Developing Learning Communities Through Teacher Expertise

"No book I have read in the past ten years has made clearer to me the difference between what I am doing as a professional developer and what I should be doing. It is so unremittingly honest about the difficulty of our work, and yet so rich in practical examples that I cannot help but feel inspired to move forward and change the way I teach and learn with teachers." Richard W. Strong, Vice President Silver Strong & Associates, LLC "There are many books on the market covering school improvement and teachers as experts as well as staff development; however, this book is concise, provides excellent templates, and is backed by real experiences and expertise." Suzanne C. Fonoti, Principal Flagstaff Arizona Unified School District Forget expensive consultants—use the expertise within your own school for quality professional development! Martin-Kniep offers practical methods for developing a reflective, collaborative environment where teachers and administrators work together to enhance teachers' practices, increase student learning, and produce valuable school processes. Developing Learning Communities Through Teacher Expertise includes frameworks, templates, and examples that can be employed to determine the value and implications surrounding the use of teacher-designed standards-based curriculum and assessment, data-driven inquiry, and professional portfolios. Based on work completed at the nonprofit Center for the Study of Expertise in Teaching and Learning, this innovative volume includes: Examples of teachers' reflections, portfolio artifacts, and student work Sample standards-based curriculum units for different content areas and grade levels Discussion questions and recommended readings Sample worksheets and self-assessments Standards-based curriculum and assessment design tools Sample rubrics for student and teacher development Developing Learning Communities Through Teacher Expertise offers step-by-step instructions for developing an action plan for incorporating learning communities into a school. Providing numerous real-life examples, Martin-Kniep includes three specific teaching units and supporting material, which illustrate how to identify and capitalize on teachers' existing expertise.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Learning Communities What Are Learning Communities? Why Are They Important? What Do Learning Communities Do? What do They Require to Function? What Gets in the Way of the Development of Learning Communities? What Can We Do to Support Learning Communities? Possible Questions for the Reader Recommended Books on Learning Communities 2. Standards-Based Curriculum and Assessment Design What Does It Take to Develop a Standards-Based, Learner-Centered Unit? How Do We Help Teachers Develop High-Quality Standards-Based Units? Possible Questions for the Reader Recommended Books on Standards-Based Curriculum and Assessment Design 3. Data-Driven Inquiry and Action Research Three Examples of Inquiry How Can Schools Support Individual, Collaborative, and School-Based Research? Possible Questions for the Reader Recommended Books on Action Research and Use of Data 4. Professional Portfolios What Do Professional Portfolios Include? Understanding and Use of Standards-Based and Learner-Centered Curriculum and Assessment Use of Reflection and Data to Improve One′s Practice How Are Professional Portfolios Organized? How Can Schools Begin to Support the Development and Use of Professional Portfolios? Possible Questions for the Reader Recommended Books on Portfolios 5. Developing an Action Plan Identification of Internal Expertise Assessment of Needs Brokering of Relationships Among Teachers Curriculum and Assessment Design Work Inquiry and Analysis Work Professional Portfolio Work Appendix A: Description of CSETL and Its Mission Appendix B: Unit Design Template Appendix C: Application to Become a CSETL Fellow Appendix D: Professional Portfolio Rubric References Index