Protocols for Professional Learning Conversations
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This document provides an overview of protocols for professional conversations and their benefits: 1) Protocols are structured discussion formats that can help deepen understanding of teaching and learning by providing clarity of purpose, safety, equity and opportunities for reflection. 2) Common protocols examined include the Microlab Protocol, Tuning Protocol and Consultancy Protocol. Protocols allocate time for essential conversations and scaffold collaborative analysis. 3) While protocols require practice, they can enhance professional conversations by making the purpose explicit, creating clear expectations, and encouraging participation and learning over problem-solving.
Protocols for Professional Learning Conversations
- 1. Protocols for Professional Conversations: A User’s Guide The Project Zero Classroom Cameron Paterson cpaterson@shore.nsw.edu.au Twitter: @cpaterso
- 4. Understanding Goals • What are protocols? • How can protocols help us to deepen our understanding of teaching and learning? • How can protocols be used to improve our skill and focus in working with students and colleagues?
- 6. The Question(s): Think of the professional conversation in which you learned the most. What did you learn in the course of the conversation? What made it powerful? What was the least productive professional conversation you’ve ever had? What made it so difficult?
- 7. Essential Qualities of a Professional Learning Conversation • CLARITY of purpose • SAFETY that supports trust and risk taking • EQUITY for all participants • (LEVITY—because joy is important, too!) Protocols can help with these . . . . Tina Blythe, 2016
- 8. Essential Opportunities of a Professional Learning Conversation • Attending • Reflecting • Connecting • Questioning • Extending Protocols can help with these, too . . . Tina Blythe, 2016
- 9. Features of Protocols • Roles • Norms • Purpose • Steps • Facilitation • Reflection Tina Blythe, 2016
- 10. Microlab Protocol Purpose: To address a specific sequence of questions in a structured format with small groups, using active listening skills What’s Examined and Discussed: Usually a question or text.
- 12. The Tuning Protocol Purpose: A protocol for giving a teacher feedback on an assignment focused helping her address a puzzle or concern that she names for the group. What’s Examined and Discussed: The teacher’s assignment and several pieces of student work from that assignment. Tina Blythe, 2016
- 13. The Consultancy Protocol Purpose: A protocol for allowing a group to analyze a dilemma that an individual or the group is experiencing in order to understand the dilemma more deeply. What’s Examined and Discussed: A written description of the dilemma. (Student work may or may not be a focus.) Tina Blythe, 2016
- 14. Using Protocols They are tools for the work of supporting teacher and student learning (not the work itself). They must be chosen with a specific purpose in mind. It takes some practice before they can be used most effectively.
- 15. How do protocols help? Help create opportunities for and allocate time to essential conversations about teaching and learning. Provide routines and structures to scaffold collaborative analysis and planning. Support interactions that enable us to develop and demonstrate our understanding of and respect for the variety of perspectives and experiences by our colleagues.
- 16. Protocols (Almost) all protocols will enhance: Clarity (making the purpose explicit) Safety (creating clear expectations for roles and participation) Equity (enabling/encouraging everyone to participate)
- 17. Some Protocols Do More Especially protocols that emphasise… Observing Listening Asking questions about what one observes and hears Using conditional language (wondering, considering) Question-finding and question-refining (as opposed to problem-solving) Learning (as opposed to task accomplishment)
- 18. Challenges of Using Protocols Well Weathering the “learning curve.” Deciding when to use a protocol. Choosing the appropriate protocols for the purposes. Resisting the impulse to problem-solve (at least for a time) Documenting learning and building on previous discussions. Facilitation. Time, time, time.
- 20. Undergraduate Professional Graduate Advice from Courses Reading Courses Colleague What Influences Teacher Professional Practice? 1=“Notinfluential”4=“Veryinfluential” 1.8 2.3 2.6 3.6 0 1 2 3 4 Dr Douglas Reeves, The Leadership and Learning Center
- 21. The extent of trust among adults in schools strongly predicts positive student learning outcomes (Bryk, 2002).
- 23. One-Minute Essay 1. What was the most important insight ? 2. What is your most important question?