Study Group Orientation

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Study Group Orientation

• LISD, 2002

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What is a Study Group?

• Allows participants to talk about their issues
  and concerns
• Recognizes collaborative dialogue as a way of
  thinking through issues and concerns, rather than
  relying on outside experts
• Encourages teachers to thoughtfully critique
  their own beliefs and practices, explore
  alternative possibilities, and take charge of
  their own professional journeys

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What is a Study Group?

• Focuses on technology-related engaged learning
  and teaching concerns as shared by different
  members of the school staff
• Could be a good place to identify and brainstorm
  topics for inservice
• Requires commitment
• Has a guide that ensures discussion flows
  successfully

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What is a Study Group?

• Has a recorder that takes notes and keeps
  attendance
• Builds community and caring within the school
  environment
• Challenges our thinking as educators
• Evolves over time---reflect on what is and isn't
  working and make changes

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What a Study Group is NOT?

• a staff meeting
• an inservice
• a gripe session
• a place to discuss individual hardware issues
  other than sharing tips

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A Teacher Study Group allows participants to

• Take time to reflect and dialogue about teaching
  and learning with technology
• Talk about their differences as teachers
• Get staff development hours for attendance and
  participation
• Establish their own agenda that relates to the
  focus

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A Teacher Study Group allows participants to

• Define their own problems, create knowledge, and
  transform themselves to help bring about
  educational change in their classrooms
• Experience new ways to integrate technology
• Build community and relationships
• Make connections across theory and practice
• Provide a "zone of safety" within which teachers
  can take chances as they explore new curricular
  ideas

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How are Study Groups Organized?

• Laptop recipients must attend others may
  participate if they choose to make the commitment
• It's important to immediately send the message
  that study groups are inclusive communities, not
  exclusive cliques.
• Structure of the study group with its rotation of
  roles should give teachers the opportunity to
  talk with each other as professionals

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How are Study Groups Organized?

• Topic should be specific enough to focus
  discussion and drive inquiry but also broad
  enough to lend itself to multiple perspectives
  related to teaching and learning
• Consider reading a professional article or
  writing beforehand for more productive discussion
• Set a definite time and place for the group to
  meet
• Should be principal-supported

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What about the structure of meetings?

• First meeting is spent in brainstorming topics
  and areas of interest as well as discussing group
  norms
• Usually spend the beginning of the meetings in
  sharing/brainstorming before moving into main
  focus of the meeting

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Group Norms

• Take care of yourself
• Asking questions is okay
• Keep conversations on topicone voice at a
• time
• Not too much homework
• Avoid jargon
• Start and end on time
• Everyone is important

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How should Study Groups be facilitated?

• Guide needs to be a good listener
• Role of guide rotates among volunteers
• Guide should keep discussion moving
• Guide encourages involvement of all group members

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How should Study Groups be facilitated?

• Group members discuss focus for next meeting and
  decide as a group
• Group is provided with a list of possible topics
  by teacher technologist
• Guide or recorder will complete the online
  meeting records to include attendance and topic
  description