Restoring Meaning to Teaching
In Conclusion
Improving teaching practice is an immense and unending process. There have been many major reform initiatives and programs, and yet they have resulted in fewer enduring improvements than expected. It has become clear that there are no easy answers, so we can assume that meaningful educational change will be difficult, complex, and even controversial. The encouraging news is that you have the ability to choose your own pathway to improve teaching and learning in your classroom. It is, after all, your thinking, your decisions, and your actions that impact your students and their learning. The study group teachers decided to join our project because they were concerned, for example, about how to help students who weren't successful learners, how to know if students understood concepts, how to teach science in elementary grades, or how to use new state standards. The teachers in our project found that thinking and talking with others about their concerns was a valuable first step. Then, through reading, inquiry, and dialogue, each teacher decided how to go about improving his or her practice.
The study group teachers said that participation in the facilitated teacher study group, with its focus on student learning, helped them find new meaning in their teaching practice. Specifically, they reported that, through this process, they
- built a support network of colleagues
- engaged in meaningful dialogue about educational issues, ideas, and practices
- came to understand more about themselves as the teachers they are and want to be
- examined, reflected on, and refined their understanding of learning
- used their understanding of learning to make better decisions about teaching
- improved student learning in their classrooms
The study group process and the time it requires are not generally supported by traditional school structures. However, there is a changing view of professional development that has led many administrators to creatively carve out the time for teachers to learn together in this way (Murphy, 1997). The teachers said that they felt that the process was so worthwhile that they were willing to find the time in their busy schedules. One teacher said,
"At first, I thought I had made a mistake. Was I crazy to try and do the study group when I was also taking a graduate course and going to the usual workshops, team meetings, and so on? In the end, I realized that I got more out of this group than out of all of the others--I should have dropped the graduate course!"
The teachers came to see how placing learning at the center of their teaching could help them reach their ultimate goal of improved student learning. They would agree with teacher educator Andy Hargreaves, that effective school change requires both individual voices and a collective vision. He said, "A world of voice without vision is a world where there are no means for arbitrating between voices, reconciling them or drawing them together" (1994, p. 251). A project teacher observed,
"If we are to be at our best as a system, then we must share the vision, we must see, together, the end of the tunnel."
There is a lot of interest currently in helping teachers build professional confidence and understanding so that they have the tools needed to improve teaching practice for the benefit of students. Researchers and teachers alike are finding that some professional development strategies are more successful than others in supporting teachers in their improvement efforts. We found that the use of study groups was a successful strategy, although there are undoubtedly other approaches that also promote teachers' professional growth. The ideas of teacher learning and sense making were key for us. Study groups provided teachers with the time, support, and structure to make sense of the impact of their choices on student learning and this opportunity for dialogue and reflection helped them to be more thoughtful in their choice-making. We have confidence in this process and invite and encourage you to join colleagues in reflective dialogue, guided activities, journal writing, and collaborative inquiry as members of a facilitated study group.
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