
• Focused on real work of participants
• Extended time frame

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Self-Directed Teacher Learning Communities

• Different approaches
• Lesson StudyFocus on group design, development,
  and implementation of classroom lessons
  
• Study GroupsFocus on topic of inquiry
• Critical Friends Groups (CFGs)Focus on process
  of exploring student and adult work, dilemmas,
  texts, and successes

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Critical Friends Groups

• Model developed out of work of Annenburg projects
  in the 1980s
  
• Main features
• Support over time
• Teachers bring work/dilemmas for group to
  examine
  
• Uses conversation protocols
• Separates facilitation from work
• Separates work from the individuals
• Respects teachers time
• More information from National School Reform
  Facultyhttp//www.nsrfharmony.org

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Lets Play

• Protocol Microlab
• Use To examine texts, personal points of views,
  group concerns

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Process

• Groups of 3
• Question 1
• 1 minute think time
• Go arounds - each person has one minute to share
  their thoughts. Others job is to listen. No
  questions or conversations. Sympathetic nods
  okay.
• Repeat process for Questions 2 and 3
• Debrief experience

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Questions

• Why did you become an educator?
• Why did you stay?
• What would you go to the wall for?

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Typical Protocol

• Presentation of some work or issue
• QA by group
• Group takes on issue as own - explores without
  input from presenter
  
• Presenter reflects back
• Debrief of process
• Goal is not necessarily to solve the issue, but
  to provide fresh insights and perspectives

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Supporting Critical Friends Groups Online

• The BRIDGEBuilding Resources Induction and
  Development for Georgia Educators

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• BuildingConnections toResources

• BuildingConnections toTeachers

with educators acrossthe state in
authenticlearning communities(pilot testing
now).
with just-in-time,peer-reviewed,educator-gener
atedresources
Anchored to Georgia Framework for Teaching
Based on Critical Friends Group Model
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Building Connections to Teachers

• Based on Critical Friends Group (CFG) model of
  professional learning
  
• Successful, face-to-face teacher learning
  community model
  
• Focused on work-based problems or dilemmas
• Utilizes conversation protocols
• Facilitator led, participant driven
• For more informationNational School Reform
  Facultyhttp//www.nsrfharmony.org

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Communities on the BRIDGE

• Offers school, content or interest based
  groupings
  
• Connects beginning teachers with experienced
  teachers
  
• Offers immediate support
• Includes rather than isolates
• Provides focused, structured activities
• Builds collegiality
• Chat or forum based

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Register for the BRIDGE

• Go to www.teachersbridge.org
• Register for site (Register for your BRIDGE
  Membership)
  
• Complete registration and submit
• On Registration Successful click Login
• Once logged in, you are now on My BRIDGE
  (personalized entry)
  

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Join NECC 2007 Workshop Group

• From My BRIDGE, click on Communities
• Click on Find a Community
• Scroll down and find Test Demo Communities
  click Join Community
  
• Click Accept
• You are now back at the Communities Home Page
  Click on Find a Community again
  
• Click on the title of Test Demo Communities
• Find NECC 2007 Workshop and click Join Group
• Scroll to bottom of page and click Accept
  (this page is a mistake here - we are fixing
  that).
  
• Click on the title of NECC 2007 Workshop
• Whew!

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Communities - Entrance
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Communities - Group Level
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Communities - Activity Level
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• BuildingConnections toResources

• BuildingConnections toTeachers

with educators acrossthe state in
authenticlearning communities(pilot testing
now).
with just-in-time,peer-reviewed,educator-gener
atedresources
Anchored to Georgia Framework for Teaching
Based on Critical Friends Group Model
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Building Connections to Resources

• Peer-reviewed resources connected to the Georgia
  Framework for Teaching and real teachers
  questions
  
• Existing websites
• Teacher created
• Multiple search paths
• Keyword
• Teacher questions
• Georgia Framework
• Personalized
• Bookmarks
• Comments on resources
• Goal Answer teachers questions within 2 clicks

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What makes the BRIDGE resources unique?
A variety of resources, including

• Articles
• Checklists
• Essays, letters and opinion pieces
• Examples of classroom practice
• Examples of student work
• Solutions to problems

• Reviews of other materials
• Testimonials, case studies, teachers stories
• Theory Practice
• Tools
• And more!

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What makes the BRIDGE resources unique?

• Professional learning in the hands of educators
• Resources submitted by educators
• Real answers to real teachers questions
• Each resource reviewed by educators
• BRIDGE resources are organized and easy to find

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Opening Screen
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My BRIDGE (personalized entry)
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Search Results
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Tips for Facilitators
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Tips for Facilitators

• Build facilitation skills
• Training/Coaches Institutes
• Apprentice with veteran facilitators
• Encourage participation
• Regular communication / notification of
  activities
  
• Be prepared for a lot of off-line
  communication
  
• Focus on building community

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Using Chat for Protocol-based activities

• Issue Presenter and Facilitators comments get
  lost in the fray
  
• One solution Presenter and Facilitator change
  their text to a different color (one blue, one
  red?) and to bold. That way, their comments stand
  out from the others

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Using Chat for Protocol-based activities

• Issue Discussion gets scattered. Answers come
  after several questions and its difficult to
  follow the conversation flow.
  
• One solution If someone wants to comment or ask
  a question, have them type ? then wait for the
  facilitator to call on them. They can type in
  their question, but wait to be called on to press
  send.

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Using Chat for Protocol-based activities

• Issue Time lags as folks type in long pieces of
  text
  
• One solution Have some things already typed up
  in word so you can copy and paste into the chat
  (i.e. dilemma, focusing question, prompts to next
  step)
• Another solution Dont type anymore than one
  line at a time. If you have more of your thought
  to come, end the first line with so folks
  know to wait until you are done.

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Using Chat for Protocol-based activities

• Issue Easy to get lost at what point of the
  process you are currently in.
  
• One solution Facilitator has to take
  extraordinary steps to move from one step to
  another.
  
• As an example Clarifying questions are closed.
  We are now moving on to probing questions
  
• Remember that probing questions are those that
  require the presenter to be thoughtful,
  interpret, hypothesize.
  
• Probing questions are not clever disguises for
  suggestions!...
  
• Okay, so lets start probing questions. Type a
  ? to be recognized for the floor.

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Other issues?
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Using Discussion Forums for Protocol-based
activities

• IssueTime lag isolates people
• One solution Facilitator works to connect
  comments of one to another. May need to be more
  directive with prompting discussion
  
• Another solution If a step winds down before
  its end time, go ahead and open up the next one
  (and tell the group)

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Using Discussion Forums for Protocol-based
activities

• Issue People are busy and forget
• One solution Send out a schedule of the
  complete activity calendar ahead of time
  
• Another solution Utilize the automatic email
  reminders for each step

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Other issues?
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For more information

• Julie Moore
• BRIDGE Co-Director
• Educational Psychology Instructional
  Technology
  
• julamoor_at_uga.edu