Foster reflective teacher leadership and make real change happen! Teachers are powerful change agents in the on-going process of school improvement. This insightful, must-read companion guide to Donohoo’s best-selling Collaborative Inquiry for Educators helps school leaders develop a sustainable professional learning culture. Practical suggestions and in-depth research shed light on your path as you explore the benefits and challenges of adopting authentic teacher collaboration across schools and districts. Learn valuable lessons from leaders in the field and discover: A rationale and framework for engaging in inquiry The vital conditions needed to ensure systemwide collaboration Common pitfalls and the four stages of school improvement
Foster reflective teacher leadership and make real change happen! Teachers are powerful change agents in the on-going process of school improvement. This insightful, must-read companion guide to Donohoo’s best-selling Collaborative Inquiry for Educators helps school leaders develop a sustainable professional learning culture. Practical suggestions and in-depth research shed light on your path as you explore the benefits and challenges of adopting authentic teacher collaboration across schools and districts. Learn valuable lessons from leaders in the field and discover: A rationale and framework for engaging in inquiry The vital conditions needed to ensure systemwide collaboration Common pitfalls and the four stages of school improvement
Foster reflective teacher leadership and make real change happen! Teachers are powerful change agents in the on-going process of school improvement. This insightful, must-read guide helps school leaders shape the development of a sustainable professional learning culture. Practical suggestions and in-depth research shed light on your path as you explore the benefits and challenges of adopting authentic teacher collaboration across schools and districts. A follow-up to Jenni Donohoo’s best-selling Collaborative Inquiry for Educators: A Facilitator′s Guide to School Improvement, this book will quickly move you from theory to practice. Learn valuable lessons from leaders’ experiences in the field and discover: A rationale and framework for engaging in inquiry The vital conditions needed to ensure systemwide collaboration Common pitfalls and the four stages of school improvement Included are Cardwork Strategies with explicit actions and phrases to improve professional practice. Use this insightful guide to develop teacher leaders who lead and learn productively! "The concept of collaborative inquiry is increasingly bandied about these days with little precision. In one fell swoop, Donohoo and Velasco change all that with this succinct, hard hitting, complete, powerful, and, above all, accessible book on collaborative inquiry." —Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus OISE/University of Toronto "Donohoo and Velasco guide readers through an inquiry process that can strengthen every professional learning community. They provide the ‘how’ to teacher collaboration and shine light on the path that will get us all there." —Douglas Fisher, Professor San Diego State University
Your step-by-step guide to making collaboration work Collaborating for improved student outcomes makes sense. But beyond theory, do you know where to begin? Aligned to current Learning Forward standards and based on the latest research, this book deconstructs the collaborative inquiry process. This step-by-step guide gives facilitators tools to move teams toward purposeful, productive collaborative work with: A clear and concise four-stage model that provides a structure for facilitating successful collaborative inquiry Real-world examples from collaborative teams that model componen.
Harness the power of collective efficacy to achieve quality implementation! Designed to overcome the biggest barriers to quality implementation and, thus, school improvement and student achievement, this book unpacks the powerful force of collective efficacy. The authors examine how this shared belief that the combined efforts of faculty members can positively influence student outcomes, is instrumental to establishing evidence-based practices for lasting change. In addition to a helpful conceptual framework to visualize key components, readers will discover: • Ways to create environments that tap into mastery as the number one source of collective efficacy • Methods to strengthen vicarious experiences through observational learning • Examination of social persuasion and affective states as additional sources of collective efficacy
Improve student outcomes with collective teacher efficacy. If educators’ realities are filtered through the belief that they can do very little to influence student achievement, then it is likely these beliefs will manifest in their practice. The solution? Collective efficacy (CE)—the belief that, through collective actions, educators can influence student outcomes and increase achievement. Educators with high efficacy show greater effort and persistence, willingness to try new teaching approaches, and attend more closely to struggling students’ needs. This book presents practical strategies and tools for increasing student achievement by sharing: Rationale and sources for establishing CE Conditions and leadership practices for CE to flourish Professional learning structures/protocols
Inspiration and Guidance to Develop Collective Teacher Efficacy Collective efficacy, or a shared belief that through collective action educators can positively influence student outcomes, has remained at the top of a list of influences on student achievement in John Hattie’s Visible Learning research. Collective efficacy has been embodied by many educators, though collaboration tends to be focused on building community and relationships, which alone are not enough to move the needle on student achievement. This book contains stories of collective efficacy in schools where it has been actualized in practice, and includes: • Real-world case studies of teams who have fostered and sustained collective efficacy • Practical guidance for building collective efficacy through professional learning designs • Tools that can be adapted for specific needs or local contexts Through these accounts, readers will gain a better understanding of ways to capitalize on the reciprocal relationship between student achievement and collective efficacy by having a clear understanding of what collective efficacy looks like and how it can be accomplished.
While most educators believe working in teams is valuable, not all team efforts lead to instructional improvement. Through richly detailed case studies The Power of Teacher Teams demonstrates how schools can transform their teams into more effective learning communities that foster teacher leadership. The benefits of successful teacher teams include: improved performance for both teachers and students; meaningful professional development; group adoption of a new curriculum; shared insights into student work; better classroom management; support for new teachers; new roles for teacher leaders; and opportuniteis for mentor support.School leaders will find guidelines, methods, and concrete steps for building and sustaining effective teacher teams. Also included is a DVD with video case studies and one CD with reproducibles. The most important reason for building teacher teams is to enhance student learning through improved instruction, and that story is at the heart of this book.
Discover how psychological safety, constructive conflict, and actionable learning create a powerful triple helix to transform teams! In this ground-breaking resource, three experts in the field of education and teamwork each present one of three strands that, when woven together, support teamwork and forge collaborative interactions into a transformative way of working. You’ll learn approaches, processes and tools to overcome common obstacles to team effectiveness such as feelings of futility, anxiety, and poor morale. Drawing on research and practical experience the authors identify strategies and tools that show how to: Build psychological safety, where teams work towards resilient interpersonal relationships Use constructive conflict as a powerful catalyst for team learning and transformation Inquire into problems of practice to transform capabilities and produce actionable learning Acquire ways to develop mindful, thoughtful, and constructive teams where authentic communication drives group awareness and clear processes and goals. Acquire ways to develop mindful, thoughtful, and constructive teams where authentic communication drives group awareness and clear processes and goals.
Offer novice and experienced teachers guidelines for the "how" and "why" to do self-study teacher research Designed to help teachers plan, implement, and assess a manageable self-study research project, this unique textbook covers the foundation, history, theoretical underpinnings, and methods of self-study research. Written in a reader-friendly style and filled with interactive activities and examples, this book helps teachers every step of the way as they plan and conduct their studies. Author Anastasia Samaras encourages readers to think deeply about both the "how" and the "why" of this essential professional development tool as they pose questions and formulate personal theories to improve professional practice. Key Features A Self-Study Project Planner assists teachers in understanding both the details and process of conducting self-study research. A Critical Friends Portfolio includes innovative critical collaborative inquiries to support the completion of a high quality final research project. Advice from the most senior self-study academics working in the U.S. and internationally is included, along with descriptions of the self-study methodology that has been refined over time. Examples demonstrate the connections between self-study research, teachers′ professional growth, and their students′ learning. Tables, charts, and visuals help readers see the big picture and stay organized. Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries! A Student Study Site offers a wealth of resources, including additional examples and activities, web-based resources, study questions, and key terms. Intended Audience Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving Your Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry is intended as a core textbook for a wide variety of courses in the education curriculum, including Action Research, Qualitative Research Methods, Research Methods in Education, and the capstone/teacher researcher course required of all early childhood, elementary, and secondary education majors.
