Teacher Rounds

Book excerpt: Teacher Rounds: Powerful peer-to-peer teacher professional development! Teachers can be leaders of their own ongoing learning—and their best professional development resources may be their own classrooms and colleagues. Applying the Teacher Rounds methodology, teachers learn with and from each other through classroom observations and inquiry and develop a trusted community of practice. Scholar-teacher Thomas Del Prete outlines every aspect of this practice-based approach to professional learning, including: Step-by-step guidance and tools for implementing Teacher Rounds Insights on creating a positive environment for honest feedback A wealth of examples from a high-performing school and across all grade levels and disciplines Based on a whole-hearted commitment to the art and science of teaching, this book helps teachers take classroom instruction to new levels of excellence. "Thoughtful and packed with insights, Teacher Rounds is a valuable addition to the growing literature on important initiatives to improve teaching and learning." —Vivian Troen, Katherine C. Boles, authors of The Power of Teacher Teams "Teacher Rounds is one of the best ways to get teachers out of their classrooms and into each other’s classrooms for their own learning and for school improvement. This book provides the theory and background of rounds as well as concrete examples of how a school can implement them." —Lois Easton, Educational Consultant and Author LBE Learning, Tucson, AZ "The protocol of Teacher Rounds has the potential to be a powerful tool for professional learning. The focused conversations that follow observation augment the learning for all involved." —Sue Elliott, Education Consultant Suechelt Consulting, Sechelt, BC