Learning Together Book Study

Aiyana we are new to learning labs in the secondary space, but we are finding our way and it's been successful. With labs we realize there is going to be some messiness as we figure things out together. We have done some labs focused on co-teaching in math as well as BTC.

Aiyana - There were some good conversations during our first virtual session about the challenges of high school. Notably, high schools are so large they are like small cities. So, thinking about how to implement learning labs in such a large setting does take thinking outside of the box. Some of the ideas that were shared included having teacher leaders or coaches take the lead since administrators are already stretched thin, as well as possibly starting small - like focusing only on Algebra 1 classes. It is a great conversation to have - that is for sure!

I'm very interested to hear what others have to say about the different necessities in High School. This seems even more isolated than my time in Middle School in terms of content conversations. I'm looking forward to feeling out what could be possible if we all decide to make learning together a central principle of our school.

This stood out to me: "Teachers, coaches, and principals learning and planning together is what we are working toward when we use the term professional development. How we use the term professional development is just one example. We’re asking that you stick with us to get an idea of how we’re using very familiar terms to mean different enactments than you’ve likely experienced."

I strive to be a learner with my teachers, and having a curriculum implementation in place makes it easier. We have a structure each week for collaboration and professional learning.

Welcome to our first chapter discussion thread! As a reminder, Chapter 1 is the main focus of our Session 1 Live Discussion on October 22nd at 11:00 AM.

"Children thrive when teachers thrive. Teachers thrive when children thrive."

Use this thread to share your thoughts, reflections, and questions as you read. To help jumpstart our conversation, here are a few guiding prompts to consider:

General Reflection Questions

Feeling Valued: Where in your teaching career have you felt "respected, trusted, and valued," and where has that feeling been missing?

Professional Learning vs. PD: How do you react to reframing "PD" as collaborative professional learning and planning? Does this match how PD operates in your building?

The "Open Secret": Does the idea that PD often feels disconnected from daily planning ring true for you? What would it look like for PD to actually be the real work of instruction design?

Teacher Ownership: What tensions exist between wanting clear frameworks/guidance and keeping ownership in the hands of teachers?

Role Shifts & Coaching: The authors argue changing schools requires shifting all roles simultaneously (teachers, coaches, principals). What needs to change in your school for coaching to feel essential rather than an optional bonus?

Your Starting Point: "Every school has a starting point." What is your school's current starting point?

Relational Framing: How does framing teaching around relationships, curiosity, and identity compare to how teaching is evaluated in your building?

Equity from the Start: What stood out to you about how equity is integrated right from the opening argument?

Role-Specific Lens

K–5 Leaders: What structures exist (or could exist) for teachers to learn together across self-contained classrooms, and how does teacher joy translate to young learners?

6–8 Leaders: How does department-based or shared coaching impact the vision of collaborative learning, and how can we support middle school identity development through this work?

9–12 Leaders: How can "team learning" occur when teachers are isolated by course, and how does this relational vision fit alongside high school content and credit pressures?

Drop your thoughts, responses, or new questions in the comments below! We look forward to diving into these ideas together online and during our live session.

P.S. Don't forget about our Padlet! If you have a quick reaction, a burning question, or a thought from a different chapter as you read, drop it on our shared Padlet anytime! You can jump on the board, post reflections from any part of the book, and see what others are thinking as we go.