The Power of Protocols

Book excerpt: This important professional development tool describes nearly 30 protocols or "scripts" for conducting meetings, conversations, and other learning experiences among educators--in one, easy-to-use resource. For anyone working with collaborative groups of teachers on everything from school improvement to curriculum development this book features: -Protocols for working together on problems of practice, for studying together, for organizing many different kinds of meetings, and for looking together at student work.-A thorough text that describes each protocol, provides a rationale for using them, explains the particular purpose each protocol was designed for, discusses the value that educators have found in using them, and offers helpful tips for facilitators.-Valuable appendices that list relevant resources, such as websites, contact addresses, and training opportunities, and a table that lists all of the protocols with suggestions for cross-use.-A free supplement on the Teachers College Press website with "Abbreviated Protocols" that can be downloaded and customized to suit each facilitator's needs.