Return to list of materials about "Providing teacher testimonials"
In-service program documentation
Providing teacher testimonials (D6.3)
Logistics and scheduling information (by Judith Fonzi)
| SCROLL TO READ THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT, or click an item to go directly to that section. |
| Choices made about when and how to provide teacher testimonials |
| Scheduling of these activities within the summer institute |
| List of materials / equipment needed to implement these activities |
Choices made about when and how to provide teacher testimonials
We have learned to include "experienced" teachers in all program activities because they always enrich the discussions as they share insights from their own experiences. We now specifically invite 2 or 3 experienced teachers to join us for the entire summer institute to participate in the sessions (other than the "experiences as learners") and engage in informal conversations with participants. Though these spontaneous contributions are extremely valuable they are limited, to some extent, by the questions which get asked or the observations that are made. We found this to be true even when the facilitator is consciously trying to find opportunities for the experienced teachers to share specific information, as was the case in our first implementation of this framework. We believe that our experienced teachers have a wealth of additional information about implementing an inquiry approach to teaching mathematics in middle schools. Therefore, we feel it is important to include some formally scheduled and carefully focused "testimonials" from experienced teachers to complement their more spontaneous contributions. We have identified two points during the summer institute where we believe new teachers can especially benefit from more focused sharing from the their peers "who have been there". The first point is immediately following the first "experience as learners" when they may be wondering if we really "can teach through inquiry in middle schools ?" and the second is on the last day when participants are likely to be "questioned out" but the experienced teachers still have information they think participants should know.
For the first testimonial session, "Can this really work in a classroom?", we assemble a panel of teachers who have taught the tessellation unit in their classes. Though not absolutely necessary, doing so allows the teachers to share anecdotes and make specific connections to some of the activities the participants have just experienced. In order to have representatives from a wide variety of teaching contexts, we sometimes need to invite additional "experienced teachers" to join us for this session (in addition to those who are participating in the entire summer institute). To prepare for the session we ask the teachers to consider their current responses to the issues which were upper most in their mind when they were at this stage of their development: a) can we teach through inquiry in middle schools; b) is it good for the students; c) can you do this without sacrificing your responsibility to "cover the curriculum"; and, d) will students still be able to perform on the required standardized tests. The session begins with the teachers sharing their experiences and then participants are invited to ask questions. We encourage them to ask any questions they wish as this is a critical time to get any skepticism or concerns out in the open so that they can either be allayed or appropriately acknowledged.
The second session, scheduled at the end of the summer institute, is somewhat less prescribed. Because of the open-ended nature of the discussions throughout the week it is difficult to know, apriori, exactly what topics will come up and what will be shared. The staff, in consultation with the experienced teachers who have been present throughout, "take stock" at the end of the third day to identify those issues which either have not been addressed at all, or need additional discussion. The teachers then prepare to discuss these issues and any other "tips" they want to share. Some of the topics that we have focused on during this session are: developing new images of the planning process, sharing specific strategies for planning; evolving beliefs about assessment; strategies for, and examples, of assessment; effective strategies and modifications to accommodate diverse learners; and strategies for implementing specific instructional practices such as journal writing, independent student inquiries, etc.. This session is generally quite successful at both gathering up the "loose ends" to better support the participants in their upcoming field experiences and to make explicit the potential benefits of continuing to participate in this learning community.
Scheduling of these activities within the program:
In our implementations we schedule the first "teacher testimonial" session, "Can this really work in a classroom?", for the end of the second day. This gives us an opportunity to address questions and concerns before beginning to talk about the field experience requirements to implement an inquiry unit at the beginning of the year.
We schedule the second session, "Teachers' testimonials: Sharing their experiences implementing inquiry units" as the last session of the week to take full advantage of all of the previous discussions.
The specific details of the schedule can be seen in the table below:
Day 2 Tuesday
|
Day 5 Friday
|
We have purposefully kept these sessions to 1 hour in length even though they frequently could go on much longer. On the one hand, we want to share as much as possible, and on the other hand, we do not want to overwhelm the participants. We, therefore, always end the discussions by encouraging participants to continue to take advantage of informal times (lunch, breaks, etc.) to engage in conversations with staff and "experienced teachers".
List of materials / equipment needed to implement these activities:
The only materials needed for these sessions are those that the teachers choose to bring in themselves.
Return to top of document
Return to list of materials about "Providing
teacher testimonials"