This year our school decided to do a book study using the book “Teach Like a Champion” by Doug Lemov. What was great about this book study was that it made everyone on staff speak the same language and reflect on the same issues that present themselves on a daily basis in our classrooms. The book study groups promoted conversations among teachers and school staff that led to the application of new ideas in classrooms and improvement of existing skills. It was a great way to focus on issues related to instructional strategies and also helped to build learning communities in schools.
Some of us got more out of this study than others, for sure, but it made us all connect to each other. The cool thing that came out of it was to see the instructional strategies we were learning in the book being brought to life in classrooms. It was also exciting to hear grade levels discussing strategies they were using or trying in their classrooms. The teachers were able to provide each other with advice based on the readings. The book study really was a great way to build leadership capacity among staff members. I witnessed teachers that are normally quite come out of their shell while discussing strategies they liked from the book. The excitement on their faces when they received feedback and support from their peers was awesome. But the most amazing thing was to see them being leaders on their teams and owning strategies to support their peers. This book study allowed us to have manageable, meaningful relationships within our cohort teams.
Having a book study allowed us to truly examine what we do and how it works in our daily classroom lives. Obviously, there was a ton of work that went into what we did but the book study definitely helped us gain a firm footing in instructional strategies, one that allowed us to make many big steps forward.
Keisha, the concept of a school book study is really interesting. I can definitely see how this practice would promote conversations and the application of new and exciting ideas & techniques. I think that the idea of every teacher getting some form of ownership was what resonated with me most. How did this work in terms of implementation? Was it assigned over the summer, gradually throughout the school year, or was there just a due date? I wonder if there was a way to hold teachers accountable or how buy-in was across the staff. It seems as though the benefits are definitely there, so hopefully this strategy will continue to be impactful at your school and beyond!
ReplyDeleteKeisha, this is a process I am a huge fan of. But, I'm wondering how did you guys hold the discussion part of the process:
ReplyDelete(1) were there grade level discussions,
(2) who led the discussions,
(3) were strategies supported with on-going coaching?
BTW, I bought the book myself after working with u on our presentation. Anyway, thank u for being a wealth of information that u are.