CPS Partner Preparation - January 2008
Partners listen as Jennifer summarizes the discussion
about artifacts in her group
On January 22, 2008, STEP=UP Staff welcomed 14 CPS special education teachers who will also serve at STEP=UP Partners for the Spring 2008 semester. It was a mixed group of partners - some returning after a hiatus, some new and some continuing. We are excited to have this diverse group of partners to work with UIC students this semester. The two-hour meeting began with introductions and notes about STEP=UP key components as well as report about the close to 80 masters students who gain support and tuition scholarships from STEP=UP.
The major agenda items centered around use of the classroom literacy artifact. Partners bring such artifacts -- samples of student work, or books or teaching materials -- to monthly sessions (field advisories) with UIC students and use those artifacts to focus discussion about teaching and learning as well as the integral nature of literacy in all content. We shared several examples of artifacts from previous field advisory meetings, and partners reflected on the commonalities and differences of these artifacts. Many suggested that the common theme was how artifacts showed a focus on students - their learning, cognitive levels, abilities etc. After considering those good examples of artifacts, partners worked in groups of four to discuss how they would present the artifact to UIC students, for example, what background they would provide, what focusing question or comment they would ask to begin the discussion. Partners saw two short video clips of two CPS special education teachers and then reviewed again how to select artifacts and how they shape a professional discussion about them. In small groups they considered what each teacher could bring to field advisories to help people think about her work with her students. Partners made several suggestions such as bringing students' actual work (including unfinished student work or student work with errors), assessment sheets one teacher had developed, the conceptual map graphic organizer a teacher used, the large box one teacher used to demonstrate the notion of "category", the actual vocabulary words displayed on the board, the candies a teacher used with students to help them understand what "chewing" means for the body.
Leslie Garrison gives examples of some of the artifacts
that the teacher from the video clip could bring in
Mary Peasley shares examples of classroom
literacy artifacts to bring in
Partners reflect on the modified protocol for
the STEP=UP field advisory meetings
Partners learned about the use of a protocol to guide their discussions in field advisories. We studied the Tuning Protocol (Allen & Blythe, 2004)* and then showed how, with modifications, such a protocol could be useful in our work. The protocol adaptation includes particular structures, and also will be enacted by having members of the group take on different roles such as presenter, facilitator and summarizer. Partners left with ideas for artifacts they might select from their own classrooms, and ways to plan the discussions they will have in the next field advisory.
Allen, D. & Blythe, T. (2004). The facilitator's book of questions: Tools for looking together at student and teacher work. New York: Teachers College Press.
